“Thank you for the dance, Lady Fitzwilliam,” he said, his tone courteous but distant.
“The pleasure was mine, my lord,” Rosalind replied, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. She could sense his detachment, and Philip’s heart twinged slightly at having caused this young woman, who had don’t nothing wrong, to feel rejected. But what could he do?
Philip bowed and made his way to the terrace, his steps quickening as he sought the refuge of the cool night air. The terrace offered a peaceful contrast to the bustling ballroom. Hefound solace in the quiet, the distant hum of the party fading away.
He leaned against the stone balustrade, staring out in to the night sky, the stars twinkling like distant promises of hope.
CHAPTER 5
Kew Gardens was beautiful. The meticulously maintained gardens, with their vibrant flowers and exotic plants were lovely to look at. Verity might have thoroughly enjoyed them, were it not for the company that she had to keep here.
She did not know why her mother had insisted that she meet with Ambrose and his daughters again, just because Henry had arranged it. Was it not uncomfortable enough over dinner? She knew how terrible it had been for Verity yet made her walk with them anyway.
But of course, Verity could not say no. So here she was, half listening to the conversation surrounding her.
“Where did you say you got that dress from?” Amelia demanded, running her eyes up and down Verity with an obvious scrutiny in them. “Bethany’s Modiste does not make anything of that style.”
“Nor does she use those colors,” Cordelia scoffed. “I don’t think she would ever create something so… plain looking.”
Verity parted her lips, about to shoot back a scathing reply, but nothing came to mind. At this point, she wasn’t sure if there was anything she could say to please Ambrose’s daughters. They clearly were not impressed with her, and she had to admit to herself that she felt the same way about them.
Thay had been nothing but unpleasant and rude to her. Conversation with them made her feel suffocated, like it was a challenge for her to breathe was most certainly not how she wished to spend the rest of her life. If only her brother could understand that.
The winding paths took them all down towards a river, and while everyone wanted to see the water, Verity took a moment tostudy a particularly beautiful display of blooms. Her ladies maid remained by her side, but as everyone else continued to walk, Verity was finally able to let out a breath of relief.
She needed this.
She needed to be away from the tension. It was all too much.
She ran her fingers along the flower petals, smiling to herself. Now this would make a beautiful painting. She just needed to be sure to commit the image of it to memory. She most certainly did not wish to forget about it.
“Verity,” her mother cried out. “We are moving on.”
“I will catch up with you in a moment,” Verity called back. “I just need to study this.”
Her mother was used to her artistic requests by now, and while Henry might not like it, she knew that he would be too busy trying to impress Ambrose to pay too much attention to what she was doing.
Thank goodness.
Lost in the thoughts of what she would paint as soon as she got home, Verity took a few steps along the path, trying to find some other flowers to paint. She did not notice anyone else along the path with her. She most certainly did not notice the tall, broad gentleman rounding the corner until her body collided with his.
The force of the impact was a little too much for her. As she staggered backwards, Verity found herself completely unable to find her footing again. Fearing the worst, embarrassment flooded her veins as she prepared herself to fall.
Verity seemed completely unable to remain in the shadows, however hard she tried. She always seemed to bring attention her way, whether she wanted to or not.
But thankfully, she did not tumble all the way to the ground. The gentleman in front of her reacted quickly. He reached out and steadied her before anything too dramatic could happen.The warm feeling of his hand upon her was a welcome sensation. But the tingling that immediately cascaded all the way through her body was a surprise.
Heat burned in Verity’s cheeks as she tried her hardest to regain composure.
“I am so terribly sorry,” she gasped as she tried to get her breath back. “I did not mean to…”
But the words fell apart on her lips as she caught sight of the man’s captivating kind eyes and warm smile. He did not seem upset by her silly accident at all, which was a relief. The last thing she needed today was drama. This kindness was very much appreciated.
“Don’t worry at all,” he told her in a chocolatey smooth voice which truly sent a shudder down her spine. “It’s nice to meet you. I am Lord Philip Easton, the Marquess of Eilendale. I understand how you got distracted. These gardens are absolutely beautiful, these flowers in particular are very eye catching.”
“Y… yes,” she stammered back. “They are quite wonderful.” She swallowed hard. “I am Lady Verity Sinclair.”
“Lady Verity Sinclair,” he repeated, like he wanted to commit her name to memory.
