enveloped, consumed by this man. She couldnât believe that her whole body seemed to quicken with flickers of sensation, quicksilver streaks of impulse that called to herâto deep-seated emotions, longings that had never before made themselves known to her.
Pausing, he drew back long enough to whisper against the corner of her mouth, laughter making his voice quiver. âYou are allowed to kiss me back, you know, dearest Madeline.â
Was she? Of course she was, they were betrothed.
She dropped the flowers without even thinking and threw her arms about his neck, overjoyed to think that it was perfectly fitting to share an embrace. So she pulled his head back down so that again their lips met, and she stood on tiptoe in order to press her lips even more firmly against his. This time she pressed her whole body into his firm torso without leaving any distance at all between them.
And was startled by his bodyâs response. For a moment she didnât understand, then it came to herâshe might not have spent as much time in the barnyard as her sister Juliana, who had helped Thomas with the sheep and the other animals, but she wasnât deaf and dumb, either. She almost pulled back, but Adrian had his arms about her now, and he held her inside his embrace, and really, it felt too good, pressed against him, and why be missish now?
So she clung to him, returning his kisses with a passion sheâd never dreamed she might possess, and thinking with what little conscious thought that remained that on their marriage night, what wondrous new delights might unfold.
Then some small breath of sanity blew through the fervor that befogged her brain. Maddie straightened and pushed the viscount away so suddenly that she overbalanced and almost fell.
âWhat is it?â he demanded, looking about them. âIs someone here?â He frowned at this possible intruder, and his expression would have daunted a lesser woman.
But Maddie had her own demons to face.
âI canât!â she said. âI canât marry you! I canât leave home.â
His eyes narrowed, the viscount was gazing about them as if he expected to find a dragon sitting in the stunted apple trees. He turned his attention back to her, and his expression softened. âI promised I would not expect you to leave your father, Madeline. I always keep my word.â
âButâhow can you want a wife who will notâwill notâ¦â She stared at him, not sure how to go on.
Adrian pressed his lips together. Before Madeline had appeared, he had been pacing up and down in the garden, feeling as confined as an eagle in a canaryâs cage. He felt exposed, vulnerable, and every time he paused, he seemed to feel the pressure of unseen eyes, as if his cousin peered at him from some secluded hiding place. How close was he this time?
How long before Francis appeared, before the shots rang out, again, before the trapdoor closed, yet again?
Adrian should be on his way now, fleeing once more. Yet, Godâs blood, how long could he go on this way?
What kind of miserable coward had he become?
And how could he leave her alone when he had promisedâ¦
When Madeline had appeared, with that small line of anxiety creasing her forehead that had smoothed away when she saw him, something inside him sparked the same warmth that always flowed through him whenever she was close by. Almost from the first moment Adrian had seen her in the forest, something about her had captured his heart.
It was more than the grace of her form or the vulnerable look in her eyes. Now it was her wit, her candor, her courage in facing her own private demonsâoh, so many things about her. And he had given his word. He could no more leave her than could some medieval knight flee a bolt riveting him to a dungeon wall. Only Adrianâs prison had a much more beautiful aspect, as long as Madeline was nearby.
And now he had to tell her the
Pausing, he drew back long enough to whisper against the corner of her mouth, laughter making his voice quiver. âYou are allowed to kiss me back, you know, dearest Madeline.â
Was she? Of course she was, they were betrothed.
She dropped the flowers without even thinking and threw her arms about his neck, overjoyed to think that it was perfectly fitting to share an embrace. So she pulled his head back down so that again their lips met, and she stood on tiptoe in order to press her lips even more firmly against his. This time she pressed her whole body into his firm torso without leaving any distance at all between them.
And was startled by his bodyâs response. For a moment she didnât understand, then it came to herâshe might not have spent as much time in the barnyard as her sister Juliana, who had helped Thomas with the sheep and the other animals, but she wasnât deaf and dumb, either. She almost pulled back, but Adrian had his arms about her now, and he held her inside his embrace, and really, it felt too good, pressed against him, and why be missish now?
So she clung to him, returning his kisses with a passion sheâd never dreamed she might possess, and thinking with what little conscious thought that remained that on their marriage night, what wondrous new delights might unfold.
Then some small breath of sanity blew through the fervor that befogged her brain. Maddie straightened and pushed the viscount away so suddenly that she overbalanced and almost fell.
âWhat is it?â he demanded, looking about them. âIs someone here?â He frowned at this possible intruder, and his expression would have daunted a lesser woman.
But Maddie had her own demons to face.
âI canât!â she said. âI canât marry you! I canât leave home.â
His eyes narrowed, the viscount was gazing about them as if he expected to find a dragon sitting in the stunted apple trees. He turned his attention back to her, and his expression softened. âI promised I would not expect you to leave your father, Madeline. I always keep my word.â
âButâhow can you want a wife who will notâwill notâ¦â She stared at him, not sure how to go on.
Adrian pressed his lips together. Before Madeline had appeared, he had been pacing up and down in the garden, feeling as confined as an eagle in a canaryâs cage. He felt exposed, vulnerable, and every time he paused, he seemed to feel the pressure of unseen eyes, as if his cousin peered at him from some secluded hiding place. How close was he this time?
How long before Francis appeared, before the shots rang out, again, before the trapdoor closed, yet again?
Adrian should be on his way now, fleeing once more. Yet, Godâs blood, how long could he go on this way?
What kind of miserable coward had he become?
And how could he leave her alone when he had promisedâ¦
When Madeline had appeared, with that small line of anxiety creasing her forehead that had smoothed away when she saw him, something inside him sparked the same warmth that always flowed through him whenever she was close by. Almost from the first moment Adrian had seen her in the forest, something about her had captured his heart.
It was more than the grace of her form or the vulnerable look in her eyes. Now it was her wit, her candor, her courage in facing her own private demonsâoh, so many things about her. And he had given his word. He could no more leave her than could some medieval knight flee a bolt riveting him to a dungeon wall. Only Adrianâs prison had a much more beautiful aspect, as long as Madeline was nearby.
And now he had to tell her the
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