The beast within Theodore howled in rage, but he kept it from his face. “Is that what you want?”
“I…” Her fingers twined around the pearls at her neck. “No. I do not want to dance with anyone else.”
A triumphant purr rang through Theodore’s mind at her answer, and unconsciously he straightened, towering above everyone, as he pulled Harriet into the start of a waltz. “For tonight, your dances belong to me and me alone. Let thetonsee what I do, let them understand just who they let slip through their fingers.”
“For a man who claims not to know how to compliment, you seem rather adept at it to me.” Harriet’s fingers rested against his shoulder, their heat like tongues of flame even through his shirt.
You make it easy.“Perhaps I have been practicing.” He flashed her a grin as they began to dance in time with the music and was rewarded with a laugh.
The sound travelled through him, mingling with the music in perfect harmony as they began to dance once more. His breath caught and he would have missed his step, had it not been for the perfect way Harriet moved with him.
Theodore was not sure how long they danced, only that at some point, the room had felt far too small to contain them. His head felt light, and as he stepped into the cool night air with Harriet beside him, he breathed in deeply.
The moon was high in the sky, and a breeze brushed gently against his cheeks. He offered an arm to Harriet as they walked down the stairs into the gardens. She did not remove her arm from his as they reached the bottom of the stairs, and he felt a jolt of excitement run through him.
They fell into step beside one another. Neither moved in any particular hurry. The passing clouds cast shadows around them that made the garden seem alive with potential and promise. His body was primed, he felt free, lighter than he had in years.
When he glanced at Harriet in the moonlight, he felt as though he had missed several steps, his stomach and heart tumbling over one another.
How is she so beautiful?
The muscles of his body tingled as though some kind of charge ran through him.
“I love gardens in the moonlight.” Harriet sighed as she gestured around them. “There is something magical about them. It is like they come alive.”
“There is a flower at Irondale, in the glass house, and it blooms once a year after sunset. I could show you, if you would like.” Theodore offered, enjoying the way his footsteps crunched on the ground beneath them and how Harriet had shifted closer to him.
“We have a Queen of Night?” Harriet gaped at him. “I have always wanted to see one, but they are devilishly hard to come by and even harder to cultivate.”
“We have several, in fact.” Theodore did not know why he found her surprise so endearing, but he found himself wondering if he could get any more flowers.I want her to smile like this always.
“I cannot believe I have never noticed them.” Harriet let out a low whistle that sent a shiver through Theodore’s body.
His cleared his throat, relieved when his voice came out less hoarse than he expected. “It is not yet the season for them to bloom, and they are rather unassuming until then – easy to miss.”
“I suppose so.” A lock of hair fell across Harriet’s face, but before Theodore could brush it from her cheek, she swept it behind an ear. “Oh! Look!”
She slipped from his grasp, and ducked towards something on the path. He missed the warmth of her immediately, his fingers absently brushed the place her arm had been a moment before as he watched her stoop low to the ground, and pick up a small flower that had clearly been plucked earlier in the day.
From the smell, Theodore suspected it was honeysuckle. Harriet tucked the flower into her hair and turned to face him, striking a pose as though he were a portrait artist and she his subject.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“Stunning.” There were a hundred more words that sprang to mind, and Theodore was sure that if they were in daylight he would have seen the familiar flush creep across her cheeks and neck.Even the tips of her ears turn pink when she is flustered.“You are in a good mood.”
“I am.” Harriet was swaying slightly as though to music only she could hear. “This has been a lovely evening.”
“It has.”I do not want it to end.He ran a hand through his hair absently.
“I have been thinking… About when we return to Irondale… I want us to spend time together, all of us as a family. You andme and Phoebe. I want to have picnics and play games and walk through the woods together. I want us to go on rides, and all sorts of things.” She paused, biting her lip, her eyes searching his face. “We could teach her how to swim perhaps, make a swing to hang from the old oak tree. I have always wanted to build a tree house or something. What do you think?”
He could hear the nerves beneath her eager confidence. See it in the way she was repeatedly running the stray lock of hair through her fingertips.
A part of him told him that this would only lead to pain and chaos. That what she was asking was dangerous.Are you a man?Before he could push his father’s voice from his head, he heard Harriet’s in his mind.She has a family. She has me and she has you.
Family. She was asking for them to act like a family. Her smile faltered somewhat and he found himself saying. “Of course. It is a wonderful idea.”
He smiled at her, his mouth open to continue, but before he could, she exclaimed, “Oh, thank you.” And threw her arms around him, pressing her lips against his. Instinct took over, and Theodore returned the kiss, his arms snaking around her waist, steadying her against him.
