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“Your aunt’s prying eyes make me break out in cold sweat. A more private area would suit the discussion we are about to have.”
Helen stopped to breathe, feeling everything pause for a moment. Over the past few days, Theodore had been toying around with her feelings. He made sure to build her up to a climax before deflating everything and starting all over again. It made Helen angry, but it also made her want him more.
Fiery passion burned in her veins every time she saw him, and Helen believed that he was warming up to her. Their talks usually delved into the unimaginable, making her feel heat all over. Now, they were trying to escape her aunt’s watchful gaze.
As they neared the tranquil pond, Theodore paused to pick a water lily at the edge. It was an elaborate gesture, one that made the ladies gossip and swoon. He never ceased to subtly touch her in the most debauched ways possible. One time, he even claimed to remove a strand of hair from her shoulder. It was a sensual touch that made Helen melt under the heat from his hands. Even now as he handed the flower to her, their fingers grazed one another.
Helen launched into conversation again, knowing it was the perfect way to evade the feelings that were erupting inside of her. “I heard that the maze is quite ancient. Do you know of any stories?”
Theodore returned her gaze with a soft smile of his own. “It used to be covered with ivy. Which made it even more positively romantic. But it is just a dear old garden now.”
“Romantic?” Helen snorted derisively. “I have never pegged you for a man of romance.”
“I am romantic, yes,” he replied with a drawl. “I even heard that the Prince Regent used to rendezvous with his beloved here. A trysting place.”
Helen guffawed, and the stares of the other ladies made her shrink in her tangerine muslin gown. “I must say that such an idyllic place is perfect for a rendezvous. Perhaps, we should make it our trysting place as well.”
Now, it was Theodore's time to smile. “Trysting? Would you consider us lovers, then?”
Helen stopped in her tracks. She had never expected such an outright statement from him. Theodore was usually subtle with his words, playing with them as a child might do with a toy. Helen had always wanted to tell him that their arrangement was getting a little too real for her. But she was getting her wish. And he was almost getting nothing.
“N-No,” she stuttered, subtly clenching her gloved hands to marshal herself back to composure. “But I think that I should leave your imagination to the task.”
Theodore smiled, desire trickling into his veins by the minute.
“That sounded a little too real, Helen,” he whispered, slipping into the maze. “People might think we are truly lovers.”
Helen took a step closer to him, their bodies almost touching. “We want them to think that, do we not?”
He was forced to take two steps backward, frightened that she might hear the sound of his racing heart. Theodore knew that toying with her would have an effect on him. It made him desire her more when he cut off at the precipice.
They walked deeper into the gardens, shifting to other topics of discussion. Helen was happy to return to normal, knowing that she might be unable to stop herself if she pressed further. But she was glad to have been the one to initiate the move, sidling up to him. Helen was truly pleased with herself.
“If you were a gossip monger,” Theodore said, his soft tones turning Helen’s mind to clotted cream, “you would have something scandalous to write about till the next Season.”
Helen turned to face him. “What do you mean?” He pointed to the left, making sure Helen’s gaze followed his finger. When Theodore was sure that she saw the sight, he let his hand fall back to this side.
“That my dear, is Miss Francesca Cavendish and her love match, Lord Marshall. One might say that they are truly in love, you think?”
Theodore pointed in the direction opposite them as they edged deeper into the maze. They stared at different couples on promenade as they went and were now taking count on their fingers and laughing.
“In my opinion, Lord Wetherby, Earl of Weston, is too old for Miss Bennett. I mean, she is rather stunning to be stuck with him,” he said quietly.
“Stuck? She seems to be enjoying their conversation. Besides, there are different reasons for marriage,” Helen replied, her eyebrows raised suspiciously.
“And what might your own reason be? For love or family? Or something else entirely,” Theodore asked and subtly tickled her palm.
Helen slapped his hand playfully, trying to hide the tremor that went through her at his touch. “Stop talking, please!”
Theodore laughed, one that sent chills down Helen’s spine even in the spring heat. “As if you have not heard much more. Or read, you might say.”
She bowed her head to hide the embarrassment creeping all over her. Her face turned a dark red, and Helen was really struggling to keep her feelings under control.
Theodore lifted her chin softly with his finger. “You do not need to be embarrassed, Helen. We are friends after all.”
Her heart shattered into a million pieces. “F-F-Friends?”
He closed the distance between them, leaning into her. His hand already snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Helen tried to resist, but her body was gravitating toward him. She tried to pull away, but all her efforts to control her body remained futile.
