Page 42 of An Unlikely Debutante

‘Sleeping under the stars.’

‘The idea is appealing, but I would have thought the reality less attractive. I can see how it might be enjoyable in the balmy summer months, but I can’t think of many nights in winter I would give up my snug bed to sleep in the freezing temperatures and buffeting winds.’

‘Lying in the open, looking up at the skies, seeing the stars twinkling in the darkness, that is what I enjoy most about my life.’

‘What if it rains?’

‘In the summer we often will just shelter beneath our carts...’ Lina paused, wondering whether to open up to Alex further. Over the last few weeks she had gleaned a lot of information about his life, picking up various facts and anecdotes from different people, but he didn’t know all that much about hers. He’d asked the odd question and she’d told him the bare bones of the story of what had happened to her mother and father, but any further details she had kept close. She supposed the secrecy came from her expectations of other people. Throughout her life she’d been shunned and looked down upon because of her roots, so she’d learnt to keep a lot to herself.

‘When I was young my mother used to point out all the stars to me,’ Lina said eventually. ‘She said that was how we stayed connected with our kin from around the world. Each star represented a member of our family, so I only had to look up at the night sky to know wherever I was in the world, there were thousands of my kin looking down on me.’

‘That’s a lovely sentiment,’ Alex said.

Glancing sideways at him, Lina was relieved to see the serious expression on his face. It had been difficult to share such an intimate detail about her life, but Alex hadn’t laughed or ridiculed her. She liked that he knew when to be serious, just as he knew when a little humour was needed for light relief.

‘Of course we don’t sleep outside much in winter,’ Lina rushed on. ‘Often Raul will negotiate a spot in a barn if the men are doing some farm work. I don’t think I’ve ever had to sleep outside in the snow.’

‘Good,’ Alex said. ‘I don’t want to be worrying about you the next time we have a frost.’

For a while they ate in silence, enjoying the feast Mrs Witherly had packed and the beautiful views. The afternoon was unusually hot, even for August, and even in the shade of the tree Lina could feel her skin glowing with heat and moisture.

Already bootless, Alex soon loosened and discarded his jacket and cravat, and Lina knew he would have shed his shirt if she were not present. At the thought Lina felt her cheeks blush and hoped the soaring temperatures were enough of an explanation for the sudden flushing.

‘What else have you got planned for our afternoon of gypsy life?’ Alex asked as he finished his meal, leaning back against the tree trunk and closing his eyes.

‘I hadn’t planned an afternoon nap,’ Lina said, nudging him with her foot. ‘Perhaps a dip in the lake?’

As she’d expected, this suggestion had Alex’s eyes shooting open.

‘It would be rather refreshing,’ he said slowly.

Lina stood, ignoring the pounding of her heart as she looked down at the shimmering water of the lake. She’d swam in plenty of lakes in her lifetime—in her mind it was the best way to cool down after a long day’s work. Normally she would swim with her cousin Sabina and some of the other young girls. Then they would strip down to their undergarments and dive into the water without any inhibitions, but never had she swam with a man and certainly not a man she found as attractive as Alex.

Before she could change her mind, and without looking to see if Alex was following her, Lina set off down the hill towards the cool water of the lake. She was feeling reckless and giddy with anticipation. Nothing could happen between her and Alex, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t dream.