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Chapter 12
Percy and Lydia raced across the lawn, laughing madly as they did, but also trying to remain as quiet as they could. Percy’s family estate was right next to the Lucas’, and so he was taking her there to the building that was closest to the party. He knew that they would be alone there.
When he got Georgiana’s greenhouse in his sight and saw that the moon was shining brightly through the glass panes that it was covered in, his heart soared. That had been the only worry left on his mind – that it might not be light enough in there for the two of them to sit and talk. But now that he knew he had moonlight on his side, he felt unstoppable.
When they reached the doors, he took the key from the secret spot in the bushes, unlocked it, and held the door for Lydia. When she had made it inside the greenhouse, she stopped just inside the door and looked around in amazement. Percy came here so often that he forgot how extraordinary it was to see such a collection of exotic plants all in one place, so it was nice to see someone marvelling at it so.
“This … this is unbelievable,” Lydia whispered. “I have seen a great many gardens and conservatories in my time, but never any as sensational as this one. Your gardener is a very talented man.”
Percy laughed out loud. “This is actually all Georgiana’s work. She may be a rebellious little sister, but she is an exceptionally talented gardener.”
Lydia looked back at him with her jaw hanging open. “Georgiana did all of this? My goodness. I would have thought that you had a whole team dedicated to ensuring that this was well kept. I must ask her about all of these different species the next time we speak,” she noted to herself.
“I was so happy to see that the two of you got along so well,” Percy said happily. “She has some friends, but none of them are as good an influence as I would have hoped. I would very much enjoy it if you were to spend some more time with her. I believe that you would be a wonderful role model for an impressionable young woman like my sister.”
Percy took a few steps towards Lydia, and as he did, the moonlight illuminated the right half of her face, and she had never looked more beautiful to him. He had, of course, been immediately taken with her when they first met.
Now that he had got to know her better, however, and saw what an incredible person she was inside, she became twice as gorgeous. Lydia was looking back at him with a mixture of admiration and adoration, and Percy thought that they might be about to share an intimate moment together.
But then, Lydia said, “Me? You think that I am a good role model? I don't believe anyone has ever thought of me that way … or at least they’ve never told me if they have. That is one of the kindest things anyone has ever said to me.”
Lydia tilted her head up towards Percy, and at this angle, the moonlight twinkled in her eyes like stars. “I believe that you should be told daily how remarkable you are, Lydia,” he commented seriously. “I've never met anyone quite like you before and … now that you're in my life, I can’t imagine life without you.”
He heard Lydia take in an audible breath, and then she looked down at her shoes. “You don't really mean that, do you?” she asked quietly. “I'm so much below you that I don’t see how someone like you could …”
Percy couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He took Lydia’s chin in his hand and tilted it up towards him. When their eyes met, he said softly, “May I?” He didn’t even have to say what he was going to do because Lydia just knew. She nodded slowly, and then Percy leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers.
Her mouth was so warm and inviting that Percy knew he’d made the right decision instantly. He placed a hand on the back of her head to draw her into him more. When he did, Lydia placed her hand against his chest and lightly held on to his vest.
As they began kissing more passionately, Percy took his hand off her chin and wrapped it around her back, bringing them into a sensual embrace. He had to keep his feelings of arousal tamped down, as he didn’t wish to frighten her off or make her think that he was trying to entice her into anything improper.
However, as they kissed more, Lydia made such a delightful noise of pleasure. But as soon as it escaped her lips, she pulled away quickly from Percy and turned away from him.
“Is something wrong?” Percy asked immediately, fearing the worst. He could then see that she was shaking as she stood there, and his heart broke. “Please don’t cry … I’m so sorry … I should never have done that, you have nothing to …”
But then, to his relief, he heard that she was laughing, not crying. When she turned to reassure him that she was all right, he saw tears streaming down her face from laughing so hard. “I’m sorry,” Lydia was finally able to get out, “I’m not laughing at you; I just cannot believe I made that noise! I’ve never made a sound like that in my life!”
Percy laughed right along with her, and when they were finally able to catch their breath, they wandered down the aisles together. Every few steps, Lydia would stop to admire a plant.
Percy cursed himself for having not listened more closely when Georgiana was telling him about all of the different varieties so that he might have been able to impress Lydia with that information now. But as he could not, he enjoyed the comfortable silence between the two of them. The only sound in the conservatory was their feet hitting the floor, and Lydia quietly humming to herself.
“What are you singing?” Percy asked gently. Lydia stopped immediately and froze.
“You know, I did not even realize I was doing that,” she commented. “I believe it is something by that fellow Mozart if my memory serves me correctly.”
“Really?” Percy asked her. “Do you enjoy his music?”
“Oh, very much so,” Lydia replied. “I believe he may be the finest musician of our age. I heard his Magic Flute some time ago, and I have not been able to stop trying to play it on our pianoforte.”
Percy stopped walking. “You play the pianoforte?” he asked, surprised.
Lydia nodded at him but kept walking down the aisle. “Certainly. I’ve been playing since I was very young, and when I play, it is one of the few places where I feel at peace. The rest of the time, my head is so full of thoughts and worries that I can hardly concentrate. But when I am playing, there is the music, and nothing else.”
“I would very much like to hear you play sometime soon,” Percy said eagerly. “I hope that is not too forward of me to request that.”
Lydia giggled and bent down to smell a brightly coloured rhododendron. “Percy, I do believe the way that our lips met back there was far more forward than you asking to hear me play the pianoforte.”
Percy shoved his hands in his pockets, chuckled, and then responded, “I suppose you are right.”
