Page 34 of The Moonstone Major
“Stirring one’s passions? Probably not, since I am completely inexperienced. Do you know that I have never even been kissed? Lady Gemma and Lady Sarah say it is something I ought to try, and I will enjoy very much.”
He frowned. “Do not be goaded into doing something foolish by that pair.”
“I hope I have better sense than that. But do you not think it is time I experienced something as simple as a kiss? I would like it to happen soon. Not with just anyone, mind you. A first kiss must have meaning. It has to be filled with wonder and be memorable enough to last a lifetime.”
He did not think it was an appropriate conversation for them to be having, especially sincehewas aching to kiss her. But he found her innocence quite charming and could not resist hearing more. “You certainly have definite ideas about it.”
“Should I not? Am I being silly?”
“No, Chloe. You are merely being curious.”
She nodded. “I would never waste a kiss on the likes of Lord Hollingsworth or Lord Danson. Ugh, they are such…wastrels. I suppose that’s the best way to describe them. I don’t understand why Lord Claymore views them as friends. Nor do I wish to kiss Lord Claymore, for that matter.”
“Well, you’ll know who it shall be when the time is right. You’ll find that someone special.”
“What was your first kiss like, Fionn? Did it feel special to you?”
“No, Chloe. I was far too young when I had my first experience, and it went well beyond mere kisses. I did not grow up as you did. I almost starved on the London streets. When winters set in, I almost froze. I had no parents or siblings to protect me. I had no house. No warming fire. No regular meals. No decent boots or coat. No gloves. There came a point I was so beaten down, I considered selling my body in exchange for food and shelter. Other boys were doing it. This is common enough for those who live on the streets. One does whatever one needs to survive.”
She placed her hand lightly on his forearm. “Oh, Fionn. I’ve done it again, haven’t I? Been frivolous and thoughtless, never once thinking how you must have suffered. I am so sorry.”
“Don’t be, Chloe. You and your family have always been kind to me. You are not responsible for the way I was treated as a child. There are thousands who were worse off, and many of them did not survive.”
Fionn studied her expression and saw that she was fretting.
He placed a hand over hers as it rested on his forearm. “I love that you genuinely care about people. You cared enough to sketch out designs for the hospital courtyard.”
“It was nothing. Truly, trivial. I did not mean to waste your time.”
“You haven’t. I will look at them tonight and think of your proposals as we construct.”
“Is there anything more I can do? Perhaps not in the construction, but something for the patients. A concert? Tea and cakes? Do you think it is possible?”
“Yes, not only for the patients but also for the men under my command. We can speak of this tonight. Just be aware, nothing may actually happen until the hospital is built. Come on, I’ll treat you to one of Mrs. Halsey’s pies. Or would you prefer a strawberry ice? The heat is blistering. That’s what I think I will have.”
“Me too.” She graced him with another of her smiles that sent his heart soaring and at the same time tore it to pieces.
He considered himself more a realist than a philosopher, but these feelings he had for Chloe went beyond one’s normal understanding of daily life. It felt to him as though his life was made up of threads, some coarse and some silken. Chloe was obviously a silken thread. Each time he met her, she wove herself more deeply into the fabric of his being.
He did not know how else to explain this impact she had on him.
He could almost see their threads interweaving with each encounter, as though it was a palpable thing one could touch. A tapestry of their lives. He felt the strength of these growing bonds between them and saw beauty in the patterns he and Chloe could weave together.
But there was a lot of darkness within his own threads, too many unknowns about his life. There would always be shadows lurking on the edges of anything they created.
“Ella. Imogen. Look who I’ve brought back,” Chloe said with a cheerful smile.
The girls greeted him with equally open-hearted warmth.
“Are you enjoying your strawberry ices?” he asked them, unable to stifle his own smile.
“Oh, yes,” Imogen said, her lips and tongue blotched strawberry red. “Very much.”
He ordered the same for Chloe and himself then took the chair beside hers. “Have you done anything interesting today?”
Ella nodded. “We walked along the beach with Chloe and hunted for sand glass. We found some in the most beautiful colors. Then we drew sketches in the garden. Tomorrow Chloe is going to take us on an excursion to a smuggler’s cave.”
He frowned. “Alone?”
