Page 8 of Tempted By the English Marquis
He liked Serafina and was more than a little attracted to her. But she was a young woman far from home, and he would be nothing short of a scoundrel if he toyed with her affections.
If only we had met a year or two from now, things might have been different.
He took a step toward her, motioning in the direction of the entrance to the maze. “Are you interested in trying to find your way through the maze, Serafina?” he offered.
Perhaps that was the sensible way to handle this afternoon. Wander through the maze, eat the picnic, and then stroll the palace grounds. By the end of the day, everyone would have had their fill of Hampton Court, and they would be happy to head back to town.
She gave him a shy smile and Gideon’s steps faltered. How many times had she offered him that same look? That enticing, intriguing smile?
“I’ve never been inside a maze before, so I don’t know how to . . .” She paused, and it was clear she was searching for the right word.
“Remember. It’s probably the closest word to what you do in a maze. When you reach a part of the maze where you cannot go any further, you have to go back and find another path to move forward. All the time you have to keep remembering how you got to that point. And once you have reached the middle you have to find your way back out.”
She nodded. “That sounds fun.” Her dark brown eyes glittered in the afternoon sunlight, adding fire to the power of her smile.
If you had any idea how much you affect me, you would run away.
“I shall do my best to remember things once we are inside the maze,” she said.
When they reached the entrance to the maze, Gideon followed Serafina inside. Once they had gone a few yards, the air changed. A silence settled over them. Gideon had thought to tell Serafina the history of the sixteenth century maze and how it had come to be built, but it seemed almost sacrilegious to disturb the quiet. She moved with slow, considered steps, and for a moment, Gideon imagined this was how she would enter a church.
They took the first right turn and walked for a minute but stopped when a wall of green hornbeam appeared in front of them. It was a dead end. Serafina turned and pointed in the opposite direction. “We need to go that way.”
She marched past him, and Gideon couldn’t help his laugh. Her smile had been replaced by a look of determination. The maze was meant to be fun, but from the way he had to hurry to catch up with her, it was clear Serafina wasn’t going to simply wander through. She was going to lead.
The path ahead led them through several more twists and turns before they reached an opening. The choice was to go either right or left. Serafina rested her hands on her hips and looked both ways. Gideon was tempted to offer his own suggestion, but he suspected she might not wish to hear it.
Let her decide. That way when we get to the middle and then back out again, the victory will be all hers.
“We went right, then came back left at the beginning. Perhaps we should continue that way,” she said.
Gideon bowed. “Lead on.”
Left, then right, then left, then right. Then, “Che palle!” huffed Serafina, as she stared up at the wall of hornbeams which greeted them after the next turn. He didn’t know what it meant, but Gideon deduced it wasn’t an expression of delight.
He took a step forward, intending to come to her side and offer a small suggestion. At the same time, Serafina suddenly whirled around and moved forward. She stepped straight into his arms, her hands coming to rest on his chest.
Time stood still. It was exactly the same as when he had first met her that night at Mowbray House. Gideon’s breathing grew shallow and labored. He was acutely aware of every single touch point on his body where the two of them made contact. It was as if the fabric of their clothing didn’t exist.
This woman.Her soft curves made it evident that she was a woman, not a young girl.
Serafina kept her gaze cast down, her sable locks a matter of inches from his face. Gideon stood, struggling for air as his conscience and burning desire to kiss her battled one another. He was certain that if she lifted her head and offered him one of her shy smiles, the war would be all over.
He would have his fingers speared into her hair and his mouth would be on hers. He would take and claim everything from her. And from that moment on Serafina would be his, whether they both wanted it or not.
I can’t do this. Lord knows I want to, but it would be such a terrible breach of trust.
Matteo and Nico de Luca had placed their precious Serafina in the hands of the Kembal family. It was his duty to keep her safe. Not to take liberties.
When she left England tomorrow, he had to make certain that she was still the same Serafina de Luca as she had been the day, she set foot in London. Untouched. And her virtue, pristine.
With trembling hands, Gideon took hold of Serafina’s waist and gently shifted her back. To his relief, she didn’t protest. Her fingers slipped from his chest. She moved away from him, creating distance. He took a deep breath. His gentlemanly behavior had won.
“I think we should go back to the part where the paths crossed, and take the one to the right,” she said, her voice a little shaky.
Gideon swallowed deep. “Yes. That sounds a sensible idea.”
She moved past him and back down the path. Gideon followed in her wake, silently praying that they would soon catch up with Augusta and Victoria. He feared what he might do if he spent any more time alone with Serafina.
