Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83053 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“For the love of God, Tricia, do you ever stop talking?”
She stopped talking then, her lips slightly parted and glistening.
One of Thomas’s favorite oak trees was only yards away, and he walked toward it. They would be sheltered there, on the other side of the tree. The men would be returning from the hunt from the west, so they were safely ensconced. Besides, the men would not be back for several more hours.
But then he thought better of it.
They should keep walking. If they sat down in the shade of the beautiful tree, who knew what might happen?
They continued to walk about the estate until the silence became deafening.
“All right,” Thomas said, “now I wish you would talk.”
“You don’t mind my mindless chatter?”
“For the love of God, Tricia, you do try a man’s patience.”
She harrumphed, walking ahead of him until she cried out, tumbling to the ground.
He rushed to her. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, fine.” She resisted his arm that he offered for help. “Seems as though I tripped on a tree root. Again, I’m the clumsiest person on earth. Thank goodness you’re the only one who saw it.”
Thomas chuckled. “I find it absolutely adorable, to be honest.”
Tricia brushed the soft dirt from her skirts. “Seems all I do is be clumsy around you, Thomas. What I really want is to…”
He couldn’t help himself. He slid a finger over her cheekbone, savoring the feel of her satiny skin. “What is it that you really want?”
She blushed. “I believe you know.”
“You only think that, Tricia. You’ve no idea what any of it entails. No idea the pain it will inflict on you.”
“But the pain is only the first time.”
“I don’t mean the physical pain. Yes, it can be unpleasant when a woman is initially deflowered. But I’m speaking of the pain that will be inflicted on you by the higher-ups in our society if they find out you offered yourself to me before a marriage promise was secured. One simple night of thoughtless pleasure could lead to your undoing in our sphere. And at any rate, a lady should not speak of these things.”
“I’m not an ordinary young lady, then, am I?”
Thomas chuckled again. “You are anything but an ordinary young lady. You, Lady Patricia, are quite extraordinary.”
She bit her luscious lower lip. “Do you truly think so?”
He brought a hand to her cheek. “I’m not in the habit of saying things I don’t mean.”
Tricia brushed his hand away. “Why didn’t you dance with me last night, Thomas? From what I heard, you danced with nearly every other woman there, including my friend, Lady Sarah, who, by the way, was standing directly next to me when you asked her.”
Thomas widened his eyes and took a step back. The truth was he had no good answer for Tricia. At the very least, not one he was willing to explain out loud. He had stayed away from her for her own good, for he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself if he had her in his arms once more.
In fact, he wasn’t sure he could control himself in this very moment.
And he found that he couldn’t. He pulled her to him, and in the next second, his lips were on hers.
16
He’s kissing me here.
Out in the open.
Until Tricia realized where they were.
Close to the Ashford burial grounds.
Close to…
She broke the kiss and pushed at his hard, broad shoulders.
“No,” she said. “I can’t allow it. Not here.”
Thomas almost looked startled. “What do you mean—” Then he darted his gaze toward the gravesites. “What was I thinking?”
Patricia’s fingers went absently to her lips. They stung from his kiss in a most precious way.
“That day,” she said, gulping. “That day you kissed me. But it wasn’t me you kissed.”
“I assure you it was very much you whom I kissed,” he said.
“But you were in pain, Thomas. You were mourning. You were grieving the loss of your beloved father. I was happy that I could be there for you, but now…”
“I’m no longer in mourning, Tricia.”
“Are you saying you no longer miss your father?”
“Oh, I miss him. I miss him desperately. But that’s not why I kissed you.”
“Why, then? Why, when you let me go last night?”
“Letting you go was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“It didn’t look too difficult from where I was standing.” She cast her gaze to the ground. “You told me how much you wanted me, Thomas. How you were going to ruin me and then do the right thing by marrying me.”
“To which you said you would not accept my offer of marriage.”
“Because I want to marry for love, Thomas. However, I did tell you I would go to your bed.”
“Yes, but you didn’t know what you were saying.”
“I’m a woman of nineteen years,” she said. “I’m not a child, and trust me, when you grow up the way I did, by the time you’re twelve or thirteen you’re no longer a child. I knew girls who married at fourteen or fifteen. You do what must be done to survive.”