to bribe me?”
Charlaine chuckled. Still, the dark suspicion in his gaze made her heart ache. “I’m offering a trade. Remember, give and take? The foundations of any good friendship.” She lifted her chin and held his gaze. “The choice is yours. Far be it from me to pressure you.”
Turning away, Charlaine looked up at the small patch of sky visible from among the tall-growing hedges in Lord Hawthorne’s gardens. The stars twinkled like diamonds, but looked pale in comparison to the sliver of moon that hung upon the black canvas overhead. Still, the sight was one of sheer beauty and Charlaine drew a deep breath into her lungs, welcoming the slight chill of the night air as it tickled her nerves. Then she spread her arms as she had the night before at the masquerade and began to twirl in a small circle.
Her feet moved slowly as she kept her eyes fixed upon the moon, marveling at its beauty, the mystery that surrounded it, the many questions that still demanded answers.
“Abigail.”
Her feet stilled the moment Nathanial’s voice, harsh and curt, drifted to her ears, and she turned to look at him.
His gaze remained on hers, but his teeth ground together, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Her name is Abigail.”
Charlaine nodded. She felt cherished, knowing how hard answering her had been for him, knowing that he had only done so because, deep down, he did not want her to go. “Thank you.” Her voice was gentle as she approached him, her eyes never leaving his while his own moved from hers again and again…but always returned. “I kissed you,” she told him and, this time, he did not look away, “because I was curious to know what it felt like.”
His gaze narrowed in suspicion, in doubt. “I don’t believe you.”
Charlaine had all but expected this. “Then why do you think I kissed you?”
Again, his lips thinned. “Women always have an agenda. They—”
“Oh, and men do not?” she dared him. “Do you truly believe that I wanted to trap you into marriage? Because that is what you’re saying, is it not?”
Nathanial swallowed, and that muscle in his jaw twitched furiously.
Holding his gaze, Charlaine said, “I would never marry a man I do not love.” She chuckled. “You could propose to me right here and now, and I would refuse you.”
The frown upon his face slowly dissipated as he watched her, weighing each word she spoke.
“I want to be your friend,” Charlaine said, “not your wife.” A slow grin stole upon her face before she lifted her right hand and solemnly swore, “I promise I will never kiss you again. There? Do you feel safe now?”
Nathanial laughed.
In truth, it was probably no more than a chuckle. To Charlaine’s ears, however, it was hope.
Closing his eyes, Nathanial hung his head, disbelief and confusion marking his features. Still, a tentative smile claimed his lips as he looked up to stare at her once more. “You’re mad.”
Charlaine shrugged. “People occasionally comment in this manner. I do believe madness is a very subjective term, which highly depends upon one’s perspective.” She moved toward him, then held out her hand. “I promise you brutal honesty if you agree to a friendship between us.”
“Brutal honesty?” Nathanial asked, frowning as his gaze drifted to her proffered hand.
Charlaine nodded. “To speak the truth even when it hurts.”
Again, he regarded her. “Before I can agree, I need to know why you want this so…”
“Desperately?”
Nathanial nodded.
“Because I’m alone,” Charlaine blurted out, feeling a stab of pain slice through her heart, “and I’m afraid of being alone, of having no one to turn to.” She tried hard to blink back the tears that threatened, wondering if Nathanial would interpret them as another form of manipulation. “I’ve always had a big family, aunts and uncles and cousins. Too many to count. I’ve never been alone in my life, and then…I suddenly was.” She looked around at the dark hedges, but instead, saw the many frowns directed at her wherever she went. “I want a friend to stand at my side,” she said as she blinked and her gaze returned to his, “and I thought you could be that friend.”
Sympathy lingered on Nathanial’s face as he watched her. There was warmth there and kindness. She could see that his heart understood her, felt for her. He truly was the man she had thought him to be. And then he stepped toward her and grasped her hand, his blue eyes looking down into hers as