| |
VIRGINIA’S HEART BEGAN hammering in her chest the moment she walked into the sitting room. A chill ran up her spine, and pulling breath into her lungs became increasingly more difficult.
Charles stood in front of the bookshelf, perusing the titles. The bright light from the window shone on his back, setting his golden mane ablaze.
Virginia stood in the doorway, unable to make her feet carry her into the room. Her mouth parted slightly as she gawked at the handsome male specimen. With his back to her, Virginia could look her fill without fear of being caught.
As her eyes roamed his well-muscled form, the fog of desire slowly ebbed to make room for more rational thought. Virginia’s brows furrowed in confusion. What was he doing in her sitting room? More importantly, how did he know where she lived? Did he follow her home? How long would it take for the police to make it to her home?
Virginia made a mental note to investigate the answer to that last question in the near future. Better to know than to wonder and die a horrible death.
Gathering her composure, Virginia cleared her throat and crossed the threshold into the room. “This is a surprise; although, I am unsure if I should consider it pleasant or not.”
Before Charles could answer, a beaming Anna skipped into the room with a tray of tea and cakes. Virginia so rarely entertained guests these days it had slipped her mind to send for the tea.
“Thank you, Anna. My manners would suffer without you,” Virginia said with a pleasant smile.
“My pleasure.”
“Please, set the tray down, and I will pour.”
Anna placed the tray on the table between the wing-back chair and the sofa, then shuffled to a small wooden chair in the corner of the room. She picked up the needlework she must have placed there at some point and pretended to concentrate on it; although, Virginia knew she was still listening.
Such was life with a chaperone disguised as a companion. No conversation would ever be private again.
“Please, sir, take a seat, and I will pour us some tea,” Virginia said to Charles, gesturing toward the sofa. She took a seat in the wing-back and poured the tea. Once Charles was settled, she handed him a cup, then pierced him with her steely gaze. “Now, back to the nature of your intrusion. What do you want, and how did you obtain my address? Please, be advised that this tea is very hot, and if your answer is not to my liking, some may find its way into your lap. Accidentally, of course.”
“Of course,” Charles said, amusement lacing his words. He took a slow, deliberate sip of his tea, eyes locked on Virginia. Charles crossed his ankle over his knee and picked a few errant specks of dust from his jacket before he spoke. “To answer your question, I did not follow you home, if that is what you think. I was invited here today.”
“Invited? By whom?”
“By the lovely Ms. Anna. By the way, this is a wonderful brew. I do thank you,” Charles said, raising the cup to Anna in salute.
“You’re most welcome,” Anna preened from the corner.
That traitor! Yes, her eyes had wandered to Charles multiple times over the previous evening, and yes, she had looked with more than a little appreciation. But that did not give Anna the right to invite him over for tea. Virginia shot a murderous glare at the petite woman cowering behind her needlework. She would have to talk with Anna about the boundaries of their relationship.
“If you hold that cup any tighter, I’m afraid you will break it,” Charles quipped.
A small gasp escaped Virginia’s lips as she glanced down at her tea cup. Indeed, her hands strangled the cup as if it had committed a severe grievance against her. She loosened her grip, a light flush creeping up across her cheeks.
“You can’t be mad at Anna. It took quite a bit of begging on my part to pry the information from her. I practically had to promise her my first born to be granted this opportunity to see you again.”
Virginia perked up, sitting straighter in her chair. He had begged to know more information about her? Not that it made a difference to her, of course. “I am unsure if I should label that bit of information as romantic or psychotic.”
“Maybe a bit of both.”
Virginia fought a grin. Why did he have to be handsome and witty? “Well, sir, you have seen me again. Now what do you plan to do?”
“You like to get straight to the point. A quality I admire,” Charles said as he placed his cup of tea back on the tray. “I’ve come to invite you for a walk through Central Park.”
“I could use a bit of exercise,” Virginia said slowly as if she were taking the time to think over her answer. In reality, she wanted to say yes as soon as he asked. “Let me retrieve my shawl, and I will be right down.”
“Yes, I shall get mine as well,” Anna chimed in.
Virginia glanced at the other woman, annoyance simmering in the depths of her eyes. She knew she couldn’t argue with Anna about coming. After all, the majority of the job her father paid Anna for centered around watching every move she made. But Virginia wished, this once, she would heed the fact that she wasn’t wanted and feign illness or any other means of staying home. Alas, her wishes were not meant to come true. Anna merrily skipped from the room to prepare for their outing.
“I shall return shortly,” Virginia said to Charles with a strained smile.
“And I shall await your return.”
* * *
THE COOL SPRING BREEZE penetrated the layers of cotton fabric of Virginia’s dress, caressing the skin of her arms and legs, leaving a trail of goose flesh along its path. Despite the cooler temperature, a contented warmth blazed inside Virginia. She walked arm and arm with Charles at a leisurely pace along a well-worn path through the park. Other couples milled about, engaged in their own conversations. And to her credit, Anna stayed several feet back giving them a sense of privacy.
Charles had proven himself to be an exceptional conversationalist. Virginia laughed more in the short time they’d spent together than she had in the past several months.
“Surely, you jest, sir. Why would you even want to train a pig to ride?”
“I was a mischievous youth. It was something to do to keep myself entertained. They were slippery suckers, and it provided a challenge. My parents hated it. Each day, my stench grew worse than the last, until my mother finally became tired of it and newly scrubbed the skin from my body in a boiling hot bath. After that, I retired my title as the family pig rider.”
Virginia laughed until her cheeks hurt, imagining a young Charles galloping around on a pig as if it were a horse. “Can you blame her? I would have done the same.”
“Yes, well, what mischievous behavior did you get into in your youth?”
“Anything and everything. My mother died when I was still in my tenth year. My father raised me and allowed me to raise havoc as I pleased. I can beat nearly anyone in a horse race, and loathe riding side saddle. I can shoot a bow and arrow like the best Indian warrior. And in my more deviant days, I learned the art of pick-pocketing.”
“The art, you say,” Charles said, raising an eyebrow at Virginia’s statement.
“Yes!” Virginia exclaimed with a firm nod, defending her statement. “It takes great skill to lift someone’s belongings off their person without them noticing.”
“And why would you want to learn this art?”
“As you said, it was something to keep myself entertained.” Virginia gave a nonchalant shrug. “By the way, you seemed to have dropped this.” Virginia lifted her hand, which held Charles’s billfold. Her face was every bit the innocent young lady, helping return a gentleman’s belongings, she pretended to be.
His eyes widened before he erupted into laughter. “Impressive. Now, never do that again, my little swindler,” Charles said as he plucked the billfold from Virginia’s hands. “What other tricks do you know?”
“Maybe, one day, you’ll be lucky enough to see,” she said saucily.
Virginia’s smile widened. She was openly flirting with him, and she liked it. She was rather good at it. Granted, nothing would come of it. Virginia had plans for her life that didn’t include a man. But, for now, it was fun nonetheless.