Page 14 of The Mysterious Miss Lydia
But shehadn’tmet him.
She took a step back. “I-I...” She shook her head in frustration.
Oh good grief. Just once, she wished she could get the words in her head out of her mouth like a normal young lady.
“What is it, love?”
Her lips parted in surprise at the gentle tone as much as the endearment. Combined they made her chest ache.
What would it be like to be courted by a man who spoke so gently, and who looked at you like this? Like he had all the time to wait for you to find the right words.
She swallowed hard and wet her lips. “We haven’t been introduced.”
It came out as a whisper, and for a second she thought he hadn’t heard. But then his smile grew and he clapped a hand to his chest.
“You’re right. How thoughtless of me.” He reached for her hand but let his drop when she recoiled in fear. Instead, he cut a short bow that had her lips twitching with amusement.
“What a thoughtless cad to go all this time without introducing myself to an exquisite beauty such as yourself.”
Her cheeks felt like they were on fire now.
Was he teasing?
Of course, he was. No one said such things in earnest.
Uncertainty had her looking around again.
“Tell me your name and I’ll tell you mine,” he said.
Her gaze darted back to his. Goodness, his voice was so inviting. So warm and low and confident and…
A lady could fall under its spell easily indeed.
“Er...” It came out more like a squeak of alarm. But really. What was she doing talking to a complete stranger in public like this?
And where was Kitty?
This man could be dangerous for all she knew.
She heard people coming from her father’s building. Perhaps her father could save her. But a quick glance made her heart sink.
She recognized the man coming toward them, but it wasn’t her father. It was Wendell.
Lydia ought to like him too, by all accounts. He was nice to her these days.
But...too nice.
And she was well aware of how odd that sounded. Her mother had scolded her when she’d tried to say as much.A girl like you ought to be grateful for any gentleman’s kindness.
The words still stung now, days later.
Lydia tore her gaze from Wendell but found herself looking up into the too intense by far gaze of the mystery man, and she...
She panicked.
She had no more decided to run then she saw realization dawn in the stranger’s eyes.
She was going to run...and he knew it.
