Despite her night of tossing and turning, and twisted thoughts, the following day brought another opportunity that thrilled Victoria beyond belief. Upon arriving home from church, where she and Lincoln had sat side by side, which had once again been enough to keep her pulse elevated, they discovered that the bicycles had been delivered.
While Audrey and Jake, who had accompanied them to church, were ecstatic over the gift, Roseanne was clearly aghast, and Victoria found herself once again whispering with Lincoln. “Did you know they were being delivered today?”
He shook his head, yet smiled. “If you recall, when we purchased them, Mr. Webster said they’d be delivered early next week.”
She nodded.
“This is next week,” he said, still grinning.
“It’s Sunday.”
“Yes, the week begins on Sunday.”
“I know, but Webster’s isn’t open on Sunday.”
“Perhaps that’s why they were delivered today.” He shrugged. “People were available to bring them over.”
“Lincoln,” Roseanne said sternly, capturing both of their attention. “Those things are not only unsightly, they are dangerous and a menace to society!”
“They are also increasing in popularity every day,” he replied.
“For no good reason!” Roseanne replied. “It’s just a fad that will soon fade away. I can’t believe that you of all people bought into such tomfoolery!”
“Actually, Mother,” Lincoln said, “alternate sources of transportation are the future, especially combustion engines, which is why Ronald Woodroof is working on attaching one to a bicycle.”
Roseanne’s mouth fell open, before it snapped shut with a huff. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Does his mother know that?”
“I’m assuming so,” Lincoln answered. “She’s always been proud of Ronald and his inventions in the past. I can’t see why this would be any different.”
“Well, I never!” With another huff, Roseanne marched towards the house, leaving the rest of them in the driveway where they’d discovered the bicycles upon stepping out of the carriage.
“How much do you want to bet she’s on her way to call Ronald’s mother?” Lincoln asked.
“I would be a fool to make that bet,” Victoria replied, thinking she couldn’t recall ever seeing Roseanne quite so miffed.
His agreement was little more than a chuckle as Audrey first hugged him, thanking him for the gift, then grasped Victoria by the arm.
“Come,” Audrey said. “Let’s go change our clothes so we can learn to ride the bicycles.”
“They are for you and Jake,” Victoria said.
In true Audrey fashion, she laughed. “I know! But we’re sharing! Jake can help me learn to ride and Lincoln can help you.”
“Perhaps Lincoln has something else to do,” Victoria said, glancing over her shoulder. Her heart flipped at the way he grinned and shook his head.
“No, I don’t,” he said.
“We will hurry!” Audrey told him, while tugging Victoria towards the door. “I love how the four of us are doing so many things together,” Audrey continued excitedly. “And I’ve never seen Lincoln enjoy events as much as the play last night and the magician the night before, have you?”
Victoria had never had a lot of interaction with Lincoln prior to this trip, so had no opinion on that, but did admit, “The magician was amazing. I still don’t know how he switched my nosegay for Lincoln’s boutonniere.”
“I still can’t believe you and Lincoln bought Jake and I bicycles!” Audrey exclaimed, hurrying into the house and down the hallway.
“Lincoln purchased them,” Victoria corrected.
“But you helped him, and now I know why the two of you were whispering all the time.”
Victoria lifted the hem of her skirt as they quickly climbed the back staircase, and chose to remain silent because the bicycles were only one of the subjects she and Lincoln had whispered about.
Audrey didn’t seem to need a response. “I was beginning to worry that you two didn’t like each other. Now, well... Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you and Lincoln truly became a couple?” she asked. “I get giddy thinking that we could not only be best friends, but sisters!”
Victoria’s heart leaped so fast in her chest that she stumbled on a step, and luckily caught herself before tumbling. “We are simply attending events together prior to your wedding in order to prevent any type of a scandal.”
“I know, and I thank you for that. Everyone noticed you two at the ball, and it immediately put a halt to the socialites seeking him out. None of them even approached him at the theater last night, and that was such a relief. I was worried about him having to attend so many functions. He usually avoids them, but with father out of town, mother insisted that Lincoln fill in. I told her it wasn’t necessary, because you and she would be at all of them, but she claimed it was expected that a male member of our family was in attendance, too. It’s all worked out so perfectly for you and him to attend everything together.”
Victoria was aware that she didn’t understand all of the rules of society, nor was it her place to argue them, but it was her place to make sure that Audrey didn’t get her hopes up over something that could never be. “Lincoln and I have simply become friends, because of you. Neither of us want anything to interfere with your wedding.”
Audrey stopped in the hallway and embraced Victoria in a hug. “I know, and I’m grateful to both of you.” Releasing her hold, she said, “I also know that Jake and I were friends before we fell in love.” Spinning around, she grasped the doorknob of her bedroom door. “Now hurry, go change. I can’t wait for us to learn how to ride bicycles! It’s going to be so fun!”
As Audrey disappeared into her room, Victoria continued down the hallway to her room, wondering if she should have thought more deeply about the consequences of what others might perceive when it came to her and Lincoln. What had seemed so simple had certainly become more complicated than she’d ever have imagined. Complicated and confusing. She knew the truth, and had to stop confusing things in her own mind.
Lincoln hadn’t felt this excited for someone in ages. Helping Victoria learn to ride the bicycle felt almost as if he was mastering it himself. He’d already done that. While the women had been changing their dresses, he and Jake had tried out the bicycles. Figuring out the correct balance had been the greatest challenge, but once he’d done that, it had not only been easy, it had been exhilarating, and he was looking forward to her experiencing it.
After explaining how the bicycle worked, he’d encouraged her to keep her body straight and not lean to the left or the right while pedaling in order to maintain her balance. She’d followed his instructions and with only a couple of short panicked moments where she planted her feet on the ground to keep from falling, she’d mastered pedaling. Her steering was still wobbly, but he was confident she’d soon master that, too.
While holding on to the back of the bicycle seat, he jogged along beside her on the path in the park. “Relax your arms,” he said. “Hold the handlebars like you do a horse’s reins, with a firm grip, but giving them a little play.”
“Absolutely not!” she shouted in return. “A horse has a brain, and it’s not going to hurt itself. This bicycle has a mind of its own and it wants me to fall!”
“I won’t let you fall!”
“Well, I might very well knock you over while I’m falling!”
“No, you won’t, just relax your hold, the front wheel won’t be so wobbly.”
She planted her feet on the ground, bringing him along with the bike to a halt. “If I relax my arms, it’s going to go wherever it wants.”
“No, it won’t.”
She wiggled the handlebars, turning the front wheel. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” He held the bike seat firmly, although his hand and arm felt as if they were on fire being in such close proximity to her hind end. He couldn’t remember a time when a woman had affected him the way she did, and even after hours of thinking about it, he couldn’t figure out exactly why.
“How sure?” she asked.
He grinned. “You’ll have more control of the steering if you relax your hold. I promise. You’re just being a little too stiff.”
“Stiff?”
The look she gave him made him laugh out loud. “Yes, stiff.” He released the seat and leaned in front of her, laying both of his hands atop hers that were gripping onto the handlebars. “See how easily it turns?” he asked, while turning the handlebars.
“Yes. It turns too easily, that’s the problem.”
He removed his hands and grasped a hold of the seat again. “You’ll be glad it turns so easily once you start riding. Now, just relax, put your feet on the pedals, and let’s try again.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath before placing her feet on the pedals.
He could see how her arms were relaxed at the elbows, and complimented her. “Good job, just keep your arms like that. I’ll give you a push to get started.”
She held up one arm. “All right, but after giving me a push, let go. I think you’re making me nervous. I don’t want to hit you when I fall.”
“You aren’t going to fall,” he said. “You know how to pedal. Just don’t tighten up your arms.”
“Right.” She gave a nod and blew out a breath while taking a hold of the handlebars again. “Ready.”
“On the count of three,” he said. “One, two, three!” Along with a slight push, he ran along beside her for a few steps, just to make sure she had her balance, then let go.
She quickly figured it all out, and was pedaling at a quicker pace, making him run to keep up.
“I’m doing it!” she shouted. “I’m doing it!”
“Yes, you are!”
Jake and Audrey had been several yards ahead of them, but at the pace Victoria was now pedaling, the yards were being eaten up.
“Bicycle coming through!” Lincoln shouted as he ran.
Jake and Audrey laughed and cheered Victoria on as she whizzed past them.
Lincoln slowed his pace long enough to tell them, “She rides a bicycle like she rides a horse. Full speed!”
“I’ll be catching up with her in a moment!” Audrey shouted.
Lincoln waved, but kept running after Victoria, who was pedaling along as if she’d been doing it for years. He was proud of her, and happy. “You’re doing great!”
“Thank you!” she shouted in return without a wobble whatsoever.
He continued to run after her, all the while wondering when he’d stopped having fun like this. It had been years since he’d felt this carefree and enjoyed such simple things. He could easily point out that had changed the day he’d picked her up at the train station. That had been nothing more than a simple act, one of duty and courtesy, and despite what he’d thought at the time, he was now glad to have been the one to pick her up that day.
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, she stopped pedaling, let the bicycle coast to a stop and then put her feet down on the ground.
“Why did you stop?” he asked, arriving at her side.
“I didn’t want you to run any further.”
The warmth inside his chest was so great, it stunned him for a split second, then he laughed, and realized that she was definitely one of the nicest people he’d ever known. “A little running won’t hurt me.”
Before she could answer, a squeal filled the air.
“I’m doing it!” Audrey shouted, following her squeal. “This is so fun!”
“Quick, give me a starting push, so I can ride with her!” Victoria said.
For a moment he considered showing her how to push off with one foot, but changed his mind and grasped the bicycle seat. He waited until her feet were on the pedals and Audrey was near before he gave her a little shove.
The two women were quickly side by side on the path, and considering the way their front tires wobbled slightly, most likely due to their excited laughter, he wondered if riding side by side was safe for the two of them.
The look on Jake’s face said he felt the same way, and side by side, they ran after the bicycles.
Amongst an excess of giggles, the women stopped their bicycles before the park trail curved to the left. All the running left both him and Jake somewhat breathless by the time they arrived beside the women, and Lincoln took a moment to brace his hands on his thighs as he sucked in air.
Victoria climbed off her bicycle. “I’ve used your bicycle long enough, Jake. You and Audrey can go for a ride together now.”
Her obvious joy at learning to ride had Lincoln asking, “You’re done riding already?”
“Yes,” she said, releasing the handlebars to Jake, who was still huffing.
“Why?” Lincoln asked.
“Because the bicycles are gifts for Jake and Audrey.” Shifting her gaze to Jake, she said, “Thank you for sharing your bicycle with me.”
“You’re welcome to use it anytime,” Jake said. “Are you sure you don’t want to ride more now?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she replied.
Lincoln stepped forward and held Audrey’s bike steady as she place her feet on the pedals, then gave her a push to get started as she and Jake began riding along the trail.
Victoria stepped up beside him and they watched as the couple turned the corner and pedaled onward. “You were right,” she said. “I was holding on too stiffly.”
Without a thought to his actions, he draped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a side hug. “I’m glad you figured it out. I’m thinking I should buy more bicycles.”
She laughed. “I’m thinking that will make your mother twice as mad as she already is.”
“Perhaps,” he said, “or maybe she’ll learn to ride one herself.”
Victoria giggled. “I doubt that.”
“One never knows.” He dropped his arm and took a hold of her hand. “Let’s follow the path, make sure those two don’t encounter a dog.”
She shook her head. “Are we going to argue over that again?”
He chuckled. “No, we are just going to take a walk, unless you’d rather return to the house.”
“I’d much rather follow the path, thank you.”
Holding her hand felt right, practically natural, yet he questioned if he should release it as they started walking forward. There was no one watching, so it wasn’t as if they needed to pretend to be courting, yet, they could encounter someone. The park was always busy on Sundays.
Was that why he felt so carefree? Because their pretend courtship had given him a freedom he hadn’t known in years? It did feel as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. More than that, though, she was enjoyable to be around.
“Are you really considering buying another bicycle?” she asked as they walked around the curve.
There was no sign of Audrey and Jake, which wasn’t unexpected since the path not only curved several times, but had several forks that led in various directions. “Yes,” he answered. “I enjoyed riding one. Did you?”
“Yes, I did. I might consider buying one, too, although, my mother’s thoughts about them could be close to your mother’s.” She glanced at him. “Have you seen the one Ronald is putting an engine on?”
“No, I have not.” He shrugged. “Maybe we should go look at it.”
“I’d like to see it,” she said.
Although he hadn’t thought much about it in the past, he was now more interested. “So would I. What do you say we go to his house after lunch today?”
“Do you think he’ll be home?”
“I know he will be. Ronald only leaves his workshop when required.”
“Why is that?” she asked.
“Because he loves his work. I’ve assisted him in obtaining several patents for his inventions.”
“That had to be interesting.”
He hated to see the shine in her eyes diminished, but had to admit, “Actually, filing for a patent is rather boring. It’s all paperwork.”
“But you’ve seen the inventions, haven’t you?”
“No, not all of them.”
“Why not?”
“It wasn’t necessary to file the paperwork.”
“But weren’t you interested to know what they were?”
“Ronald told me about them.”
She sighed and shook her head. “That’s one of my downfalls. Curiosity. I’d have to see them myself.”
“I wouldn’t consider that a downfall,” he said.
“My mother does.”
“One more thing we have in common,” he said. “Mothers who believe they know what’s best for us.” He stopped at the Y in the path. “We will go look at Ronald’s bicycle this afternoon, but right now, which way do you think Jake and Audrey went?”
After looking left and right, she shrugged. “I have no idea, but let’s go right.”
“Why right?” he asked, as they started in that direction.
“Because this path will take us back around to the road in front of your house.”
Feeling a slight disappointment, he asked, “You’re ready to return to the house?”
“You should be after all the running you did.”
“Are you still worried about that?”
“Not worried. I just feel bad that you had to do it.”
“There’s nothing to feel bad about. I wanted to do it. It was fun teaching you to ride a bicycle.”
“It was fun learning to ride one,” she said. “It was scary at first, but then easier than I’d imagined, and exhilarating.”
He was about to tell her that’s what he’d thought, too, but was sidetracked by a man on horseback who had stopped in the middle of the pathway a short distance ahead of them. Something about the way the man was staring at them stiffened Lincoln’s spine.
“Let’s go back the other way,” Victoria said.
Lincoln’s intuition kicked in stronger at how her hand trembled inside his as she turned about, as if not wanting to look at the man on horseback. Tightening his hold on her hand, he asked, “Is that Elwood Kelley?”
“Yes,” she whispered as if someone else might hear. “And I’d prefer to not have anything to do with him, including saying hello.”
Lincoln would prefer that she didn’t have anything to do with Elwood. That was the catalyst behind him agreeing to their arrangement. Although he didn’t know the man, he felt a strong loathing towards Elwood.
Casually, Lincoln let his gaze wander to the man on horseback, still staring at them. He not only didn’t want her embedded with men like Elwood and his father, he was committed to it not happening. No matter what it took.
The thought that crossed his mind could complicate things far beyond what he wanted, but at this very moment, complications were not his first concern. While giving her hand a slight tug, forcing her to twist so they were facing each other, he stepped closer and used his free hand to catch her beneath the chin. He didn’t hesitate, yet moved slowly so as to not frighten her as he lowered his face to hers.
A flash of excitement struck, and the heat that grew deep inside him was fiery For a brief moment, he questioned if he should worry whether it was the type of heat that would warm him or burn him.
Either way, he brought his mouth down upon hers.
Victoria’s breath caught in her throat as Lincoln’s lips touched hers. Softly, tentatively, yet warm and inviting. She felt her own hesitation. A mixture of surprise and not knowing how to react. That only lasted a moment before an instinct she didn’t know lived inside her took over. Her hands landed on his chest, grasped a hold of the lapels of his jacket, and she used that hold to stabilize herself as she pressed her lips firmly against his.
Her heartbeat doubled, then tripled, as his lips slid across hers, and hers moved to match his movements, almost like a dance. One that fully consumed her thoughts. This is what she’d been afraid to think about. Kissing him. It had been in the back of her mind, but she’d never dared let it come forward. Never dared to dream of what it would be like.
One of his hands slid around her back, pulling her closer, and she willingly leaned against him, feeling the heat of his body merge with hers. There wasn’t a single part of her that didn’t feel alive, thrilled beyond all she’d ever known.
This wasn’t a fast, quick kiss that she’d felt obligated to provide after a man had ask permission to kiss her, which had happened occasionally in the past. Lincoln hadn’t asked, and there wasn’t a hint of the obligatory floating through her.
This was a kiss. A real kiss. One that women wrote about in their diaries, vowing to never forget. It was all-consuming. Unforgettable.
The need that was growing inside her was as uncanny as it was wild and powerful. She felt the rumble of a pleasure-filled moan in the back of her throat. Much like one that happened unintentionally, uncontrollably, when she tasted something far more delicious than expected.
The rest of the world ceased to exist. There was nothing, no one, except for her and Lincoln at this moment in time. A moment that felt as if it should last forever, yet ended long before she was ready.
She swayed forward as his mouth eased off hers, and once again had to use her hold on his jacket to maintain her balance. It was as if the world was spinning around her, and she didn’t dare open her eyes until the dizziness slowed.
That took more than a few moments, and then she was afraid to open her eyes for fear of what she might see. However, her curiosity to know Lincoln’s reaction to their kiss was stronger than her fear and she lifted her lids, looked up at him.
There was not only a smile on his face, but also a brilliant shimmer in his eyes. Looking at him made her heart beat uncontrollably all over again.
He touched the side of her face, ran a single finger over her cheek. The touch was so soft, so tender, a soft sigh escaped her lips.
“Forgive me. I should have asked permission to kiss you,” he said. “But there wasn’t time.”
Confused, she took a moment to make sense of that, but couldn’t. “There wasn’t?”
“No, Elwood had started riding towards us.”
Elwood! How had she forgotten about him? She twisted left and right, seeing nothing but an empty path in both directions. “Where did he go?”
“He rode past.”
The sigh she huffed out was a mixture of frustration and gratefulness. She was glad that Elwood was gone, but frustrated that they’d run into him in the first place. At least that’s what she attempted to tell herself while trying to think about something other than kissing Lincoln. The thrill of that was still pulsating throughout her body, even though she now understood why he’d kissed her. What she wasn’t so sure about was why she’d kissed him in return. She’d had no control over that. It had been like jumping into a pool of water, where every instinct instantly kicked in and told her to swim. Her body, or maybe her soul, had told her to kiss him back and instantly knew how to do that.
“Are you afraid of him?” Lincoln asked.
She shook her head in an attempt to clear her head, to push kissing him into the recesses of her mind so she could think, clearly think, about other things. Taking in a breath of air, she lifted her gaze, met his. “No. I just want him to pay for what he did. I don’t want him to get away with it.”
Lincoln stared at her for what felt like an eternity, in which her mind went off wandering again, filled itself with questions. One concerning if he was regretting having kissed her, and the other if he was considering helping her prove Elwood had stolen from her family. She wanted to know the answer to both questions.
“How well do you know him?” Lincoln asked.
The quick wash of disappointment told her which question had meant more to her, and it wasn’t the one about Elwood. “Not well. I’d only met him once before he came to the house.”
He lightly grasped her elbow and began walking along the pathway. “Where did you meet him?”
“In Tarrytown. My mother and I had been at the dressmakers back in January and he helped us carry some packages to the carriage.”
“Did you ask for his help?”
“No, he accidently bumped into my mother and then offered to carry her packages. It was cold and snowing and I didn’t even remember the encounter until my mother reminded me of it when she informed me that he’d be joining us for dinner.”
“Was that the only time he was at your house? The day he joined you for dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Had your mother invited him to dinner when he helped with your packages?”
Victoria had never been questioned by a lawyer about anything, but imagined it was much like this. Lincoln’s questions were not only clipped and precise, his demeanor had become serious in a way she hadn’t seen. “No,” she answered. “He contacted her later, asking for permission to call upon me.”
“You hadn’t seen him at any time between the shopping trip and the day he’d come to your house?”
“No, I hadn’t.”
Lincoln was quiet for more than ten steps. She’d only started counting them because she didn’t know what to say or think about his silence and had reached twelve when he stopped. She bit her bottom lip, waiting on him to speak, hoping he’d offer to help her.
“His family is not one you would want to be associated with. They are unsavory, and though I do believe you’ve been wronged, that he stole from you...” He ran a hand through his hair. “Without a more solid history, without more solid proof, it just isn’t a case that would make it to court.”
Victoria pinched her lips together to hold in the disappointment.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “If I thought we could win, I’d help you, but with what we have, it would do nothing more than annoy him and his family, and that wouldn’t be good for anyone.”
His voice and face was full of sincerity. “Thank you,” she said. “I understand.”
“I hope you do,” he said.
She nodded. “I do.”
He let out a long sigh and glanced up and down the road. “Well, hopefully, after what he saw today, you won’t have to worry about him contacting you again.”
Her heart, or maybe her stomach, dropped. It was hard to tell because everything inside her felt deflated. She’d known that Elwood was the reason Lincoln had kissed her and she’d known why, but hearing it made it one hundred percent true.
Not that it hadn’t been true before, she just... Just what? Wanted to believe that he’d kissed her for a different reason? That he’d actually wanted to kiss her? That was silly. It was also something that she shouldn’t want. Not at all.
Then why was she disappointed? Why did she want it to happen again?
Furthermore, why did she believe him that there wasn’t enough evidence? She had fingerprints and she rarely, if ever, let someone else change her mind. Her mother called her stubborn to a fault, and that hadn’t changed.
So what had?