Page 85

London

It was three whole days before Eliza saw Robert after the kiss at Vauxhall Gardens. They were both attending a luncheon, and when she spotted him, her heart beat so hard it made her skin prickle.

He looked over, and when he saw her, he looked equally stunned. They simply stared at each other before he moved to walk over to where she stood with Hannah.

He bowed over her hand, then Hannah’s, and Eliza tried to breathe normally. They made awkward small talk until Hannah seemed to understand and left on the pretext of talking to someone or other.

Once alone, Robert looked anxious. He cleared his throat.

‘How have you been?’ he asked.

Eliza wanted to ask if he meant how was she after kissing him in the Vauxhall Gardens, or in general, but his demeanour suggested humour might not precisely be the thing at this moment.

‘I am well. You?’

He nodded but looked troubled.

Silence ensued, and Eliza had no idea what to say. What did one say to a man when one had kissed him, quite out of the blue, at their last meeting with no set path going forward?

Robert cleared his throat. ‘Are you angry with me?’

Well, at least he wasn’t pretending nothing happened. ‘No. Not at all. Are you angry with me?’

He looked shocked. ‘Why would I be? We agreed that the…’ He looked around and then continued with his voice lowered. ‘We agreed the kiss was a mutual thing and that we would see how things went. Have you changed your mind?’

Relief rolled over her in waves, and she smiled. Broadly. He really was charmingly straightforward. ‘I have not, and I would be very glad to hear that you have not changed your mind either.’

He relaxed a little. ‘I have not.’

‘Then that is good news, is it not?’

He hesitated, then something shifted in him and his eyes sparkled, and Eliza’s heart tumbled a little further as they gazed at each other. ‘Friends?’ she said.

He nodded, looked at the floor, then flicked a glance back at her. ‘A little more than friends… perhaps?’

‘Yes,’ she whispered, barely able to breathe.

‘Would you like to take a walk in the gardens?’ Robert said, after they had gazed at each other a little more.

‘I should. That would be most kind.’

She took his arm, and they wandered out onto the terrace, where people were milling around, sitting at tables and talking. They ambled around and gradually moved away from the rest of the guests. He paused so they could look over the flower beds that were now filled with colour. Trying to have a private conversation with a gentleman when one was not allowed to be alone with him was very trying. Frankly, it was a wonder anyone ever got married. They probably did so just to have a private conversation.

He hesitated, like he was trying to work out how to say something, so she remained quiet whilst he battled with whatever was on his mind.

‘I’d like to apologise if I seemed overbearing in the way I talked to you about Lord Hartington.’

The apology took her by surprise. ‘That’s very kind of you, though I can see how you might have misinterpreted things. We were being very silly.’

He didn’t look at her, just stared steadfastly out over the vista before them and continued as though she hadn’t spoken.

‘You probably know that I was betrothed before. Over a year ago. He turned and looked at her, brows drawn down in a deep frown.

Eliza nodded. ‘I heard something of it.’

He shook his head and looked at the floor. He took a breath that indicated how difficult this was for him and continued. ‘I was betrothed to Miss Juliana Morris.’ He hesitated, but Eliza remained silent and waited. ‘She threw me over for a viscount.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Two months before the wedding.’

Eliza squeezed his arm. ‘Oh, Robert, how terrible for you.’