Page 23 of Beyond Scandal and Desire
With her hand on his arm, he escorted her out through the open doors onto the terrace and down the steps into the gardens. Lighted torches lining the paths revealed other couples walking about. She wondered how many ladies were holding folded fans to their lips, signaling they wanted a kiss. Would Kip accommodate her should she make use of her fan? She wished she possessed more courage, wasn’t hesitant to find out. Not that she was particularly in the mood for a kiss at the moment. They’d never before been out of sorts with each other, had never had a row. She didn’t much like it now, although in a strange way it made her feel very much alive, as though she’d gone through life in a trance, simply existing from one moment to the next.
“My meeting him was merely coincidence,” she admitted, wondering why she felt she had to be the first to offer an olive branch. “If you must know, he even asked after you, wondered why you weren’t in the park.”
“I was told you strolled with him for a considerable distance.”
“Nothing untoward happened.” She hated apologizing for something not her fault. “Have you people spying on me?”
“That’s the thing, Aslyn. Among our set everything is noticed and commented on. A couple of fellows mentioned it at the club, and not in a kind way. He’s not the sort with whom you should be seen consorting.”
“I wasn’tconsorting. How many times must I say it? Besides, you seem to like him well enough.”
“A man is allowed to associate with whomever he wants. A woman cannot.”
“It was an innocent walk.”
“I simply find it odd that within the space of a few days, you’ve twice crossed paths with the man.”
He wouldn’t be at all pleased to discover there was a third time—or a gift. “He was probably always about before. We just never noticed him because we’d never been introduced to him.”
“He doesn’t strike me as a man not noticed.”
“Are you jealous?” The hope-filled words popped out before she could stop them.
“I simply don’t want him to take advantage of you.”
“We were in a park where an abundance of people were strolling about, and my servants were in attendance. I don’t see how that could happen.”
“If it were his intent, he would find a way.”
“You speak so poorly of him, and yet I thought you wanted to go into business with him.”
“I don’t trust him. At least where you’re concerned.” He laughed harshly. “Good God, perhaps I am jealous. Have I reason to be?”
“No.” At least she didn’t think so. A man like Mick Trewlove would never be accepted by the Duke and Duchess of Hedley. She wasn’t even certain he would have been welcomed by her parents. Kip was the sort a woman of her station married. It helped that he’d been her friend for so long. The fact that he didn’t create the strange stirrings within her that Mick Trewlove did was no doubt a good thing. A lady should at all times be calm, collected and in control of all her thoughts, putting errant ones to rest quickly. “I care for you deeply, Kip.”
“And I you.”
“Then why have you never kissed me?” She despised the surfacing doubts regarding his desire for her, hers for him. She was beginning to wish they’d never gone to Cremorne. Everything seemed to have changed that night: the way she viewed him, herself, their future.
“Out of respect. A man doesn’t dally with a woman he intends to marry.”
Her heart gave a little kick as she stopped walking and faced him. “That’s the first time you’ve made your intentions regarding me clear.”
“It’s always been implied. I thought you knew that.”
“Yes, but a lady likes to have the clarity. I’ve been extremely loyal, welcomed no other advances or interest. And I’m not getting any younger.”
“Neither am I, actually. My father pointed that out to me recently.” His deep sigh filled the night. “Shall we make it official, then?”
Stunned, she watched as he went down on one knee and took her hand. “I adore you, Lady Aslyn Hastings. Will you honor me by becoming my wife?”
The words ebbed and flowed around her, at once ghost-like, yet solid. She wasn’t quite certain what she’d expected of a proposal. A declaration of undying love perhaps. Her heart pounding with an erratic rhythm. Birds taking flight. The sun replacing the moon. Stars shooting across the sky. She’d waited eons for this moment. It seemed it should be more profound, causing her knees to tremble and her lungs to cease functioning. Instead her body gave no reaction at all, as though his proposal had yet to penetrate.
“Aslyn?” he prompted. “I’d welcome a quick response as there’s a pebble digging into my knee most painfully.”
His words brought her back to the reality of the moment. Wasn’t a simple proposal more profound? Didn’t it speak to a more honest relationship that didn’t require fancy words or decorative phrases?
“Oh, yes! I’m sorry.” Covering her mouth with her hands, she laughed, striving to not become hysterical at what should have been an incredibly romantic moment. “Yes, yes, of course, I’ll marry you.”
