Page 56 of Fair as a Star

Now, if only he could stop feeling them. Could stop himself from thinking of her.

She was so much on his mind that, when he looked up and saw her coming toward him through the woods, he thought he must be dreaming.

Ernest soon shattered that possibility with a flurry of shrill barks. He trotted ahead of Beryl on the path, his plumed tail held high, like the black flag of a marauding pirate ship.

“Beryl.” Mark leapt to his feet, conscious of his state of undress. He was absent his frock coat, his shirtsleeves rolled up and his waistcoat only partially buttoned. His hair stood half on end. He ran a hand over it in a futile attempt to put himself in order. “What are you doing here?”

She was wearing one of her light-colored muslin day dresses. An old gown. It was soft and faded, giving her the look of a simple village girl.

A beautiful village girl.

“I hope I’m not intruding?”

“No. Not at all. I was just…” He trailed off as she came to a halt in front of him.

“I called at the vicarage. Mrs. Phillips said you’d gone for a walk. I thought you might be here.”

“Is everything all right?” He’d left her in the midst of a family drama with her sister and Henry. Lord only knew how things had been resolved. With a great many tears, probably. Winnifred wouldn’t have let the horse go easily.

“Perfectly fine.” She glanced at the fallen tree. “May I sit with you here?”

“By all means.” He waited while she sat down before taking a seat next to her. “Did everything get sorted out with the horse?”

“Indeed,” she said. “To everyone’s satisfaction.”

His brows lifted. “Even Winnifred’s?”

She smiled. “Henry made her a gift of Vesper. She’s over the moon, as you can imagine.”

Mark had to tighten his jaw to prevent it falling open. “Gave him to her? And this is my brother we’re talking about?”

“Yes, I know. It was exceedingly generous of him.”

Generous wasn’t the word that came to mind. Unhinged was more like it. Uncharacteristic to the point of abnormal. “How ever did you convince him to change his mind?”

“Ah. As to that…it’s rather complicated.” Her smile faded slowly. “I’d have told you all about it yesterday, but there was no way I could get away from home. Mama and Aunt Hortensia weren’t in the best of moods.”

“Understandably so, given your sister’s behavior.”

“Oh no. They’d quite forgotten Winnifred’s capers by the evening. It was me they were upset with.”

Mark frowned. He searched her face. “You? What for?”

“I’m afraid I let them down quite badly. I surprised them as well, which Aunt Hortensia informs me is even worse at her age. They were rather glum last night, but I have every hope that they’ll rally. Indeed, they’re not unreasonable people. And they do love me, and want me to be happy.”

His senses sharpened. “Beryl, what did you—”

“I’m not going to marry Henry.”

“What?” He stared at her.

“I broke things off with him. And it hasn’t anything to do with you. Well…not entirely.” She paused. “After we kissed, it was difficult to imagine marrying Henry. I hadn’t known how different kisses could be until then.”

His gaze was riveted to hers. Good lord. Good lord. “You’re not going to marry him.”

“No.” Her mouth tilted slightly at one corner. “How could I when I love someone else?”

Everything within Mark stilled, his emotions poised on a knife’s edge of hope and despair. He didn’t dare speak. Didn’t dare breathe. His entire world stopped spinning on its axis, reduced to a single point. To her.