Page 1 of A Summer Romance
PROLOGUE
Spring, 1838, the Norris Ball, Barton Manor
Francis spun Breana around and around until she was quite giddy.This was the best ball she had ever been to, and she desperately didn’t want to leave.All too soon Abby would be seeking her out to tell her they must go, and Breana would beg her not yet, just a little longer,please.
“I don’t want to go home!”she declared, throwing her head back so that the chandelier and its candles spun above her.
Francis’s blue eyes shone, and his grin was wicked.He stopped her from spinning and held her steady when she wobbled a little.“I don’t want you to either,” he said.“Perhaps you should hide from your sister and I’ll tell her I have no idea where you are.”
Breana wondered if he was serious.Could she?He was so handsome and charming, and she desperately wanted him to kiss her.She had never been kissed.At least, not the sort she imagined Francis was capable of.
“Wouldyoucome and find me?”she asked playfully.“I would not want to stay hidden forever.”
“I would find you,” he assured her.Francis leaned in closer.“Especially if you go and hide in the library.There’s a deep cupboard there that Father uses for his treasures.If you hide there, then I’ll know where to look, won’t I?”
Breana was tempted to ask if he would kiss her when he found her, but that was too forward, even for her.Instead, she gave him a flirtatious smile and slipped through the mob of guests toward the library.
The library turned out to be a gloomy sort of room, with shadows in the corners and a strong, lingering scent of leather and tobacco.There were mounted animal heads on the walls, which she found distasteful, and piles of books that looked as if they hadn’t been opened in a very long time.She couldn’t imagine many people would search for her here.
She found the cupboard Francis had mentioned and opened the door.The space inside was large, and although it had shelving upon which rested various vases and statues—Mr.Norris’s treasures, no doubt—there was room to stand.One of the statues was of a woman’s face, whose wild hair was in fact tangled with snakes.Breana shivered, but she wasn’t a faint-hearted girl, so she stepped in and closed the door.The narrow crack between the door and the jamb didn’t give much light, making the place even gloomier.
She waited for Francis nervously, but as the minutes ticked by she began to wonder if he had been teasing her.He was taking such a long time, and it was creepy in here.There were all sorts of creaks, and she was beginning to wonder if the woman with serpents for hair was watching her.Breana was just about to give up and return to the ballroom, where everyone was no doubt havingfun, when she heard the door to the library open and then close.
She froze, holding her breath, waiting.For a moment there was no other sound, then footsteps began to move further into the room.
Was it Mr.Norris, come to smoke his pipe and read his books?What if he stayed there for hours and hours?She wondered what would be worse, being trapped here in the cupboard, or being discovered by an angry Mr.Norris.At least she was well concealed.
She looked down and realised that a fold of her dress had been caughtoutsidethe door.It must have happened when she slipped inside the cupboard, and now the swath of cloth might be perfectly visible to whoever was in the library.
She gave her dress a desperate little tug, but it was stuck fast, and she couldn’t open the door and free herself without being noticed.Her heart began to beat faster, as it seemed to her that the footsteps were now approaching the cupboard.Breana had gone from hoping to be found as soon as possible, to no longer wanting to be found at all.She shrank further into the back and held her breath.
The door was flung open.
She gave a squeak of fright, blinking at the dark shape that loomed in the doorway, but before she could make it out, the door was closed again.Whoever had found her was now in here with her.
She might have screamed, but she almost immediately recognised the cologne the person was wearing.It was made up of bergamot and clove and jasmine.Francis wore that cologne!
Relief left her dizzy.
“Oh, I am so glad you found me!”she cried out.Then,becausewhen she was nervous she always said the first thing that came into her head, “Are you going to kiss me?”
She stared at the dark shape of his head—stooped slightly due to the cupboard ceiling—but it was impossible to see his features and read his expression.
When he didn’t answer, she became nervous again, and began to wish herself somewhere else.But then he wrapped his arms about her and bent his head toward her.His lips brushed hers softly, making her gasp, and then began to kiss her more purposefully.The darkness made everything feel more intense.She felt the sweep of his tongue and the masterful way he tilted her head so that he could delve more easily into her mouth.
It was the sort of kiss she had only ever imagined.It was certainly not the sweet, safe kiss she had thought would be her first.This was hot and dizzying, as though she were caught in the midst of a fire storm.She sagged against him, suddenly weak at the knees.
His strong hands held her up, and warmed her through her thin dress.She suspected he was going to apologise and let her go.But Breana didn’t want that.She wanted more.
She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck—which seemed further to reach than she had expected—and found his mouth after a few awkward moments.
He was smiling.
She tried to kiss him in the same way he had kissed her, and he must have appreciated her efforts because he immediately began to kiss her back.Hot, passionate kisses.Breana wasn’t sure what would have happened next—she hadn’t thought that far, nor expected to have to—but he let her go.
Before she could say a word, the door opened and quickly closed again.Once more, she was alone.
It took her a while to recover from the experience.All of her senses had heightened—her skin was tingling, and the scent of his cologne filled her head, and the muffled pounding of her heart was in her ears.The minutes ticked by until eventually she felt calm enough to leave the cupboard and make her way back to the ballroom.
