Page 20 of One Waltz with the Viscount

The attraction he felt was unsurprising when he thought of it rationally. He had been a widower for two years. He had never seriously considered taking a mistress—his life was complicated enough already, added to the fact that he barely got by on the little funds he had. There was no way he could support a mistress as well.

Given the length of his celibacy it should be no surprise that he felt attracted to a pretty young woman, yet it was inconvenient. He had promised to help her. The last thing he needed was to be fantasising about Miss Shepherd whilst they searched for her sister.

A flash of lightning forked across the sky, followed soon after by a rumble of thunder.

‘Suddenly I am questioning our choice to shelter under the tallest tree,’ Miss Shepherd murmured, looking at the sky with concern.

‘It is better than being out there in the open.’

‘I saw someone struck by lightning once,’ she said, biting her lip as the sky lit up again.

‘Actually struck by lightning?’

‘Yes. I come from a little seaside place, St Leonards. It neighbours Hastings.’

‘Of the famed battle?’

‘Yes. Hastings has these beautiful cliffs that stretch for miles. The views out to sea are unparalleled, and sometimes you can spot seals swimming offshore. On occasion, Selina and I would walk the few miles into Hastings and then climb the windy path up the cliffs, but once we were caught in a storm. It came about quickly, much like today, one minute glorious weather and then the next the sky clouded over.’ She shuddered, although whether from the memory or the dampness of her clothes, it was impossible to tell. ‘We had to walk slowly, the cliffs were sandstone and covered in grass on the top, but they became slippery. We were about to descend when there was a flash of lightning, and it struck a man walking on the path a few feet ahead of us.’

‘What happened to him?’

‘He died. Instantly I think. He just dropped to the ground. Selina and I rushed forward, thinking we might be able to help, but there was nothing to be done for him. One moment he was there and then suddenly he wasn’t.’

‘That must have been terrible to see.’

‘I couldn’t sleep for weeks after.’

‘You are remarkably calm today, being caught in a storm.’

‘My heart is pounding,’ she said, with a nervous little smile. He had the inexplicable urge to place his hand on her chest, to feel the thud of her heart within, and his hand was halfway there before he caught himself.

‘It happened about six years ago, and every time there was a storm I was so scared I would hide beneath a blanket. Selina would sit with me the whole time, telling me the storm would pass. She would do that even though she must have been petrified herself.’ Sarah bit her lip. ‘People don’t always see that side of her. She’s fun and charming and everyone loves her on first meeting, but they don’t always get to see the kind young woman underneath. Sometimes she can be selfish, but often it is only because she is impulsive, and when it matters she is the most generous person you could ever meet.’

‘We will find her.’

Miss Shepherd nodded as she looked up at him. Somehow her eyes appeared even greener today, and he found he couldn’t look away. She swayed towards him, and this time he couldn’t stop himself. He placed his hand around waist and drew her to him. She dipped her head, resting her forehead on his shoulder, and for a long moment they stood there, unmoving.

After a minute she looked up, a question in her eyes that he didn’t dare to answer. It would be so easy to dip his chin, to catch her lips with his own, to kiss her whilst the rain fell around them.

Eventually the rational part of him won and he cleared his throat, breaking the contact between them and stepping away. He turned, pretending to look out at the storm, thankful when another bolt of lightning forked across the sky.

‘I think the storm is getting further away.’ His voice was so gruff it was unrecognisable.

Miss Shepherd had turned so her back was to him, but he could see the tension in her shoulders. She was an impressionable young woman, away from home for the first time, in a situation that was highly stressful. No wonder she had sought comfort in him—there was nothing more to it than that. He had been kind to her and she had reached out in her moment of vulnerability.

For the next few minutes they watched the storm in silence. Miss Shepherd relaxed a little as the thunder and lightning moved away, and after five more minutes the rain eased as well.

‘I should return to my rooms. I am soaked to the skin,’ she said, turning to him with an overly bright smile.

‘Shall I escort you?’

‘There is no need. It is not too far, and now the storm has passed I will be perfectly fine.’

‘May I keep the letters and have a look over them? I will draw up a list of the people your sister mentions, and how best to approach them, as well as noting down some ideas of who could be your father.’

‘Thank you,’ Miss Shepherd said.

‘I am due to attend the opera tomorrow night, perhaps you might like to accompany me? I have a spare seat. We can talk in the interval.’