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“So did I, not so very long ago,” Charlotte confessed, finding herself unable to draw her eyes away from his. Indeed, she was finding it difficult to draw breath.
“Is it not strange, how quickly doubts can be dissolved?” Sir John asked, daring to trace the curve of Charlotte’s delicate cheek with his fingers. The slight touch seemed to overwhelm all of her other senses. She shivered in delight. Neither noticed when the clouds broke and it began raining in earnest.
“Very strange,” Charlotte whispered, unconsciously tilting her face up towards his. In spite of the rain, she felt warm all over when he bent his head towards her. He was only a breath away from kissing her, his hand on her cheek, cupping her chin, and then his lips were on hers. His kiss was soft and gentle, but like the storm blowing up around them Charlotte could sense a wild passion beneath the first gentle touch. Her lips parted instinctively It seemed to be the thing to do…to let something in …or to let something out. Her own fierce desire was finally unleashed.
She felt him groan more than heard it, a breath against her lips. His hand had migrated from her chin to the back of her neck and tangled in the curls at her nape. Charlotte had never known anything so maddeningly wonderful.
Alice’s shout suddenly broke through the veil of intimacy that they had drawn around themselves. “Charlotte! Are you mad? Hurry, get out of the rain!”
Sir John pulled back so abruptly Charlotte would have fallen if he had not held her hand. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I forgot myself.”
Charlotte thought she was lost to herself still. She felt as if she were floating somewhere in the mist.
Helen and Alice had dashed to the shelter of a nearby Roman folly. Jane walked with slightly more aplomb.
“Oh.” Charlotte gasped, coming to her senses suddenly. She brought her hand to her lips. Had she really just allowed a man to kiss her, right here in the park, in the pouring rain? It was wild and reckless and terribly scandalous, even by her standards.
“I beg your pardon, I do not know what came over me,” Sir John said contritely, pulling back from her, but still not quite letting go. “Well, perhaps Ido, but I beg your pardon all the same. It was unforgivably forward of me.”
“Nevertheless, I believe I shall forgive you,” Charlotte answered breathlessly. She was struck by the deep blue of his eyes and the fact that she wanted him to kiss her again.
“Charlotte.” Alice and Helen called together.
Then, Sir John caught her hand. “Come along,” he said, “Before your sisters decide to send out a rescue party.” He tugged on her hand and she found herself racing alongside him in the rain before she realized what was happening.
Sir John would have slowed his pace for Charlotte’s smaller stride, but she was more fleet of foot than he would have credited any young lady, and did not seem to mind the rain or muddy grass in the slightest. She laughed infectiously all the way to the shelter of the ornamental Roman temple and John could not help but join in her mirth. The day was suddenly beautiful, Lady Charlotte’s smile was all the sunshine he could require.
“You are both mad.” Helen scolded as soon as they were safe beneath the shelter, winded and drenched. “Really Sir John, I can understand Charlotte not caring if she caught her death from cold, but I thought you had more sense.”
“Apparently I do not,” John said, ducking his head to hide his guilty smile. “I fear I do not have any sense at all.” He regarded Lady Charlotte who was blushing deeply, and then turned to her sisters. Only the young countess looked thoughtful. The younger two, in their haste to get out of the rain, seemed to have missed the fact that he and Lady Charlotte had kissed at all, but the Lady Keegain had seen. Although she did not seem overly put out, she would undoubtedly speak to her husband on the matter. Sir John swallowed nervously.
“Charlotte has that effect on people, I suppose. We’ve all been persuaded to go along with her, against our better judgment, at some point in time,” Helen said.
“Indeed,today, when we all tried to warn her that it would rain.” Alice added, tossing back her damp curls. “Yet nothing would keep her from her appointment with you.”
“Then, I must beg your forgiveness,” Sir John murmured. “The blame is entirely mine.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Lady Charlotte said cheerfully. “The blame is on the weather, and on me for insisting that my sisters venture beyond our cozy hearth on such a day. But really, the way you two carry on you would think we were all in danger of melting.”
“You will not think it is so funny if you develop an ague and miss half of the Season,” Helen cautioned, but she found herself relenting, as she had known she inevitably would. No one could stay annoyed at Charlotte for long.
“I shall do no such thing,” Charlotte averred stoutly. “I am in perfect health, and look, the rain is already slowing. We can return home and you both can have a lovely afternoon listening to Mother scold me while she suffocates me with wraps and shawls.”
“That does sound satisfying,” Alice agreed begrudgingly.
The small party walked quickly back to the Keegain townhome, with Sir John and Lady Charlotte casting what they both hoped were furtive glances at one another. When they were safely inside the ladies went to change out of their wet garments and Sir John took his leave after having apologized profusely to the dowager for the misadventure. He refused all offers to come in and dry himself by the fire before venturing out again. He felt the need, quite overwhelmingly, to be alone in order to think.
“Charlotte,” Jane whispered sometime later, once the dowager had finished her scolding and Charlotte was tucked in by the fire wrapped in a blanket with a scorching hot cup of tea. “What exactly happened in the park?”
“What do you mean? We got caught in a downpour, just as you all predicted we would,” Charlotte attempted to shrug carelessly, but she felt heat rising in her face that had little to do with the fire.
“I mean that you and Sir John were so much wetter than Helen and Alice,” Jane said persistently. “It is interesting that you were both content to stand in the rain, for some time before dashing for shelter. It seemed as if you could not even hear your sisters calling for you.”
“Well, all right then,” Charlotte sighed, squirming out of several of the wraps that cocooned her. She could not bear to be so confined and restricted and answer such a pointed question. “If you must know, Sir John kissed me,” Charlotte hesitated, settling back in the chair with her cup of tea. “And I allowed him to do so,” she admitted finally. The smile on her face broadened.
“Charlotte.” Jane began, drawing closer an unreadable expression on her face.
“I know, I know,” Charlotte interrupted. “It was so terribly scandalous. But no one saw, so you need not worry too overly much about it. All the same, it was wonderful.” Charlotte sighed again, and hugged herself. “I feel like I am on the edge of a precipice,” she said. “Only one step and I will fall.”
