Page 25 of Treating a Sinful Earl
“I shall stand on this veranda if you stand by my side,” Jasper shared.
She could not help but have her lips dissolve in a smile. “If it would heal you, then I shall stand out here all night long.”
His warm, compassionate expression turned grave all of a sudden. Jasper looked deep into her eyes, and Catherine was lost in their blueness which was evident even in the darkness of night.
“I want to help you to the degree that you are helping me,” Jasper said, his voice low and deep.
“My situation cannot be helped. And besides, having to marry is not nearly as serious as a health condition that cannot be cured. My situation is not as dire as yours, even though you will not convey to me the full extent of it.”
Jasper turned, no doubt trying to locate where Fenton had gone. Abigail and Fenton were just on the other side of the vast veranda, and from inside, their two chaperones peered through the glass as though spectators at a zoo.
He turned back towards her, and his affability returned again. “Here I thought that we were entirely alone, but I suppose that we never can be.”
Catherine’s shoulders slumped. “No, we cannot. Here is another thing that might be favourable about marriage,” she went on, her tone brightening. “I shall not have a chaperone any longer, and I will be entirely free to be alone with my husband. It seems silly that this might be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but I do choose to look at the situation in a more favourable light.”
What she did not impart was that if she tried a different approach, her circumstances would turn overwhelming in her mind.
“Here is another thing that I admire about you,” Jasper went on. “You have a very bright spirit. It is intoxicating if I may say so.”
Catherine could not help but laugh. “Intoxicating is rather a bold world. I would call it annoying, at least, that is perhaps how others see it.”
“Then those others do not know a true gem when they encounter one.”
Oh, she was in deep waters! Jasper was intentionally flirting with her in an earnest and warm manner. This was having a very powerful effect upon her, and she did not know what the best course of action would be.
She wished to tell Jasper that she wanted him to be the man that she had just described moments ago. The one that she could be free to be alone with.
“Might I pay you a compliment after you have said something so agreeable about my character?”
He nodded. “You may.”
“I think that you are the kindest man I have ever met.” The rate of her heart elevated as she spoke. “I truly believe that you must make other ladies feel as good as you are making me feel at this moment. And that is all right! I hope that all the ladies of the world can feel as marvellous due to your kind words and… handsomeness.”
Oh, she had come undone! Why on earth did Catherine say such a thing? That was impossibly bold, but the words slipped off her tongue before she had a chance to think clearly!
Jasper paused, and in this silence, Catherine had to wonder what he was thinking. “You call me handsome, though I cannot agree. What I think everyone can agree upon is your beauty. You might be the most beautiful woman I have yet beheld.”
She brought a hand to her cheek, suddenly embarrassed that Jasper would say something so bold. “My lord, I wish to turn down that compliment, but I know to do so would be rude. So, I will merely state that I am grateful yet again that you make me feel the way that you do.”
“I am not saying it to please you,” he assured her as he gazed down upon her. “I speak this because it is my truth, and it would pain me not to utter it.”
The way that he looked down on her, Catherine was convinced that he would try to kiss her. But this must have merely been something in his expression, for the chaperones’ eyes were still upon them and a kiss would be impossible.
And yet, if he did kiss her and her father caught wind of it, perhaps she would be forced to marry Jasper? Fire and brimstone! What was Catherine thinking? She was losing her wits!
“The hour is late, and I am sure that my parents will wonder about me,” Catherine said, thinking that the moment had reached the apex of intimacy.
“That is a good idea. I do not wish for them to have an ill opinion of me.”
“They are very kind, despite my father’s ultimatum. And…I thought the Dowager Countess was impossibly kind.”
Jasper shared, “My mother is very kind, though she has been through much in life. She is strong, but also has an open heart.”
She could not help but smile. “I look forward to encountering her once more.”
“As do I,” Jasper replied intently.
Abigail was summoned, and she and Catherine made their way to the carriage with Felton and Jasper behind them, and the chaperones bringing up the rear. Once they were outside, Felton said his adieus to Abigail and Jasper did the same to Catherine.
