A Bride for the Season by Jennifer Delamere

Author:Jennifer Delamere [Delamere, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Romance
Amazon: B00IRISI24
Goodreads: 20967225
Publisher: Forever
Published: 2014-11-25T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Lucinda sat in the small garden and stared, unmoving, at the orderly row of blooms and shrubs lining the gravel walkways. They exuded a peacefulness which she had hoped might ease her unsettled heart. She’d been there for an hour or more, watching the sun’s rays gradually light the rose bushes along the far wall. It was a quiet morning, and unusually cool for summer. The scent of flowers mingled comfortably with the aroma of baking bread wafting out from the kitchen.

Inside the house, the servants would be preparing breakfast and setting the house in order for the day, bustling quietly about their assigned tasks. But here in the garden everything was still, unmoving but for the gentle swaying of the leaves and the flights of a few birds. It was the perfect place to think.

For the past twenty-four hours she’d been reliving that dance with James—and the alarmingly passionate kiss that had followed. He’d been right about the reason for her awkwardness on the dance floor. Lucinda had never fully realized or admitted it to herself before yesterday, but her intense embarrassment around men—bordering on fear, really—had literally been a stumbling block for her. So why had it been so easy to dance with James? Her initial discomfort had evaporated within seconds of being in his arms. For once she had danced without tripping over her own feet. He’d made her feel confident and beautiful.

And desirable. Never had she imagined that a kiss could be so wonderful, so wholly captivating. His kiss had ignited a fire within her so intense it burned there still. This was deeply troubling. How could a man kiss her like that when he was engaged to someone else?

Perhaps it was because James wasn’t in love with Emily. Lucinda never believed he was. She knew he’d been trapped into the engagement. James was an inveterate ladies’ man; he’d never made a secret of it. What had passed between her and James had felt at the time like a very special connection. But she had, admittedly, no experience in such matters, whereas James had flirted with countless women. Lucinda was just one more on a very long list.

Surely this could only bode ill for Emily. Although he’d sworn to be a good husband to her, how could he be, if he still seized an opportunity to kiss another woman?

Lucinda tugged at the branch of a nearby rosebush, bringing one of the blossoms close enough to inhale its scent deeply. She had to forget that kiss, of course. But how could a person forget such a thing? She must summon up everything she knew about James to convince her it had meant nothing to him. Perhaps in that way she might be able to erase the memory of the one and only time a man had made her feel like a woman to be desired…

“I beg your pardon, Miss Cardington.”

Startled, Lucinda abruptly let go of the rosebush. A shower of petals fell as the branch snapped back into place.

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