Lucien reached out and took her hand in his larger one as they continued to be mesmerized by the music. Time went too fast and before they knew it, the first half was coming to a close. People were moving around now that an intermission began.
Arthur and Daphne excused themselves as they left to visit friends. It left her alone with Lucien and she wasn’t sure if it was planned or not. He stood up and offered his hand. She accepted and followed him to the refreshments.
He poured her a small glass of wine, then a glass of brandy for himself. She took a sip of the deep-red liquid. It was a little stronger than any wine she’d encountered in the past. Of course, it was a rare occasion when her parents did let her have wine.
Setting her half-finished glass of wine down on a table, she noted him finishing his brandy. “I know she is extremely popular. She would have to be not to have someone else on the bill,” she said.
He was now directly in front of her, his lips just inches from hers. What did he have in mind? “I agree,” he replied.
Before she knew what was happening, his hand was cupping her face as he leaned in to kiss her. It wasn’t what she expected. It was a light touch to her lips, his tongue outlining the seam of her mouth before he stopped.
“That was nice,” he rumbled, his lips so close she could feel his hot breath on her.
“It was,” she said nervously. She gazed up into his gray eyes and saw something she hadn’t seen before. A longing.
“May I kiss you again?” he asked.
“Please,” she replied.
She closed her eyes and felt the moisture of his lips once more. This time something made her respond instinctively. She wanted more. He made her feel wanted, important, and loved, though it might be too early for that word to be used.
When the kiss ended this time, she drew back a couple of steps. “Someone might come through the door.”
“Bugger them all,” he responded.
Harriet giggled at his words. Picking up her wine glass, she walked to the balcony edge. “Why don’t we see who we know.”
“That might prove interesting since a lot of patrons came in late.”
“Yes, it might. Besides, don’t we want to be seen?” she asked innocently.
He followed her to the edge of the box and peered once again at the various boxes. As it was earlier, quite a few of them were not occupied. Being intermission, a lot of the ton went visiting to be seen by others.
Not everyone had a box so looking at the seats in front of the stage was always amusing. Lucien was beside her, leaving little room between them. He explained who people were if they weren’t familiar to her, as he had before.
Harriet found herself becoming more relaxed and comfortable alone with Lucien. There were abundant storiesabout how men acted once given permission to court a young lady. Luckily Lucien wasn’t like that. He’d been nothing but a gentleman. They seemed to be quite compatible.
“The royal box appears empty this evening,” she said.
“That’s a relief. If the prince were here and he saw me, I’m sure I would have been summoned.”
“You have certainly become a favorite with him.”
“Too much for my liking. It’s not that I don’t like him. I do. He uses his title and position for his own gain,” Lucien replied.
“Just remember how much business you’ll gain simply by him purchasing merchandise from you.”
They had discussed this before, but it demanded repeating. He wanted his business to grow, but frustration set in because the prince would rarely speak to anyone else.
“You are a good listener, Harriet. Otherwise, I’d forget how the man can manipulate a situation.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied.
He chuckled. “Have you noticed the number of people trying to be discreet and look up here?”
“I’ve been trying not to pay them attention.”
The chimes rang, indicating the second half of this evening’s performance would be getting underway. It was a gentle reminder for patrons to take their seats.
