‘He is well regarded in Bath,’ she told him.
‘I am glad of it, but not surprised. He has a generous nature and makes friends easily. Katherine worries about him, but that is perfectly natural in a doting parent. My mother is just the same, only now she is growing older I worry about her, too!’
‘You care a great deal for your family,’ she remarked.
‘You sound surprised.’
‘No, not exactly. Envious, perhaps. I should like to feel more affection than I do for the Pridhams, but perhaps mine is a cold nature.’
‘I doubt that.’
‘No, I think it must be. I have very few friends in Bath, you see, and I have lived here for four years.’
‘Do you have no friends from your schooldays?’
‘No. They—we have all gone our separate ways.’ She was silent, a slight shadow on her countenance as if her thoughts were not happy. He decided it was time to bring her back to the present.
‘I hope you will not feel too uncomfortable,’ he remarked, ‘eating your meal in a bedchamber.’
‘I am not unaccustomed to it,’ she replied, giving him a slight smile. ‘I always breakfast alone at Sydney Place.’
‘What, always?’ It was his turn to be surprised.
‘Yes. The Pridhams do not like chatter at the breakfast table. In fact, my uncle can be very irritable in the mornings. I realised that almost as soon as I came to live with them and my aunt suggested I might prefer to break my fast in my bedchamber.’
‘Are they kind to you, the Pridhams?’
‘Why, yes. That is...’ she hesitated ‘...they have no children of their own, you see. I think they find it difficult to show affection. Mr Pridham can be a little severe, if his will is crossed, but never cruel. He can be very dull, however, and I admit I find him quite irritating at times.’
‘And are you often at outs with him?’ he asked her.
She shook her head. ‘I am very grateful to my aunt and uncle for taking me in. I appreciate all they have done for me and I do my best to please them. In fact, I like to please everyone, whenever I can.’
‘Is that the reason you agreed to walk here today, to please me? Or perhaps it pleases you to step out with me?’
He was teasing her and she replied with spirit.
‘Neither of those! I wanted to oblige Mrs Sturry. She clearly felt the need to make everything tidy and, after all her kindness to us, I did not wish to refuse.’ She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘I certainly did not wish to walk alone in the gardens with you.’
‘Ah, I should have known that.’ He gave an exaggerated sigh. ‘After what happened when we arrived.’
Her mood changed to one of alarm. ‘Our first night here?’
‘When I helped you to dismount,’ he explained, his sorrowful tone at variance with the wicked gleam in his eyes. ‘You fainted off when I tried to kiss you. It was a most lowering experience. I have never had such an effect upon a woman before.’
Natalya could not help it. She giggled.
She quickly looked away and said, trying to sound severe, ‘Let that be a lesson to you, my lord. You are clearly in need of humbling.’
‘Do you think me such a coxcomb, Natalya? Do you think I am beyond redemption?’
He had used her name! And his voice, suddenly so serious, but gentle, it wrapped around her like a velvet mantle. She felt out of her depth, her heart was fluttering like a bird, leaving her breathless and light headed. She struggled to bring her thoughts back to something more prosaic.
‘Mrs Sturry was right,’ she managed to say at last. ‘The roses are indeed a picture.’ She stopped beside one of the bushes. ‘These blooms in particular are the exact shade of my new shawl.’
‘Then I shall pick one for you.’ Tristan took out his penknife and cut off a perfect bloom. He held it out for Natalya. ‘They smell delightful after the rain, too.’
She closed her eyes as she breathed in.
‘Quite heavenly,’ she murmured.
As are you, Natalya.
Silently, Tristan tucked the rose behind her ear. She smiled up at him and he gently ran his fingers down her face, cupping her chin and turning it up that he might kiss her mouth. She did not resist him. Instead her hand crept up to his shoulder. He felt her fingers move over his collar and bury themselves in his hair. It was enough. He put his arms about her and pulled her close, deepening the kiss.
She gave a little mewl of pleasure, deep in her throat, and his arms tightened. He teased her lips apart, his tongue exploring her mouth while she clung to him, returning his kiss shyly at first, but with growing confidence. Their tongues danced together and the blood roared through his veins as she pressed her body against his.
When at last he raised his head, they were both breathless. She struggled in his arms and immediately he released her. Not completely, but enough that she might put her head back against his shoulder and gaze up at him, her eyes dark and luminous with desire. He kissed her again, then trailed his lips across her neck.
‘I am falling in love with you, Natalya.’
‘Is that wise?’ She uttered the words like a sigh.
‘Who knows?’
His lips sought hers again for another long, lingering kiss, but this time it was Natalya who broke away.
‘We should continue our walk, my lord.’
There was a note of regret in her voice and that pleased him. He pulled her hand back on to his arm and they began to stroll again.
He said, ‘You must know how much I would like to share your bed, but I shall not do so. I intend to see you safely returned to Bath, but then, madam, I shall court you as you deserve.’
He thought she would be pleased. Instead she averted her face.
Natalya blinked away the hot tears
