and thought about the
moment when Tarrant had been returning her to her aunt. What must
he have thought?
She had suddenly been overtaken by one
of her visions, and it had been so real. Usually they unfolded
before her like a play on a stage, but in this one, she wasn’t
there as an observer, she was just there as the
participant.
They were in a hayloft, and she was
naked, lying back against a wool knit blanket. She was looking up
at him, at his huge throbbing staff, and it wasn’t the first time
they had been together like this. They were lovers!
No. She wasn’t going to allow this to
happen. Even if she had to give herself to him to keep him quiet
about her uncle and brother … and her; it would be that one time
only…
There with Tarrant, she knew she had
to get out of her vision, and she had managed to do that, but not
before he lowered himself to her, brushed her mouth with his warm
sensual lips, and whispered, “Sweet sunbeam…”
Her aunt had called to her, helping
her to break from the vision, and they had found her a chair. She
had been filled with heat, not because of her vision, but because
in her vision, she had welcomed his touch…
Now, the morning after the ball, Taffy
tried to vanquish this memory as she watched her aunt preen and
compliment herself on the success of her ball. She found herself
squeezed as her aunt hugged her and declared jovially, “La, but all
of London will be talking about it for weeks to come. I was so
proud of you. Taffeta, imagine, dancing with the Hotspur … twice!”
She clucked and went to the fireplace, poked at it, and turned to
Taffy to add, “It bordered on indecent … twice with the same man,
and that man, Lord Tarrant! La, my dear, well done.”
“ Aunt Sissy, you make too
much of it.” Taffeta laughed at her antics and bit into a
biscuit.
“ La, but I do not. You two
whirled around the dance floor. It was Tarrant’s second waltz with
you—and they are calling you the new beauty! You have become the
talk of the season.”
“ Oh aunt, it is all
nonsense.”
Her aunt eyed her, “You are a
diamond—la, child and your taste in clothing is perfection. That is
a very fetching morning gown. The blue draws on the gray color of
your eyes … and the fit is very alluring. Fetching, very fetching,
for I suspect we shall soon have morning callers.”
Taffy laughed and waved this off,
“Thank you, but I do hope not. It is so pleasant just to sit
quietly about this morning. I hardly slept last night.”
As though to prove her aunt a fortune
teller, Jarvis, their butler, appeared at that moment and
announced, “Miss Catherine Frome asking to see Lady
Taffeta.”
“ Cath? Here…” Taffy jumped
up with excitement and said, “Yes, Jarvis … do show her in. Thank
you.” She turned to her aunt, “Of all the wonderful
things…”
“ A school friend, dear?”
asked her aunt.
“ Yes, my very dearest…” And
then Catherine entered the room.
Taffy’s excitement took over the room
as she rushed to embrace her friend, and the two squealed with
obvious affection for one another. It was a moment before Taffy
remembered her manners and turned to her aunt to say, “Aunt Sissy,
Lady Marble, this is my dear friend Catherine Frome.”
Taffy adored her friend and was proud
of her. She was tall, graceful, and sedate, and Taffy often giggled
about how opposite they were. She bounced, but Catherine glided.
Even as she stood making introductions, she squeezed her friend’s
hand and said, “Cathy, you can’t know how much I have missed
you!”
Taffy often thought the two of them
were like hot meeting cold and creating warm. After the
introductions, Taffy pulled on her friend’s hand, led her to the
sofa, and inquired, “Cath, what are you doing in London? I thought
after your season last year, you had decided never again would you
allow your family to launch another?”
Before her friend could answer, the
butler appeared once again, and was amiably set aside as
moment when Tarrant had been returning her to her aunt. What must
he have thought?
She had suddenly been overtaken by one
of her visions, and it had been so real. Usually they unfolded
before her like a play on a stage, but in this one, she wasn’t
there as an observer, she was just there as the
participant.
They were in a hayloft, and she was
naked, lying back against a wool knit blanket. She was looking up
at him, at his huge throbbing staff, and it wasn’t the first time
they had been together like this. They were lovers!
No. She wasn’t going to allow this to
happen. Even if she had to give herself to him to keep him quiet
about her uncle and brother … and her; it would be that one time
only…
There with Tarrant, she knew she had
to get out of her vision, and she had managed to do that, but not
before he lowered himself to her, brushed her mouth with his warm
sensual lips, and whispered, “Sweet sunbeam…”
Her aunt had called to her, helping
her to break from the vision, and they had found her a chair. She
had been filled with heat, not because of her vision, but because
in her vision, she had welcomed his touch…
Now, the morning after the ball, Taffy
tried to vanquish this memory as she watched her aunt preen and
compliment herself on the success of her ball. She found herself
squeezed as her aunt hugged her and declared jovially, “La, but all
of London will be talking about it for weeks to come. I was so
proud of you. Taffeta, imagine, dancing with the Hotspur … twice!”
She clucked and went to the fireplace, poked at it, and turned to
Taffy to add, “It bordered on indecent … twice with the same man,
and that man, Lord Tarrant! La, my dear, well done.”
“ Aunt Sissy, you make too
much of it.” Taffeta laughed at her antics and bit into a
biscuit.
“ La, but I do not. You two
whirled around the dance floor. It was Tarrant’s second waltz with
you—and they are calling you the new beauty! You have become the
talk of the season.”
“ Oh aunt, it is all
nonsense.”
Her aunt eyed her, “You are a
diamond—la, child and your taste in clothing is perfection. That is
a very fetching morning gown. The blue draws on the gray color of
your eyes … and the fit is very alluring. Fetching, very fetching,
for I suspect we shall soon have morning callers.”
Taffy laughed and waved this off,
“Thank you, but I do hope not. It is so pleasant just to sit
quietly about this morning. I hardly slept last night.”
As though to prove her aunt a fortune
teller, Jarvis, their butler, appeared at that moment and
announced, “Miss Catherine Frome asking to see Lady
Taffeta.”
“ Cath? Here…” Taffy jumped
up with excitement and said, “Yes, Jarvis … do show her in. Thank
you.” She turned to her aunt, “Of all the wonderful
things…”
“ A school friend, dear?”
asked her aunt.
“ Yes, my very dearest…” And
then Catherine entered the room.
Taffy’s excitement took over the room
as she rushed to embrace her friend, and the two squealed with
obvious affection for one another. It was a moment before Taffy
remembered her manners and turned to her aunt to say, “Aunt Sissy,
Lady Marble, this is my dear friend Catherine Frome.”
Taffy adored her friend and was proud
of her. She was tall, graceful, and sedate, and Taffy often giggled
about how opposite they were. She bounced, but Catherine glided.
Even as she stood making introductions, she squeezed her friend’s
hand and said, “Cathy, you can’t know how much I have missed
you!”
Taffy often thought the two of them
were like hot meeting cold and creating warm. After the
introductions, Taffy pulled on her friend’s hand, led her to the
sofa, and inquired, “Cath, what are you doing in London? I thought
after your season last year, you had decided never again would you
allow your family to launch another?”
Before her friend could answer, the
butler appeared once again, and was amiably set aside as
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