Only then did he hesitate. “I don’t know if that is necessary.”
Straightening in her seat, Verity smirked. “Well, I believe I shall only be painted now if the piece includes you. It would only be fair.”
His head tilted as he caught wind of her amusement. “Fair? Is that the term you are going with?”
They were looking at one another now. She wasn’t sure when it happened, specifically, but she had yet to look away. It wasn’t that she couldn’t, only that she didn’t want to. Dominic was quiet but stern with room for wit. She liked egging him on and she liked that he let her.
My brothers have no patience when I tease them. I’m glad to see Dominic bears it well, and has no qualms about speaking to me truthfully. He can be charming. How did no one else lay claim to him before me?
“Is there a better one I should use?”
Chuckling, he said, “No, I suppose not. Very well. No paintings.”
“Yet,” Verity couldn’t resist throwing in as she nudged her plate an inch away. It was usually a signal to be done with the meal, though there was no one to attend to her now. “But I’m certain we can think of something.”
“We shall.” He was leaning forward now. Closer to her, their eyes taking each other in. A different sort of feast. Verity could only listen to the pounding of her heart as she studied those deep gray eyes of his.
There was something building between them, between their words and their smiles. She couldn’t lay her finger on it. Only that something special between them had come to life. A tingling sensation that made her shiver over the tension in the air… She wanted to stay right there for the rest of the night.
“It’s late,” Dominic said instead. He finally looked away to eye her plate and his empty one. “Shall I escort you to your bed chamber?”
“Please.” She didn’t want their conversation to end.
As they took to the hall each with a candle in hand, Verity wished the conversation wouldn’t end. That he would stay longer or even enter her bed chamber just to keep talking…
But he was a gentleman. “Good night, my lady,” he murmured. “Sleep well and warm.”
“Thank you. Good night.” She reluctantly stepped inside.
Once alone, Verity slunk against the door and sighed, wondering what the beating of her heart was really trying to tell her.
CHAPTER 17
Standing outside Verity’s bed chamber, Dominic tried to tell his feet to move.
It wasn’t appropriate or polite to stand there for so long. What if a servant came around and caught him staring? There wasn’t even anything to be looking at what with the door closed.
Something quiet squeaked on the other side. He jerked to attention, listening, wondering. Would she come back out? Was she moving? It had sounded close to the door. Was she still there?
His hand was on the doorknob before he realized what he was doing.
“Blast it,” Dominic muttered under his breath. He hastened back a few steps, redirecting himself away from the door. Away from the room.
Away from her.
Images of Verity smiling with that bright glimmer in her eyes came to mind. It was impossible not to think of her. After all she had done this evening to help salvage the room, after their quiet but playful supper conversation…
Every time they met was an opportunity to see another side of her. Another part of the lady now distracting his thoughts too much.
The hallway smelled of lilacs. Inhaling deeply, he grimaced over the sweet scent and hastened to make his way to his bed chamber. This was not what he intended for this marriage match of theirs.
“This was just an exceptional situation today, that’s all,” Dominic attempted to convince himself. He’d already sent his valet off for the night; as he entered his own room, he undressed for the night and slipped into bed with a heavy sigh.
It had been a long and eventful day. Verity came to mind for every minute of all that had happened.
And she played on through his mind for most of the night. Any attempts for sleeping still brought her fresh smile to him. He recalled her smile and her chuckle and her playful words. The confidence she portrayed, the way she was willing to challenge him and eager to keep her head up through it all.
He hardly slept. He was distracted still into the next day after scheduling appointments for the next week in sorting out the mess of the sunroom.
