“Yes. She will have to wait for us at the exit,” Harriet replied.
What was she doing? Encouraging a man to take her somewhere without her lady’s maid. They hadn’t had many chances and until they were betrothed things wouldn’t change. She hoped they would become betrothed, but the subject of the future hadn’t been spoken about. The two of them were in the getting-to-know-each-other phase of their relationship.
Walking up to the maze entrance, Harriet turned to the girl, telling her to wait at the exit for them. Surprisingly she got no argument from the girl.
Harriet tucked her hand in the crook of Lucien’s arm, and the couple entered the maze. She’d gone through the maze with cousins but never a friend or a young man like Lucien. The tall shrubs that formed the walls of the maze seemed to have grown even taller since the last and only time she’d been in this maze.
“Are you okay?” she heard Lucien ask.
“Yes. It’s different from the time I went through it with cousins of mine.”
He nodded. “Yes, I can imagine.”
“Which way?” she asked.
“Let’s go off to the left.”
They continued until they ran into a third dead end. This time Lucien pulled her farther in. A lot of these were more private than others. There didn’t seem to be a reason to worry about privacy because the maze was almost empty.
Lucien set his hat on a bench they’d been standing next to. Both his large hands framed her face as he leaned down and kissed her. His kiss did not linger. He planted little feather kisses all over her face and neck. This time, his kiss began slowly, then he deepened the kiss, parting her soft lips with his tongue. They stood exploring the other’s lips and sparring with their tongues.
“That was nice,” he said as he broke the kiss.
“It was,” she replied.
They shared another kiss which was once again long and deep. “I suppose we should walk on.”
“Hmmm,” she replied.
“Now then, we can also take advantage of the time talking about things that really matter.”
“Such as,” she said with a smile.
Lucien stopped and gazed down at her. “I think you know I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“I wasn’t sure, but I had my suspicions. I can say without hesitation that I’ve also fallen in love. At least I believe that’s what these feelings are,” she said.
“And you’d be right,” he said. “I’ll speak with Arthur if you’d like and get his blessing.”
“We might want to wait on that. He’ll think we have to get married and that’s the last thing I want him or Daphne wondering about.”
“The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.”
“Now you’ve hurt my feelings,” she teased.
“How did I do that?”
She fluttered her eye lashes. “By insinuating I am naïve in matters of a physical matter.”
“I’d never do such a thing, though your knowledge is limited,” he replied. “Come on, let’s move along before someone happens upon us.” He grinned.
Taking her by the hand, Lucien led them deeper into the maze. They’d run into only two other couples. One was older, and the other consisted of a pair with more intimate intentions. They smiled as the other couple walked past them.
“See, I told you so.”
She giggled again. “I guess you’re right.”
“Of course, I am.”
