formal salute. And lingered a little until a polite cough from his groom caught his attention.
‘Some interested parties around, m’lord.’
Which brought him back to the fact that they were indeed in a very public street, which was no place to be drowning in the depths of a pair of sparkling sapphire eyes. Or enjoying the touch of silken skin. He laughed softly, perhaps to dispel his astonishment in being driven to such indecorous behaviour. But he did not let go of her hand.
‘Will you take me home then, my lord?’ Thea was as much held by the moment as he.
‘Why, no.’ He released her to pick up the reins again. ‘I think that we go on to St Paul’s. What do you say, Theodora?’
He was rewarded with the faintest hint of a smile, as if the lady had come to a momentous decision. As perhaps she had. ‘I should like that above all things. How kind you are.’
It warmed his heart.
Which little episode led to a subtle change in their response towards each other. Theodora was nothing at all like the lady whom Lord Nicholas might consider setting up as his latest flirt. He was uneasy about his reactions to her, whereas Theodora still smarted under his stern gaze and disapproving demeanour.
But each was drawn to the other as a moth to a fatal flame.
It became an accustomed sight, giving Lady Beatrice a blazeof triumph, to see the beautiful Miss Wooton-Devereux partnering the splendid Lord Nicholas Faringdon in the waltz. He was seen to invite the lady to drive with him in Hyde Park at five o’clock, the hour of the fashionable promenade. He even volunteered his services to squire the ladies to Almack’s, giving the Earl of Painscastle reason to comment that he must be a lost cause indeed. But Lord Nicholas shook his head, admitting to himself that he was in a serious state of indecision. Yes, the lady was beautiful, interesting, intelligent—but equally outspoken, argumentative and opinionated. Not to mention given to unreliable quirks of behaviour that might make her the talk of the drawing rooms. But there again, when she walked into the room, the very quality of the air that he breathed seemed to change. He found himself entirely captivated …
Theodora was equally preoccupied, her eyes quickly scanning any room to note if he were present. And if she saw his tall figure, his dark hair, her evening took on a glow of its own. If he did not put in an appearance, the event, no matter how entertaining, was distinctly flat. She took to noticing his strong but fine-fingered hands as they controlled the reins of his high-spirited horses. The firm strength of his arm when he held her close against him in the waltz. The elegant grace when he presented her with a posy of flowers or held her reticule as she unfurled her parasol. The power of his body when he took her hand to help her take her place in the high-perch phaeton that he sometimes drove with such masterly skill. The sheer magnetism of his presence when their eyes met and neither could look away. A sad case, she decided, as delicious shivers fluttered over her skin. They were drawn to each other whether she wished it or not. She found him kind, generous, with a depth of compassion—despite his somewhat over-bearing personality and his liking to get his own way!
And if it was becoming clear to Theodora, it was becoming equally evident to Lady Drusilla that Lord Nicholas was winning a place in her daughter’s usually sensible heart. When Drusilla frowned her disapproval at Thea’s standing up with his lordshipfor the second time in an evening, it had absolutely no effect on her wayward offspring. And when Drusilla smiled her agreement to Thea’s accepting an innocent invitation to drive in Hyde Park with Judith, there was little she could do when she discovered that Lord Nicholas was also to be included in the invitation. Furthermore, it was patently clear that the undoubted charms of the wealthy Earl of Moreton were no competition at all against the dark
‘Some interested parties around, m’lord.’
Which brought him back to the fact that they were indeed in a very public street, which was no place to be drowning in the depths of a pair of sparkling sapphire eyes. Or enjoying the touch of silken skin. He laughed softly, perhaps to dispel his astonishment in being driven to such indecorous behaviour. But he did not let go of her hand.
‘Will you take me home then, my lord?’ Thea was as much held by the moment as he.
‘Why, no.’ He released her to pick up the reins again. ‘I think that we go on to St Paul’s. What do you say, Theodora?’
He was rewarded with the faintest hint of a smile, as if the lady had come to a momentous decision. As perhaps she had. ‘I should like that above all things. How kind you are.’
It warmed his heart.
Which little episode led to a subtle change in their response towards each other. Theodora was nothing at all like the lady whom Lord Nicholas might consider setting up as his latest flirt. He was uneasy about his reactions to her, whereas Theodora still smarted under his stern gaze and disapproving demeanour.
But each was drawn to the other as a moth to a fatal flame.
It became an accustomed sight, giving Lady Beatrice a blazeof triumph, to see the beautiful Miss Wooton-Devereux partnering the splendid Lord Nicholas Faringdon in the waltz. He was seen to invite the lady to drive with him in Hyde Park at five o’clock, the hour of the fashionable promenade. He even volunteered his services to squire the ladies to Almack’s, giving the Earl of Painscastle reason to comment that he must be a lost cause indeed. But Lord Nicholas shook his head, admitting to himself that he was in a serious state of indecision. Yes, the lady was beautiful, interesting, intelligent—but equally outspoken, argumentative and opinionated. Not to mention given to unreliable quirks of behaviour that might make her the talk of the drawing rooms. But there again, when she walked into the room, the very quality of the air that he breathed seemed to change. He found himself entirely captivated …
Theodora was equally preoccupied, her eyes quickly scanning any room to note if he were present. And if she saw his tall figure, his dark hair, her evening took on a glow of its own. If he did not put in an appearance, the event, no matter how entertaining, was distinctly flat. She took to noticing his strong but fine-fingered hands as they controlled the reins of his high-spirited horses. The firm strength of his arm when he held her close against him in the waltz. The elegant grace when he presented her with a posy of flowers or held her reticule as she unfurled her parasol. The power of his body when he took her hand to help her take her place in the high-perch phaeton that he sometimes drove with such masterly skill. The sheer magnetism of his presence when their eyes met and neither could look away. A sad case, she decided, as delicious shivers fluttered over her skin. They were drawn to each other whether she wished it or not. She found him kind, generous, with a depth of compassion—despite his somewhat over-bearing personality and his liking to get his own way!
And if it was becoming clear to Theodora, it was becoming equally evident to Lady Drusilla that Lord Nicholas was winning a place in her daughter’s usually sensible heart. When Drusilla frowned her disapproval at Thea’s standing up with his lordshipfor the second time in an evening, it had absolutely no effect on her wayward offspring. And when Drusilla smiled her agreement to Thea’s accepting an innocent invitation to drive in Hyde Park with Judith, there was little she could do when she discovered that Lord Nicholas was also to be included in the invitation. Furthermore, it was patently clear that the undoubted charms of the wealthy Earl of Moreton were no competition at all against the dark
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