Chapter Thirteen
Akiss?
Gideon knew this would be the most reckless thing he could ever do. There would be no taking back that kiss.
And where would they go from there? Into his bed?
He was aching to do this, but he refused to take Berry outside of the bonds of marriage.
And marriage for them was out of the question, at least for now.
He drew away. “There are a thousand reasons why a kiss between us is a bad idea.”
“But you already kissed me that day I stormed over to your house to complain about the noise.”
“And almost had a beam fall atop your head,” he said with a grumble. “That kiss did not count.”
“Why wouldn’t it count?”
“Because I only kissed you on behalf of the orphans at St. Brigid’s, and not for myself.”
“It was still your lips.”
“But not my heart, not at that precise moment. It took several days before my brain understood what my heart acknowledged at first glance.”
Yes, this had been quite a shock for him. He’d never expected love to work so fast. Wasn’t it supposed to start slowly and buildover time? Instead, it had struck him in an instant, like a well-aimed cannonball to the chest.
He raked a hand through his hair. “Here’s another truth…I wasn’t completely honest about the dancing.”
She shook her head in obvious confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Bonham and I have been taking lessons from a dance instructor by the name of Miss Feswick.”
Berry let out a trill of laughter. “Old Feswick? She was my dance instructor in the year before I made my debut. I knew it! Isn’t she awful? I thought the set of your arms was suspicious. Elbows pointed outward. Hands curled inward. But I will admit you had me fooled for a while. But the way you mastered that last series of hops, skips, and glissades was just too much. It took me weeks to get those figure formations just right, and you had the moves perfected within minutes.”
“Why did you not call me out on the deception?”
“I thought you might be embarrassed if I did. After all, you have a bad reputation to uphold. How would it look if others knew that a big, strapping man like you who runs gaming hells and is not afraid to plunge into a bare-knuckle fight against multiple opponents was taking dance lessons?”
“You were protecting my reputation?”
She nodded. “I would never do anything to shame or hurt you.”
This girl.
Did she have to be so sweet? He fell deeper in love with her every time they met.
“It is the same way I feel about your reputation, Berry. Yourgoodreputation. I will never do anything to destroy it. Perhaps in time those in thetonwill come to accept me, but they will not do so now. Lord Berwick played a dangerous game in appointing me his successor trustee, but I suppose he was right in guessingthat having a business relation with you is something thetonwill accept. But as to matters of the heart? They would sooner accept your having an affair with me than marrying me. It is the marriage that would destroy your good standing.”
“You would marry me?”
He nodded. “If it were possible, I would already have the license in hand. But right now, we both know it is impossible. You would lose all hope of maintaining your respectability, and the orphanage would suffer for it. So, how can I ask you to choose me over theton? This might change in time, but it would be too much of a scandal for you to survive right now.”
He took her gently by the arm. “Gather your things and let’s head to that warehouse on the docks. Is Miss Garland well enough to chaperone you?”
“No, I’ll have my maid join us. Harriet will have to do for now because Miss Garland isn’t getting any better. But I do not have the heart to pension her off just yet. She still thinks she is able to look after me.”
“You are very kind, Berry.”
