Madeline continued her folding. “Four years now. Ever since Lady Henrietta made her debut. This will be my fifth Season in London.”
“Where did you live before coming to London?” he prodded.
He didn’t miss that her gaze slid toward the floor, and she cleared her throat before answering. “In the country.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Where?”
“Devon.”
He decided to stop pursing that particular line of questioning. Obviously, she didn’t care to share more about her past. For the life of him, he couldn’t explain why he wanted to know so much.
“I’m sorry I got you sacked, Madeline.”
She paused and turned toward him, the corners of her lips lifting in the semblance of a smile, and her dimples popped. “I’m not.”
His brows shot up. “Pardon?”
She looked as if she were suppressing a laugh. “I know it’s awful to admit, but it’s much lovelier here and I have my own room and your sister is so much more agreeable than Lady Henrietta. I’m rather pleased at how it all turned out, actually. Besides missing my friend, Anna, that is.”
He chuckled. He appreciated her candor. “I see. Well, then, perhaps I’m happy to have obliged?”
Madeline shrugged. “Of course, I’d prefer it if I hadn’t made such a ninny of myself to my new employer, before I knew he was to be my new employer,” she added with a self-deprecating laugh.
“Not at all,” he replied, stepping closer to her again. “I am the one who should be embarrassed.”
“I kissed you, Lord Whitmore,” she reminded him. “You didn’t kiss me.”
He scratched behind his ear and scrunched up his nose. “Yes, as to that. If you don’t mind my asking, why did you kiss me?”
Her face flushed that lovely shade of pink he was quickly coming to admire. “I thought we were going to forget about the dance and the kiss.”
“You brought it up,” he pointed out.
She groaned. “So I did. Very well, the truth is I kissed you because in addition to always wanting a dance, I’d also always wanted to kiss a handsome gentleman at a ball, and you are the most handsome gentleman I’ve ever seen.”
For a moment, Justin thought he might blush too. He’d been around a great many women in his life, some who were quite forthright, but he’d never had someone call him handsome in such an innocent way, as if she were admitting to something she hadn’t wanted to tell him. It may have been the most adorable thing he’d ever heard. The women he tended to spend time with were skilled at the art of manipulation and dissembling. Talking to Madeline was like opening a window to fresh air.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she continued, biting her lip. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you and I didn’t mean to be so bold that night,” she continued. “But it was my only chance to…” Her voice drifted off, and she returned her attention to folding the clothing in front of her.
“To what?” he prompted.
“To make my dreams come true. First the dance, and then…”
“The kiss?” His voice was a whisper.
She blushed again and nodded.
“Yes, well. If that was your one and only kiss, I must tell you it can be much better than that.”
Her head snapped to the side to face him. “Truly?”
The look of disappointment on her face made him bite his lip to keep from laughing. She seemed entirely earnest. “Yes. A peck on the lips is not much of a kiss.”
She dropped the scarf she’d been folding, put her hands on her hips, and shook her head. “I suppose that’s what I get for kissing you when I had no earthly idea how to go about it.”
He stepped closer to her, only two paces away now, and ran the tip of his finger along the curve of her cheek. “Would you care for another chance?”
Her eyes widened and for the span of a second, he thought she would say no. But then a sly smile covered her face, and she glanced around. “Would you be so kind?”
