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Sissy nodded graciously. ‘Apology accepted.’
‘Thank you,’ Morgan sighed, forcing himself to calm down and not be so grumpy.
‘But I think you should know that people are going to gossip about us taking a walk like this,’ Sissy informed him bluntly.
‘I don’t expect anybody to criticise you for something I encouraged. If you learn of anybody spreading malicious gossip about this, I will put a stop to it. I should like to see someone try to question my conduct.’ While Morgan’s features were perfectly affable, contented even, there was a hint of darkness in his voice that warned her he would have no qualms about confronting anybody who dare question anything he did.
‘Your mother is going to wonder what has gotten into you.’
‘My mother likes you. She will be relieved that I am showing an interest in a marriageable female,’ Morgan snorted.
‘But I am not suitable.’ Sissy struggled to ignore the sudden flurry of nerves that slammed into her at the thought that he might consider her marriageable.
‘Any single woman is suitable if the attraction is there,’ Morgan replied honestly.
Sissy huffed a disgusted snort before she could stop it.
‘Do you not believe me?’
‘No, I do not,’ she replied firmly. ‘Everybody knows that people like you do not marry the likes of me.’
Morgan stopped in the middle of the path. When he turned to look at her his face was hard. He looked angry. So much so, Sissy took a wary step away from him.
‘What do you mean ‘the likes of me’?’ His words were sharp and demanding.
Sissy tipped her chin up. ‘You are wealthy. I am not. You belong to a world my father’s death removed us from. We are from totally different places in life. We shouldn’t even be walking out like this. That’s why people are staring at us.’
‘If it doesn’t bother me it shouldn’t bother anybody else, even you,’ Morgan protested. ‘Why in the Hell should I allow any of the locals to govern what I do?’
‘You don’t have to. But you have to understand that something like this has consequences for me,’ Sissy snapped. ‘People might not be brave enough to openly talk about you when you are present, but they will gossip about me.’
‘So why did you agree to come on a walk with me?’
‘Because I thought it might be nice to enjoy the sunshine a little.’ Suddenly, Sissy found herself on the verge of tears. They appeared from nowhere and hovered on her lashes. They were so strong they made her chin quiver and her chest heave no matter how much she tried to stop it. She sighed and turned away but not fast enough to stop Morgan from seeing her face crumple. With the river before her, Sissy couldn’t move anywhere. She was helpless when Morgan stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders to gently turn her to face him.
Morgan took one look at her face and knew there was considerably more upsetting her than what the locals thought. Without thinking, he gathered her into his arms and held her while she wept against his shoulder. It was concerning that she couldn’t stop crying. She didn’t seem to even realise that he was there as she cried as if her tears came from her very soul.
‘Is she all right?’ one of the elderly women from the house asked, stepping closer. She had come out to the field beside them to round up the children and had seen Sissy start to cry.
‘She will be,’ Morgan replied firmly, thanking the woman for her concern.
Sissy tried to move away, to break free of his hold, but Morgan refused to allow her to put any distance between them. He tightened his arms and slid a hand into her hair to keep her still while he watched the woman usher her charges into the end property. Once the door had closed, he nudged Sissy further along the path until they were alone.
It wasn’t until he leaned down to look into her eyes that Morgan realised his mistake. Without thinking about what he was doing, and the consequences of it, Morgan captured Sissy’s lips with his. It was then that his entire world changed.
CHAPTER NINE
The second Morgan’s lips touched hers, Sissy was lost to the desire that overwhelmed her. She clung to him. She could hear his heartbeat thundering in tune with hers. Or was that her heartbeat? It was difficult to tell. What she did know was that she didn’t want this precious moment to stop. This was Morgan. The man she had been in love with for as long as she could remember. He had always been a part of her life albeit always on the edge of it, just out of reach. But he was within her reach now. In fact, he was holding her as if he would never let her go, as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him. His tender embrace made her feel fragile yet powerful at the same time. He was wrapped round her so tightly that she could feel the faint shimmering of his breath against her cheek. The feel of him was so enchanting she couldn’t find the will to deny herself this moment of being with him. She didn’t care if the gossips saw them and whispered about her wantonness. She didn’t care if her reputation was ruined because of it.
And it will be, but like Morgan says, why should I allow the gossips to govern what I do with my life? They won’t help me when I need to trudge from the village with provisions in the dead of winter. They won’t help me when I have to walk to the village in the pouring rain just to be able to take tea with the few friends we have who won’t gossip about us.
For once, Sissy didn’t care what anybody else wanted, liked, or disliked. She was completely selfish. Deep in the back of her mind she still knew that there could never be a future with. Despite their closeness, the future was going to drive them apart because his family would have expectations that he married someone of his own standing. That could never be her. Even so, when he lifted his head to change the angle of his kiss, Sissy didn’t stop him from returning to her. When she should have pushed at his shoulders, her delicate hands slid up the hardness of his chest to the broad width of his shoulders. When she should have eased away she stepped closer and leaned against him instead. When she should have tipped her head to one side to avoid his marauding mouth she met him half-way and began to copy his movements. She had no idea what she was doing. The only thing she could do was copy what Morgan did. It felt wonderful, so much so she wanted more, much more. Sissy was compelled to stand still and see what happened next. She was rewarded with another low moan from him. It rumbled through him and seemed to call to something deep within her. It created a deep ache, a yearning that was entrancing. She suspected Morgan was the only person in the world who would be able to understand what it was and how to quench it.
Morgan moaned again when Sissy shifted against him and his body immediately leapt to life. He knew that this was not the time or place for such intimate behaviour but struggled to remember who he was let alone where they were. All common sense had disappeared the second his lips touched hers. It was only when he began to contemplate just how far he could take matters that he felt compelled to stop. But the only distance he could allow at first was the lifting of his head. When he looked down into her lambent gaze, though, he couldn’t resist another kiss.
How long they would have stood there indulging in the unexpected delight of their mutual passion Morgan had no idea. What he did feel was a profound regret when the soft rumbling of a river boat approaching broke the silence that surrounded them. Rather than immediately release her and step away, Morgan looked lovingly down into Sissy’s beautiful face before pressing his forehead against hers for a moment.
‘At least your tears have dried now,’ he teased, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
