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“Forgive me, Mr. Steele. I could never ask you to choose between me and your livelihood. I never should have put you through this.”

She shook her head, backing away then turning on her heel and fleeing from beneath the cover of the trees.

This time, Mr. Steele didn’t attempt to stop her.

Rain poured down over the brim of her hat and fell against her shoulders, the cold seeping through her riding habit. In contrast, warm tears blurred her vision, and she squeezed her eyes to be rid of them.

How could she have been so foolish? So heartless to have put him through such torment? So stupid to have believed there was some chance of them being happy together, of both receiving what they wanted and needed?

“Miss Coventry?”

She gritted her teeth, trying to run faster than his words, but he called out to her again.

“Miss Coventry, please!”

She spoke over her shoulder, though she plowed ahead through the rain. “No, Mr. Steele. You needn’t explain your reasoning. I understand it all too well.”

“No, you do not. Please, do not leave like this.”

The pleading in his voice tugged at her conscience. She did not wish to leave like this either, but then, what were they to do?

Slowly, she turned to face him. He stood more than ten feet away, his boots planted in the sopping grass, his hat and satchel nowhere to be seen. Had he left them beneath the tree? Rain slipped from his hair to his brow, trailing down the angles of his nose, lips, and jawline, and his dark jacket shone all the darker due to the rain.

“The comb.” He paused, swallowing as the lines in his neck angled. “It was not a mere token of friendship or farewell. It was the only way I could express my feelings for you. The only way I could share how deeply I love you.”

The words took root in her heart, swirling slow warmth throughout each of her limbs before she had the chance to stop it.

“But you would have no future with me as your husband,” Mr. Steele continued, his eyes red-rimmed and shining with moisture.

She struggled to accept his words, her common sense failing her as she stared at his pained expression. “I know I would have more of a future with you than I would with anyone else.”

“You do not know what you say. We would be poor. Destitute.”

And she would make them all the poorer. She didn’t wish to put such a strain on him and his mother. But how could she bid farewell to the one man who knew her, the one man who loved her?

Her heart thumped painfully against her chest, each tap like a mallet to the chisel, carving his name into her soul forever. “I don’t want to lose you,” she said, her voice breaking.

His chest rose and fell beneath his waistcoat, his breath puffing out in white clouds as the cold air encircled them both.

“Nor I, you, my love,” he said. His lips parted again as if he wished to say something more, but they closed a moment later as he winced.

Shaking his head, his jaw twitched, and he advanced upon her, closing the distance in a few strides. Swiftly, he pulled off his gloves and dropped them to the ground, reaching out and holding her face gently in his hands.

Silence pulsed between them, the rain softly tapping against the grass, their eyes unmoving from one another’s until his gaze dropped to her mouth. He moved his thumb along her bottom lip before he leaned forward.

No more words were spoken—no more words were needed. They were of the same mind, same heart, same desires. She closed her eyes, tipping her head to the side at his soft urging and waited with anticipation until his lips finally pressed against hers.

Rain pattered against her cheek, sliding down her skin and leaving a cold trail behind the drops. How the sensation contrasted sharply to the warmth infusing her entire being as Mr. Steele kissed her. With his heated breath against her cheek, his hands cradling her face, Marianne had never felt more loved.

She slid her arms around his shoulders, tipping her head further to the side as their kiss continued. She felt at home in his arms, as if this was what she’d been missing her entire life. How had she ever lived without this man? How was she to live without him now?

Reality settled its way into Marianne’s thoughts once more, though she did her best to set it aside. Mr. Steele must have noticed the change in her focus, for his kisses slowed, and he pulled back, resting his brow against hers.

They remained still for a moment, his hands resting at her hips, hers on his shoulders, neither of them wishing to dispel the peace around them.

But the spell had already been broken merely by a simple thought.

“What are we to do?” she whispered.