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Edward threw back his head and laughed.
“I have missed you. Strange to feel that way for a person I knew for a matter of hours over the course of one evening.”
“Very strange. But again, I share the sentiment.”
Edward looked at her. A shaft of sunlight through the trees caught her in its beam at that moment and her eyes seemed to sparkle.
What would be the problem with marrying her? She is not of the same rank and her family does not have the status of the Boltons. But would it really be so wrong for me to consider a wife simply because I…
“I can’t believe that after all this time you are still unmarried. What is wrong with the gentry of Midwenshire?” Edward said.
Harriet blushed, looking away and smiling shyly. It was endearing and enticing at the same time, at once enhancing her innocence and her beauty.
“In truth, I have recently been approached by a man. He wished a wife and had heard of two marriageable women at Sandleigh.”
“Who?” Edward demanded.
“The Viscount of Middleton.”
“God, no!” Edward exclaimed before he could stop himself.
Harriet’s eyes widened and he looked away, gritting his teeth and focusing on the path ahead.
“The man is an oaf of the worst kind. He is not worthy of you. Do not marry him. What about your cousin?”
Harriet’s mouth opened and closed as though she were trying to find words.
“Eleanor would not have him. She feigned illness when he arrived at the house. I only entertained the idea because…well, there is no one else, and my family needs…”
Edward heard the distress in her voice. He thought back to their conversations on the subject of marriage being forced because of duty.
That’s what I tried to do to Rebecca. And now she has eloped with the man she truly loved.
“Why must you marry? What is the need that drives you to this?” he asked.
Harriet frowned, shaking her head. “It is not my secret to tell. I wish I could.”
“You can trust me.”
“I do not really know you. Not really.”
“So, I wish to remedy that. I want you to trust me. We have been…close.”
“A moment of madness, I think.”
“Or perfect clarity for both of us.”
Harriet looked at him skeptically. He wished she wouldn’t frown. Nothing could mar the beauty of her face, but her smiles were truly radiant.
“Is this real or just a dream we’re both indulging in? It feels like a dream,” Harriet said.
“If it’s a dream, then we can do and say whatever we want,” Edward replied.
Abruptly, he turned his horse into the path of hers, blocking her way. Seizing the reins from her hand, he leaned over and kissed her. At first, she tried to lean away, but his hand caught the back of her head. He tore away the bonnet and his fingers entwined in her hair. With his other hand, he caught her about the waist. For a long moment, they kissed. Her resistance faded and with one, strong movement, he lifted her from the saddle and deposited her in front of his own.
Her arms went around him without breaking the kiss. One hand rested on his chest, fingers spreading to feel the taut muscle beneath his buttoned coat and shirt. Her other hand rested on his thigh, squeezing gently. She moaned into his mouth as his embrace tightened around her in response to her touch. The gentle warmth beneath the trees was building to an unbearable heat. It felt as though a desert sun was blazing down on the two of them.
Edward felt Harriet’s hands scrambling at the neck of her dress and knew that she was feeling the heat as well as he. She unbuttoned it and he bent to kiss her soft throat, pulling the dress wider to expose her shoulder and the first hint of her chest, pulling down the looser neck of her underclothes to reach her soft, pale skin. Finally, she pushed him to arm’s length. Her eyes burned like coals into his and her cheeks were flushed.
