Hearts Entwined (Victorian Love #3) - M.A. Nichols Page 0,46

seized onto the tranquil moment while she could, shoving aside thoughts of her family and marriage to simply enjoy the company of this dear man. Her heart lapped up his attention like a starving kitten given a saucer of cream, and when the path split, Victoria hardly noticed Elijah leading them away from the river.

There was no other person with whom she could speak so freely. Even if Victoria wished to hide some portion of herself away, Elijah had the uncanny ability to ferret it out, uncovering her secrets before she could stop him. And he never judged her for them. With that brilliant, blazing grin of his, he simply offered assistance and advice to assist her through the difficulties.

What would she do without his sound judgment? Or his ability to make her laugh? No matter how dark the days were, he always found some humor.

Dropping her left hand, Victoria let her arm sway with each step, brushing against her skirts. And then Elijah’s was there, a feather-light touch brushing against her skin as they walked along; each graze set her heart skittering.

From somewhere in the distance, a chorus of bellowing cheers rang out through the forest as one of the gentlemen landed a great monster of a fish, and reality snapped back into place, filling Victoria’s mind with thoughts of Mr. Kingsley.

“Elijah, please,” she murmured, and then winced, covering her eyes at the slip. “Mr. Dixon, please.”

But even as she made hollow protests, his arms drew her close to his chest. Elijah’s lips met hers, and Victoria lost all sense of the world as his love enveloped her. It flowed from his touch, filling her and dulling her mind to everything else but him.

Chapter 17

Victoria’s heart soared, racing through the heavens, and she met his ardor with her own, giving him the only thing he’d ever asked—her love. There was no stopping herself as she surrendered to the moment, for no one would be able to turn aside from such adoration.

Her chest heaved as the kiss slowed, but her breath and heartbeat sped when he spoke.

“I will not give up on us, Victoria.” The words were a pledge as fervent as any ever given from a suitor to his lady, and Elijah’s bright eyes glowed, echoing his words.

“But I am not free.”

“You are not married, so you are still free,” he replied.

“I will marry Mr. Kingsley if he will have me—”

Elijah silenced those words with another heady kiss, stealing Victoria’s few remaining faculties. When he released her again, she struggled to know what it was she’d been saying before.

“I will not give up on us, Victoria,” he repeated.

“That is not fair of you,” she mumbled. “How am I to think when you keep—”

A teasing grin flashed across his face before Elijah snatched her in another kiss. The one remaining shred of logic told her she ought to object, but rationality was drowned in the sheer bliss Victoria found in Elijah’s embrace and the bone-deep desire to remain there for all time.

When he released her lips, Elijah framed her face in his hands, holding her attention to him as he whispered, “My heart belongs to you.”

Heart filled to brimming, she felt his love burn through her veins, strengthening her as nothing else did. Elijah was everything she wanted, and there was no doubt in her mind that theirs would be a joyous pairing full of all she desired and dreamt of. For one brief and beautiful moment, Victoria allowed herself to dream of marrying him.

And yet…

Those insidious words crept into her mind, tainting those vain imaginings with the truth.

Elijah leaned in again, but Victoria pulled her face free of his hold.

“Please stop.” Her heart trembled in her chest, but Victoria clung to thoughts of her sisters. Steel threaded its way through her tone, giving her words a bite to them. “I am not free to welcome your overtures, Elijah. Can you not understand that?”

But rather than look repentant, angry, or anything sensible, Elijah dared to give her a tender smile, his hands dropping to her shoulders and drifting down to wrap around her waist.

“What I understand is that you are sacrificing your happiness for your sisters’ sake, providing for them while denying yourself. If you were merely ashamed of my low birth, then it would be easy to feel indignant because of your rejection, but you only care how it will affect your sisters’ prospects.”

Pressed close to him, Victoria felt his chuckle more than she heard it, and his smile