Page 27 of Tutoring a Lady into Sin
He shook his head at the folly of it all.
I would like to see Percival and Christianna as happy as they were while they were dancing together tonight, but at what cost? Will Christianna always be the one to make the sacrifices in their relationship?
Suddenly, Phineas did not feel inclined to return to the ballroom. He knew he should, because it was likely that at least Lady Bianca was looking around for him, wondering where he had gone. But he no longer wished to partake in the merrymaking.
Instead, he wanted to go for a nice long walk. He was not sure it would do him a bit of good, but as he had suggested to Uncle Felton earlier in the night, the warm summer breeze had a way of clearing the senses and the mind. And Phineas knew a good strong dose of clarity was precisely what he needed.
Chapter 11
“Do try to sit still,” Christianna instructed.
“I cannot help it,” Phineas replied as he fussed with the sleeves of his navy blue riding jacket. “It is terribly hot out here and….”
“Should we move locations?” Christianna asked as she put down her pencil. “I chose this spot, down by the lake and underneath the tree, because I thought it might be coolest here.”
She was seated with her back pressed against the tree trunk. It was a sessile oak, and the branches snaked out, covering a wide expanse of ground, casting shade over a vast circumference. Phineas was also sitting on the ground, but he was about three feet away from her.
A green and blue tartan blanket was spread underneath them. Miss Fitzroy, Christianna’s lady’s maid, was sitting near the very edge of the blanket, staring out at the lake, running her fingers through a soft patch of grass.
Phineas continued fiddling with his jacket. His hands went to the buttons. “I just cannot seem to get comfortable, my lady.” He swatted his hand through the air at a bumblebee and made a perturbed face. “I think maybe I was the wrong person to ask to sit for you today.”
“But I wish to sketch you,” Christianna cajoled. “You have such a unique face.”
Phineas laughed. “I am not sure if that is meant to be a compliment or an insult.”
“It is a compliment, of course,” Christianna said as she picked up her drawing pencil once more and placed it on the page. A broad grin stretched across Phineas’ face, so much so that a small dimple appeared in his cheek. “There, right there. Hold that pose. That is exactly how I want to capture you.”
“You make it sound as though I am your prisoner,” Phineas said as he chuckled.
“But once I have drawn you, I suppose you are, in one way or another. For I will always have this picture of you,” Christianna replied airily as she began to trace a small oval shape onto the page. “I have no idea how I am going to get your hair right, though. I feel I will never do it justice unless I become better at shading.”
Phineas lifted a hand and ran it through his untamed locks. Several pieces drifted forward and fell in his eyes. “Is my hair…?”
“There!” Christianna cried. “Don’t move a muscle. Just like that, you look so…rebellious almost. If I did not know better, I would say you had adopted one of those devil-may-care attitudes.”
“Ha!” he said with a laugh. “But you do know better, Lady Christianna. I am anything if not careful and controlled.” He paused, and his eyebrows furrowed. “Why should you want to see me in a way that I am not?”
Christianna started to answer, but then she noticed the look of curiosity on his face. “You are right,” she conceded, “keep your features fixed just that way. That is precisely how I should sketch you.”
Phineas chuckled again, and that made Christianna put down her pencil once more. “Come now, Doctor Radcliff. If you keep moving about and switching up your facial expressions, I shall never be able to get this finished.”
“Fine,” he replied as a small smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. “I will endeavour to sit perfectly still and be the very best model. What would you like me to do exactly?”
Christianna chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. “You should think of something that brings you joy or perhaps intrigues you because I would like to see that expression on your face.”
“Very well then,” Phineas murmured. He rolled his neck slowly, then when he stopped, there was a serene, almost placid look on his face.
“Excellent, Doctor,” Christianna jeered, “you are able to take directions with the very best of them.”
His smile broadened, but he said nothing. They lapsed into silence, and Christianna set her full attention on her sketching. She did not get to practise this skill often, but with the house teeming with guests and her betrothed in town visiting the haberdasher, she thought it would be a nice way to spend the afternoon.
After a while, Miss Fitzroy rose and said quietly, “If it would not disturb you, my lady, I should like to wander to the water’s edge and pick some of the violets that are growing there.”
“Gather as many posies as you like,” Christianna said without taking her eyes off her paper. “We will not budge an inch.”
As the lady’s maid skipped away, Christianna noticed how Phineas took this moment to shift his weight rocking from one hip to the other. “What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“What?” he replied.
