One hand held her waist, and the other played gently with her curls. “I prefer Storace and Beethoven.”
His breath tickled her ear. They were close, so close. If she moved an inch, her skirts would touch his boots. If he then moved, their bodies would touch. She tried to keep herself from sinking into him. A little voice urged caution, but a moment later she couldn’t hear it over the racing of her blood.
With one finger he lifted her chin. And his lips were close, so close to hers.
Yes, yes, yes!She closed her eyes, knowing it was finally going to happen.
“Miss,” a footman called from the other side of the hedge. “Her ladyship says you must dress if you’re not to be late for your ride.”
“I’ll be along in a moment.” Elizabeth was going to murder her aunt. She searched Harrington’s eyes. They held a heat she had never seen in them before. “I am sorry.”
“As am I.” Instead of stepping back, he brushed his lips lightly across hers. Not a kiss, but the promise of one. It was as if he had lit a spark in her, and she wanted what would come next. “I shall see you this evening.”
“I look forward to it.” Perhaps then she could experience her first kiss.
Harrington’s smile—sweet and sad at the same time—touched her very soul. “We should go before your brother comes looking for you.”
“Of course,” she answered by rote. She had, apparently, forgotten how to think. No one had told her about that part. Her friends should have told her about thinking of nothing but kisses. Or not being able to think when kisses might be on offer.
Placing her hand on his arm, he led them out of the garden and into the parlor. Gavin was there to walk Harrington to the front door. They would have no more private time together until later. She sighed as they left the room.
“I take it that means all went well?” her aunt asked.
“Better than I could have hoped.” Elizabeth raised her fingers to her lips. “Much better than I had hoped.”
From his behavior last evening, she had never dreamed he wanted to kiss her. And for the first time he had asked about her, and they had actually talked. Elizabeth felt as if she was walking on air, or clouds. Had she fallen in love so easily?
She glanced at the clock. She had fifteen minutes to change for her ride with Lord Littleton, an airing she now had no wish to make.
“Lizzy.” Her brother’s voice brought her out of her reverie. “What did you do to Harrington? He was almost jaunty when he left.”
The question was not what she’d done to him, but what he had done to her. She shook her head. “I don’t know.
* * *
Geoff left Turley House and could not resist strutting a bit. He had accomplished more with Miss Turley—Elizabeth. He was certain he could now think of her by her first name— in the past two hours than he had in the last two weeks. Not only did he know her favorite color—pink—which flowers she preferred—pink roses—and her favorite composer—Pleyel, but he had almost kissed her, and she had allowed it. Indeed, Elizabeth responded as if she’d wanted him to kiss her. If it hadn’t been for her damn appointment with Littleton, Geoff would have kissed her, and kept kissing her until she agreed to marry him. Then she’d be his.
Still, he could not afford to be generous to Littleton. Today would be the last time he took Elizabeth riding. Geoff would make sure of that by occupying her afternoons from this day forward.
Guiltily, he remembered his reaction to what Grandmamma had said. Now that he was on his way to securing Elizabeth as his wife, he supposed he should thank her and his cousin for their advice. He would also make his intentions known to the rest of theton.
He’d seen several gentlemen remaining by their ladies’ sides at balls and other entertainments. He would stay by Elizabeth’s side this evening and every evening thereafter. At least until they were wed. No one was going to take her away from him.
A large roan, Endicott’s beast, stood held by a groom in front of the building just beyond Geoff’s.
He recognized the young servant holding the horse, and said, “Once Lord Endicott has come out, run back to the stables and fetch my horse as well.”
The lad pulled his forelock. “I’ll be quick about it, my lord.”
Geoff might not be able to take his lady riding, but he could accompany her and her escort. He grinned to himself. Littleton was not going to be a happy man.
“You look to be in much better spirits than I’ve seen you in lately,” Endicott said as he took the reins from the groom and tossed him a coin.
“I am, indeed.” The boy ran off, presumably to ready Geoff’s Hercules, a large gray gelding he’d had for three years now. “I have ordered my horse to be brought around and must change. Will I see you in the Park?”
“You will. Not that I expect to find more than a bit of exercise there.”
Not long afterward, Geoff guided his horse out of St. James Square and toward Hyde Park where he joined Polite Society at its finest. He was halfway around the carriage drive when he saw Elizabeth. It pleased him to note that she spent more time greeting friends than speaking to his lordship.
