Page 34 of The Secret Love of a Gentleman
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Courageous…‘Will you stay with me?’
‘Of course I will. There is no question of that.’
She touched his cheek, as he had touched hers before they kissed. The moonlight coloured his features in light or dark, making his hair, his eyes and eyelashes darker.
He was beautiful, strong-natured, good-hearted – and he had kissed her.
The emotions dancing along her nerves were not fear or panic. The experiences she knew in her marriage bed whispered, feelings and emotions she had desperately missed.
‘Shall we return?’ he asked.
No.She wanted to stay hidden here and kiss him again, but she could not ask for that.
‘Yes.’ Her hand fell.
He offered his forearm. She held it firmly as they walked from the churchyard, and his hand lay over hers as it had done earlier.
When she faced the door of the Assembly Hall, the sense of panic did not return. Her consciousness remained on the feel of Rob’s arm and his hand over hers.
As they crossed the threshold, the doorman bowed and encouraged them to progress.
‘As I said, you have courage, be brave,’ Rob whispered as they climbed the stairs.
It was not his words that provided comfort; it was his kiss. It had been… genteel… respectful. Considerate. Albert kissed with an intense force, even his kiss had left her lips bruised on occasion.
The memories that flashed like sparks as she climbed the stairs were new – memories of their moments in the churchyard and what a gentle kiss felt like.
At the top of the stairs, he shepherded her into the busy assembly room. A quartet on a dais at the far end of the hall played a country dance. There were three separate lines of couples dancing, and groups talking at the edges of the room.
Her chest tightened as her nerves screamed at the crushing proximity of so many people. Rob’s hand lifted from hers and his arm dropped away from her hand. Her heart plunged, like an iron weight.
‘Drew is over there, look, in the corner. Remember, you have overcome far worse than a local assembly dance, Caro.’
She took a breath and felt Rob’s hand hovering behind her lower back as she walked through the crowd. He did not touch her, yet his hand protected her, ensuring no one else might bump into her, as there was no room to walk side by side.
Drew smiled as she reached him.
She smiled too, though her lips trembled as much as her hands, and her cheeks felt stiff.
‘How are you?’ he asked.
‘Coping,’ she whispered.
‘Bravo, Caro,’ he whispered back.
He stood on one side of her, and Rob on the other. Likeknights, ready to defend her against a fire-breathing dragon. The only problem was that the monster was inside her.
‘Would you like a drink, Caro?’ Rob asked.
She nodded.
‘Would you prefer to come to the refreshment table?’Rather than be left here without him.
‘Yes.’
‘We will join you,’ Mary said.
