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“Determined to live dangerously I see.”
Perdie smiled.
“There is a meadowed grassland right by the river,” he said pointing. “We could stay as long as you want outside. I would give you my coat and you could spread it on the grass, lay yourself down, watch the stars and listen to the night. The rushing waters of the river, the chirp of grasshoppers, the hoot of an owl.”
Longing surged through Perdie, catching her breath. “I have never done anything like that before.”
“I know. My youngest sister, named Rowena, says sleeping under the stars is one of the best experiences.” He glanced up. “I know something about constellations. Perhaps I could tell you a bit about them.” With that he walked away, seemingly to make her unspoken dream a reality.
He wanted to lay beside her on the grass and watch the stars. Perdie stared after him, and a wave of apprehension washed through her.
Felicity and Hattie were oddly thrilled to remain outdoors for a few more hours. Thaddeus made do on his promise. He found a section very close to the riverbank, the grass lush and verdant. There he spread his coat, and a blanket that mysteriously materialized with Hattie. Next, he got a small fire going to stave off the chill of the encroaching darkness.
It was all so scandalous and improper it thrilled Perdie to her toes. If only such freedom and unconcern with society and its judgement could be forever.
Bowing in a flourish, Thaddeus invited her to repose on the blanket and coat. Perdie chuckled, went over, and dropped herself down. She lay back, staring at the velveted beauty of the night sky. Turning her head, she arched a brow to see Thaddeus sitting a few feet away on the grass, his soles flat on the ground and his knees drawn close enough to his chest where he rested his elbows on them.
He had a blade of grass in his mouth.
“Are you still hungry?” she drawled.
Thaddeus looked at her and Perdie stilled. Longing lay naked in his eyes and inexplicably she understood why he had not come to repose beside her. Unexpectedly she was assaulted with a terrible yearning, and Perdie felt as if her breath had been cut off. It was too easy to get lost in the way he looked at her, as if she were someone he would cherish. She glanced away so fast she hurt her neck. Rubbing at the sore spot, she stared at the sky, hating how fast and desperate her heart beat.
“Is something wrong? You are flushed.”
“I…I think it might be the fish.”
“The fish?”
Perdie’s cheeks heated even more fiercely, and she prayed the night hid her reaction. “Yes. It is making my stomach feel…strange. It could be because I have never had it before roasted over an outdoor fire.” The unknown sensation in her belly was very real and it twisted and turned inside of her.
An odd little musing sound came from Thaddeus, and he said, “This is new territory for me.”
She turned her head to look at him once more. “What is?”
His gaze was a soft caress as it lingered on her face.
“I’ve never had a lady refer to me as fish before.”
Perdie choked on the unexpected laughter that bubbled forth. “How odiously arrogant! Do you dare believe whatever is wrong with my…my stomach…”
“And your reddened cheeks,” he injected with a charming and astoundingly sensual smile. “And the reason you are clutching the grass as if your life depends on it.”
She released the tufts of grass as if they had turned into bugs. Thaddeus’s steady gaze bore into her in silent expectation. Perdie felt wrapped in an invisible warmth, and fancifully thought the heat emanated from the man sitting across from her, waiting.
What did he want her to admit? That she found him handsome? And amusing and debonair? Did he want her to admit that last night when she slept she had wondered what it would be like to kiss him?
Perdie tried to throttle the dizzying currents racing through her heart. “Is this how you charm all the ladies?” she murmured huskily. “I am made of sterner stuff.”
“I know it; it is one of the reasons I like you.”
As they stared at each other, a slender delicate thread of something impossible began to form between them. It felt almost like friendship…and something deeper than she had ever before experienced.
I like you too, Thaddeus. However, Perdie would never admit this to him. She rolled over, came up on her knees, and then struggled to her feet. “I am going into the carriage.”
“Before you go, take a look at the sky. I don’t believe you’ve yet experienced your night sky adventure, and it won’t be the same from the carriage.”
She did as he asked and was met with a myriad of colors of varying brightness inset within an onyx base. Perdie felt like she’d never looked up before. Or it could be because she was enjoying it with the man beside her.
