Evan is not him,she told herself, marching straight out into the gardens to try and cool her ire.Evan is not like him. Evan understands, better than anyone, what it is like to be hurt by those who are supposed to love you. He would not hurt me. He might be the only man in the world capable of being careful with someone’s heart. With my heart.
She held tightly to that thought as the morning sunshine bathed her face, certain that an hour or two in the rose garden where Evan had kissed her would be enough to set her back on the right path. After all, with the party taking place that evening, she wanted to be nothing but joyful again by the time it began.
* * *
Evan laid upon his favorite bench, staring dreamily up at the clear blue sky, humming a tune to himself. He knew he was supposed to report to his aunt to help keep the invited gentlemen entertained before the party, but he had no desire to associate with the fellows who had so many mean things to say about Olivia.
“Ah, I see I am not the only idler this morning,” a voice said, drifting to him like the sweetest music.
He sat up sharply, turning with a smile to find Olivia standing at the entrance to the rose garden. “Either that, or our minds are aligned.” He held out his hand, beckoning for her to come to him. “I am certain my aunt is going to make me take the gentlemen on a grand tour of the house and gardens, and I cannot stomach the thought. Fortunately, these gardens are so vast that she will never find me.”
“I heard the word ‘centerpieces’ and fled,” Olivia chuckled.
She looked particularly beautiful in the soft morning light; her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes alight with a happiness that he had never dared to hope he might see reflected in them. And she was wearing the same white muslin and straw bonnet, dotted with daisies, that had so enchanted him by the lake.
His hand went to his pocket, where he had been carrying the daisy that she had slipped behind his ear. Finding it absent, he remembered that he had put it between the pages of his heaviest book the previous night, determined to press the flower and preserve it. At their wedding, he hoped to give the daisy back to her as a symbol of his solemn promise to love and cherish her for the rest of their days.
“We ought to elope,” he teased as she came to sit beside him. “No obnoxious celebrations, no pretending to like the guests who have been invited, just you and I and the rest of our lives.”
Olivia blushed furiously. “I fear we would be caught before we made it to Gretna Green. Your aunt would ride faster than the wind, and my mother would not be far behind.”
“But marriage to meiswhat you desire?” He had worried over the answer all last night, though her kiss had still been warm upon his lips.
She gave a small nod. “Was that not obvious?”
“It is best to be absolutely certain in matters such as these,” he replied, taking hold of her hand and bringing it to his lips. “And there are things that I did not get to say, last night. Things that must be said before we proceed.”
Her eyes widened, an expression of fear darkening her face. “What things?”
“I am afraid that I have fallen quite hopelessly in love with you, Olivia,” he told her, gently peeling the kid glove from her hand. “And I do not think there is anything in this world that would make me happier than having you at my side, as my wife.”
Olivia stared at her hand as he continued to draw the buttery soft material across her skin, taking his time, freeing her hand finger by finger from the glove. Bending his head, he followed the retreat of the glove, kissing her warm, bare skin with tender lips. It was an experiment, in truth, to see if anything had changed since the previous night. But she did not snatch her hand back or ask him to cease, her fear dissipating as a smile turned up the corners of her mouth.
“Are you certain you are not a rake?” she asked. “It is somewhat scandalous of you to kiss my bare hand while I am unchaperoned.”
He grinned. “You are not unchaperoned, per se. You were merely taking a calming walk in the gardens and happened upon me quite by accident. It cannot really be helped that there is no one to watch us like a hawk.”
“I could return to the manor, for propriety’s sake,” she teased.
“You could,” he agreed, placing another kiss upon her bare hand, “but I hope that you will not.”
She chuckled, leaning into his side. “Are you truly falling in love with me?”
“I am,” he promised. “My heart, such as it is, is yours. Indeed, you are quite the thief, for I would not have thought it was possible for anyone to steal my heart. Yet, here you are.”
She sighed softly. “Then, you should know that… I am also falling in love with you, Evan. As I am sure you are aware, I have battled in vain tonotfall in love with you, but you have made yourself quite the fearsome opponent. I have been defeated, I fear.”
Evan’s heart swelled at the sound of her confession. All his life, he had never thought himself worthy of love and affection, for he had been shown nothing but cruelty for the first six-and-ten years. It had taken him many years to accept the care and love of his aunt and cousins, but romantic love had seemed like an impossibility, especially considering he had vowed never to pursue it.
You have changed everything, my love,he knew, for maybe being happy and being in love was the best way to get revenge upon his father. It certainly felt like it, in that moment.
“Or, we are both victors,” he countered, lifting his hand to Olivia’s face, cradling her cheek. “I prefer to think of it that way. How triumphant we shall be, when we make the rest of society grimace at our unyielding joy. They will be so envious, they will not know what to do with themselves.”
She gazed deeply into his eyes. “I suppose it would be better to view it that way,” she said, “for I already know you are a terrible loser.”
“Only when it pertains to skittles,” he said, smiling. “My love, may I kiss you?”
She nodded. “Please do, before the hounds are set upon us once more.”
