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“You do not know what you’re talking about, Beth,” William muttered.
“Whose fault do you think that is?” she quipped with a small smile.
He nearly smiled himself. “What of you, then?” he asked. “What happened to the girl I once knew?”
“Do you wish she would return?” she asked.
William tried to ignore the way she looked up at him by averting his gaze. “You cannot blame me if I am curious.”
“Perhaps when you have told me about what happened to you, I shall do the same. Do not think you can get all of me at once. Now,” she went on. “Why did you seek me out?”
William suddenly felt at odds with himself. He didn’t dare to let her know that he’d been driven insane by her nonchalant behavior today. Voicing that aloud would only drive home how oddly he was acting.
“Tomorrow,” he clipped suddenly, “you shall go on the horse.”
Elizabeth’s jaw went slack. “I thought you said I could not mount him until I trusted him.”
“I’ve decided to try another method with you. You say that you want to become that bold girl once again? Then prove it to me, Beth.”
Elizabeth stood and crossed the distance towards him. She brought with her the fresh scent of lavender that threatened to bring him to his knees. William didn’t know how he kept himself still, how he kept his gaze from trailing down to her lips, her neck, and to the rest of her gown that molded to her body with every night breeze wafting by.
“Very well, William,” Elizabeth said with small smile. “I accept your challenge.”
He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to throw it all away, to ignore the warning bells in his head, take her by the waist, and kiss her. If only to taste her lips, to feel the press of her soft body against his. If only to remind himself of all he’d thrown away, and to long—if only for a moment—to have it back.
Her smile slid off her face. Flickers of the same feeling coursing within him appeared in her eyes. It drove William insane to see. His hand twitched at his side, wanting to cup her by the back of her neck and caress her softly. To bend his lip to her ear and whisper all the things he wished to do to her.
William felt he was at a crossroads all of a sudden. If he dared to do such a thing, it would only chase her away, which is what he should want. But he wanted her to remain, even if that came at the cost of suppressing his feelings.
He cleared his throat and took a step back, turning his back to her. “If we linger out here any longer,” he said. “We might catch a chill. Let us return to the manor.”
“Ah, yes, let’s.” Elizabeth sounded breathless. William didn’t dare to look back to see why. He only walked off, and heard when Elizabeth followed him.
Had he remained in that position a second longer, he would have done something he would regret. William knew that and yet regret was already bleeding throughout him at the opposite. It haunted him all the way into the manor and since Elizabeth had already claimed she did not wish to eat dinner, he parted ways with her as quickly as he could and went back to his study. As soon as he was alone, he stood by the door, taking slow breaths to calm his racing heart. He felt like a fool, all of a sudden, a smitten lad who couldn’t keep his emotions in check.
And like a smitten lad, William knew that sleep would not come easy for him tonight.
Chapter 12
Elizabeth’s heart was racing. She grasped the front of her gown, and made her way over to the bed on shaky legs. She couldn’t get that look in William’s eyes out of her head.
She didn’t know if it had anything to do with the setting, with the fact that they had been standing in the middle of a beautiful garden with a romantic moon hanging overhead. But it had appeared as if…as if he’d thought of kissing her! Just like that day in her bedchamber, he’d studied her face, lowered his gaze to her lips, and even looked pained when he wrenched himself away.
Elizabeth thought her heart might burst apart in happiness. Suddenly, there came a knock on the door and Elizabeth shot to her feet, her heart pounding against her chest. “Come in,” she called.
Minnie slipped into the room and disappointment coursed through Elizabeth with such potency that she sank back onto the bed. Minnie must have caught Elizabeth’s expression because she looked quite alarm when she said, “My Lady? Is something the matter?”
“Nothing at all, Minnie,” Elizabeth whispered. She put her hand against her hot cheek. “You do not have to worry.”
