The masquerade had been a difficult night for Miss Leigh because of her family’s matrimonial machinations, and his Mystery Lady had jested that she was fleeing a blackguard determined to woo her. Had Mr. Mowbry’s overtures been so repugnant that Miss Leigh embraced a costume and chosen blindness to obscure her identity entirely?
The thought sent a jolt straight through him, and despite his efforts to wrangle logic and reasoning back into his mind, David struggled to piece together anything coherent. The idea was too ridiculous. Too strange. It couldn’t be true, yet it wouldn’t leave him be.
But such ponderings mattered little when Miss Leigh sat there, pleading for an answer. Her furrowed brows rested above the rim of her spectacles, pinching together with such longing, begging him to provide her with some assurance.
“Your brother wanted to humble me,” he blurted. Miss Leigh’s brows rose at that, but before she could say a word, he continued. “Friends ought to do so at every opportunity, and what other lady in attendance would flee in horror at the thought of kissing me?”
With a huff, Miss Leigh shook her head. “I did not flee in horror.”
“Oh, no. You had more self-respect than to give them that satisfaction,” he said with a knowing nod. “You stared daggers at them all, fairly cursing them all to Hades, and then strode out the door with the regality of a queen.”
“I didn’t do that, either.”
David chuckled. “Believe me, I described it precisely as it happened. But regardless, it is clear you are greatly offended at the thought of kissing me, even when such things are commonplace in parlor games.”
The words sprang forth before he could think better of them; David couldn’t help it. Now that the question had taken hold in his thoughts, he needed to nudge the situation forward. There was one definitive way in which he could discover the truth, and for all his blundering about, Benjamin had handed it to him. An easy test to see if they could view each other in a romantic light. If not, they could laugh it away with no damage done to their friendship.
Miss Leigh stiffened and turned her head to stare at him.
“I know I am as repulsive as Mr. Mowbry and as annoying as Mr. Tryck, but is it truly so awful to give me a little kiss?” he said with an impish grin, pointing to his cheek.
“The forfeit was for you to kiss me, sirrah.”
“Sirrah, is it?” he asked with an arched brow. In a quick movement, David rose to his feet, sweeping Miss Leigh along with him. Standing flush with his arms around her, he fought against the laugh that threatened to emerge when Miss Leigh’s eyes bulged until they were liable to pop from her head.
“Might I steal a kiss, Miss Leigh?” But for all that David had intended the question to be lighthearted, there was a roughness to his voice that he couldn’t hide. One of her hands rested against his chest, whilst the other gripped his arm, and David’s heart stuttered when her fingers brushed across his shirtfront.
*
What was happening? Katherine didn’t think herself a dunce, but that question ricocheted about her thoughts, demanding an answer. Yet she had none to give. If she were anyone else, she might say Mr. Archer was looking at her in a romantic fashion. His dark eyes held hers, and the humorous quirk of his lips vanished as his hands rubbed at her back.
“Please allow me to pay my forfeit, Miss Leigh.”
Mr. Archer didn’t sound like himself at all. His voice was low and rough, and her heartbeat quickened as her skin flushed with the memory of those fevered kisses they’d shared at the masquerade. Standing in the darkness, it was easy enough to believe she’d donned her mask once more, and it was the Mystery Lady and the rascal Dick Turpin stealing a feverish moment in the gardens. But the moonlight allowed them to see clearly enough that it was Mr. David Archer and Miss Katherine Leigh.
Surely he didn’t mean anything by it.
Yet Katherine couldn’t ignore the softness in his gaze. She might’ve called it tenderness if it had been directed at anyone else, but it wasn’t. Mr. Archer was looking upon her. And he knew it. There were no masks to hide behind.
His arms remained circled about her, his fingers brushing gently against her back, and for all that Katherine clung to good sense and the memory of his dismissal so many weeks ago, she couldn’t help but wonder if something had changed. Mr. Archer’s voice echoed in her mind, fairly laughing at the thought that she was his Mystery Lady. And only that lady would do.
Yet now, Mr. Archer held her close enough that the scent of his cologne surrounded her, filling her nose with the faint aroma of cinnamon, which blended with the remnants of the cider they’d been drinking. The last lingering rational thought in her mind pestered Katherine, reminding her of her resolve to ignore her feelings for him, but the strength of that conviction faded beneath the feel of his arms around her.
Was this a jest? Was he in earnest? She couldn’t tell.
Leaning forward, he drew his lips near to her flushed skin, and his gaze echoed the question that he’d asked. Would she allow him a kiss? For all that the scandalous forfeits drew forth laughter, the truth was that those little tokens were intended for the cheek or hand—not the mouth.
The way he held her, Katherine couldn’t say where he’d planned to place the kiss, but before she allowed herself to think better of it, she turned into him, her lips meeting his.
*
Brows shooting upward, David felt his pulse leap at the sudden feel of Miss Leigh’s lips touching his. Despite that being his intended target, he’d anticipated some careful maneuvering to achieve it. And there she was.
He was kissing Miss Leigh.
Despite fully knowing what to do in such a situation, David found himself wondering how he ought to proceed. His arms remained circled about her, and while they normally felt free to rest against the lady’s back, it felt like too much of a liberty in this situation—which was ridiculous, as they were kissing, which was far more shocking than a hand at the small of her back.
But this was Miss Leigh. One did not tease and flirt with one’s friend. Or steal kisses from her in a darkened garden.
