“No.”
“What?” she exclaimed. “Not ever? Wasn’t it done well? I thought so. Didn’t you like it? Was my breath not fresh? I vow I chewed on the sprig of mint after the last meat course.”
Realizing he was gaping, he finally let himself touch her, only to put his finger under her chin and tap her mouth closed.
“Silence! You must get out of my room, or you’ll be sent back to London in disgrace. Do you want that?”
“No,” she said, sounding reasonable. “Then we could never kiss again. I shall go.” Turning, she nearly yanked open the door until he stopped her.
“Wait!” Determining the hallway was empty, he said, “You ought to run until you are on the other side of the main stairs, then there will be little risk of someone assuming you were in this wing.”
“Very well.”
He started to crack the door wider when she said, “My very firstparamour! Isn’t it exciting?”
With that, leaving him shocked once more, she hurried out.
Vincent didn’t wait to see her progress, as his open door would ruin everything should it be noticed. Instead, he closed it firmly and faced his empty room.
What the hell just happened?
Brilliance fought tokeep from skipping. Yet taking Lord Hewitt’s advice, she walked as hastily as possible, without losing a slipper, all the way to the ladies’ wing. Then she could catch her breath and reflect on what had occurred.
Her first real kiss.And what a kiss!While trapped in the hollow between his arms, scenting his cologne, a peppery fragrance of juniper, vetiver, and ... manliness, she had closed her eyes — the better to feel every whisper-soft sensation, as well as the harder ones, too, such as the back of her head on the door and the persistent ache that blossomed low in her belly.
She had wanted to curl her hips against his. Moreover, she had yearned to feel his fingers touch her skin.Anywhere!Instead, the gentleman had kept his hands frustratingly off her.
That had been her only complaint on an otherwise magnificent kiss. His lips were obviously meant for hers. Why, their mouths fit like two pieces of a puzzle with nothing left over.
Surely that could mean only one thing — they were destined for one another. All traces of tiredness from the long day vanished. Brilliance could hardly wait for supper when she would see him again.
Chapter Five
Seeing sunshine upon opening her eyes the following morning, Brilliance let the memories rush in. She wasnotat her home on Piccadilly in London. She was in Bexley and about to have her first full day at Lady Twitchard’s country manor. And she had already been kissed.
What more excitement might possibly be on the horizon?
As that question buzzed in her busy brain, she was up and, with the assistance of her maid, Belinda, dressed in a lovely morning frock. Within a quarter of an hour, she headed downstairs.
Some guests would be strolling the property or taking tea in the gardens, but Brilliance had always been fond of stoking her inner hearth with a cup of chocolate and, at the very least, a coddled egg or two before starting her day.
The previous night’s supper had been held in the same pink salon in which they’d been told to take their breakfast. It was a nice change from one long table in the dining room. Four tables were set up around a white marble font. Instead of water, it contained a lovely display of living plants.
“Good morning,” Brilliance said to one and all. However, a brief inspection of the room’s occupants indicated neither LordHewitt nor Martine was there. In fact, only two gentlemen were as yet eating.
That was a bit of a letdown, as Lord Hewitt had not put in an appearance at the previous night’s light supper of soup and bread, either. Brilliance had tried not to let her disappointment ruin the fun of being up late at a party without a chaperone or her parents or siblings. She had enjoyed the soup while being showered by Martine’s questions.
“Where on earth did you disappear to?” her friend had asked.
“Lost,” had been Brilliance’s truthful answer, but Martine had given her the horse-eye.
“A rather long time to go from the gallery to your room,” her friend had declared. “I made it back downstairs and chatted with the others and still you didn’t reappear.”
Brilliance had simply shrugged until her friend had given up, deciding there was nothing to know.
Now, as the two gentlemen rose to their feet, Brilliance hesitated in order to determine the protocol.Should she take a seat or go to the sideboard and help herself?
“The footman just went off to get more toast,” said the blond Lord Patterson. “But there is no standing on ceremony. Allow me,” he added.
