Page 73 of The Scent of Intuition
The sort of burn that hurt for a whole other day.
The prince was going to kiss her.No!This would be akin to a proposal and everything she’d set out to accomplish but didn’t want any more.
Bea put her hand on Stan’s chest and tried to stop him, but he’d shut his eyes and laid his hand over hers on his chest.
Oh no, oh no!
All she could do now was to turn her head away and let him press a kiss on her cheek. At that exact moment, her eyes drifted to the linden trees, and she saw Alfie in the distance. He dropped his head and turned his back to her, his body slumped as if he’d been injured.
“I’m going to tell you, Lady Beatrice,” Stan whispered. “I love it here in London and wish I never had to leave.” Then he withdrew and looked grave as if he were expecting something. Not a kiss, that was for sure.
He hadn’t tried to kiss her; he’d leaned in to whisper a secret.
Why hadn’t the love potion worked?It was made to enhance her essence… didn’t Stan like her?
Of all the men she’d met, neither Stan nor Alfie was like anyone else she’d been taught to know. Technically, neither were in the group of men she’d been trained to learn to understand. Stan wasn’t British aristocracy and didn’t seem to fit into the Ton.
And Alfie was—Bea sighed—a commoner, but couldn’t be more uncommonly brilliant, handsome, and kind.
Her insides twitched.
“Why don’t you like me?” She knocked on the side of the open carriage to signal the driver to halt. “Don’t misunderstand,I don’t wish to be rude. I’m only curious. I’ve done nothing but indicate that you could have me. Something many men would wish for themselves.” Bea smiled ruefully. “Here I’m quite a catch and jumped straight into your net.”
The carriage slowed, and Bea leaned forward. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Alfie’s back. He was walking with Chromius in the other direction.
Stan pressed his lips into a knowing smile, and looked at Bea, then followed the trail of her gaze. “Like you, Lady Beatrice, I need to keep up appearances. But there’s no chance to fool the heart, now is there?”
“You mean… there’s someone else?” Bea stuttered. Again, she could have felt hurt, but the only part that stung was that he was right. She’d set her cap on him to keep up appearances while pretending she could fool her heart. But it had been in vain, and she wasn’t fool enough to continue the ruse.
Stan nodded. He instantly looked different. If she didn’t know any better, he looked like a young boy who’d been vexed.
Her heart lurched.
She’d seen that exact look on Alfie when she took the potion and left.
The carriage had come to a stop, and Bea rose to climb out when Stan blocked her way.
“Please don’t tell anyone.Shedoesn’t even know yet.”
She blinked, for she was frozen with fear and couldn’t even manage a nod. Then Stan pushed the door open, and Bea ran.
She ran as fast as she could, her dress catching between her legs. She had to tell Alfie what she wanted and how she felt.
Her lungs burned as she gasped for breath, tears spreading over her temples as the wind brushed them out of her eyes.
Where had Alfie gone?
She reached the row of linden trees, but they all looked alike once she’d gotten closer. There was no sign of Alfie or Chromius.She looked around and brought both hands to her head in desperation.
And the tears came, pouring down her cheeks as she ran from tree to tree.
She couldn’t call him; he was not there. Too many people knew her in this area, and she didn’t want to run screaming the apothecary’s name. What else could the Ton accept him to be for her but a man offering his service?
Nobody could ever understand that she’d offered him her heart. She hadn’t even told him.
Bea stood alone, her lungs constricted at the thought of Alfie turning his back on her.
The vibrant greens of the grass and trees seemed almost surreal under the high noon sun, ignorant of Bea’s pain. What appeared to be a vivid backdrop to the leisurely promenades of ladies and gentlemen, their laughter and chatter weaving into the fabric of the day, was jarring to Bea. Didn’t the world stop its activity when Alfie wasn’t there for her?
