The Cornish Inheritance: Regency Historical Romance (The Cornish Ladies Series Book 3) by Fil Reid

Author:Fil Reid [Reid, Fil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2024-10-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Despite his words, Nat didn’t want her to let go of his hand. The feel of her holding his was like a balm on his tortured soul. She’d said he could tell her anything, and he’d himself revealed some of his innermost thoughts with few restrictions. Even now, he wasn’t sure why he’d done that. The darkness hiding their faces, the peaceful quiet after the hubbub of the ball, the gentleness in her voice, and the honesty with which she’d confided in him her own dark secret, all had contributed to loosen his tongue.

Outside the confines of the tiny world they’d found themselves in, the owl called again, but from a different tree. Or was it a pair of owls, calling to each other as they hunted? He didn’t know enough about birds to be sure.

There was more he wanted to say, but even though she’d said he could, had invited his confidences in fact, these were words he couldn’t speak, about secrets he’d kept locked in his heart too long to reveal.

The silence stretched on, not awkward, but companionable and reassuring.

At last, she tightened her fingers around his. “Perhaps, Major, we should return to the ball, as you said, in case anyone remarks upon our absence and jumps to untoward conclusions.”

She was right. His mother would be the first to point an accusing finger, and it would not be at him, but at Miss Fairfield, accusing her of being an adventuress. Instinct told him that Caroline’s character was of the most upright and noble, and the thought of what his mother might say about her infuriated him. “Please don’t call me Major,” he said. “I’ve left all that behind me and want no reminder of it.”

“Mr. Treloar, then?”

He shook his head. “That is too formal for two people who are to become more than mere acquaintances. No. Call me Nat, as Hetty does, if it doesn’t offend you. I much prefer my friends to use that name.”

“And do I count myself as one of them now?”

He nodded. “I would be honored if you did.”

He couldn’t see her smile, but he sensed it.

“I should like that. And perhaps you might call me Caroline? Although I fear we should not indicate such familiarity in front of your mother.”

“Wise words.”

She stood up, so he followed suit. Her height, which was above the ordinary for a woman, brought her closer to him than any other woman he’d met, and here, standing in the complicit darkness of the summerhouse, he felt a sudden urge to take her in his arms and kiss her. He’d not felt like that for such a long time. What woman would want to kiss a monster like him? One that couldn’t see the blemish. One that when she had seen it had not stared, nor looked away in shock. One who’d confided in him her own secret in exchange for his—or the part of his he’d felt able to share.

But he didn’t do any of that.

Instead, he let her release his hand and turn toward the door.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.