Hearts Entwined (Victorian Love #3) - M.A. Nichols Page 0,64
played.
“Mr. Kingsley.” Miss Caswell clutched her battledore before her with a tight smile, and Oliver felt a flush of shame, knowing that his behavior was the source of her unease.
“Would you join me for a stroll around the garden?” Forcing all other thoughts from his mind, Oliver gave her a warm smile. Regardless of his current torment, he was always pleased to see her, and it was best to focus on that.
“Certainly,” she said, taking his proffered arm.
Oliver forced his feet to maintain a languid pace as the pair wound their way around the others and towards the ornate gardens. With more distance, Miss Caswell’s tension eased, her smile growing more natural, and the pressure in his chest subsided. Here was a fine choice for his future. The proper wife.
Repeating those words in his mind, Oliver forced his thoughts to focus solely on the delightful young lady at his side.
*
It was nothing but an infatuation. The words didn’t do much to unravel the knot Victoria’s heart had twisted itself into, but she clung to them as Oliver Kingsley led them away from the others and into the formal gardens. The Nelsons’ grounds were truly lovely, but the effect of the flowers and manicured shrubs was lost on her, as her thoughts returned again and again to the sight of her beau seated beside Miss Sophia Banfield.
Surely it was naught but a passing flirtation. Something forgotten as quickly as it had struck. And Mr. Kingsley was still attentive, spending more time with her over the last few days than he had with Sophie.
But no self-imposed deception allowed Victoria to ignore how Mr. Kingsley’s eyes brightened at the sight of that young lady. The aura of satisfaction he always had when in her company, as though he was meant to be by her side. No matter how Victoria attempted to pass it off as meaningless, her conscience would not allow that lie to stand uncontested.
Mr. Kingsley was more than infatuated with Sophie. But surely it wasn’t anything close to love. The pair hardly knew each other.
Victoria winced at the recriminating thought that recalled the rapid manner in which her feelings for Mr. Dixon had developed so long ago during a chance meeting at a ball. It hadn’t been an instantaneous love—Victoria wasn’t certain such a thing existed—but interest had developed into an attachment and then something deeper in a matter of days. For some, it took months or years to develop such strong attachments, but she could not guard her heart when every interaction with Mr. Dixon had shown her more and more reasons to admire him.
As she and Mr. Kingsley stepped towards the gardens, she felt Mr. Dixon’s gaze following her, and only when the greenery of the formal garden enveloped them, blocking them from view, was she able to let out the breath she’d been holding.
Victoria was not one to fumble with her words, but her tongue was cemented to the roof of her mouth, refusing to offer up even the slightest bit of assistance. And Mr. Kingsley was of no help. Breezes brushed the bushes; their rustling foliage and the distant sound of the others were the only sounds breaking the silence.
Conversation was always easy between them. Victoria could not think of another time when she’d struggled for words with Mr. Kingsley, but the silence pressed down on her. It bore witness to the shift in their situation, and Victoria’s heartbeat increased as she fought for a solution.
“Kiss me,” she blurted.
Mr. Kingsley stumbled to a stop and turned his gaze to hers with brows raised. Victoria winced at her idiocy, but she could not retreat now. Though her words had been hasty and poorly cobbled together, it did not lessen their importance.
“The time has passed for us to settle things between us, as we have courted for nigh on a year.” She fought the impulse to fidget and held herself erect, meeting his gaze without blinking, though her heart trembled in her chest. “And I was under the impression that this gathering might mark the end of the waiting.”
It was more than an impression, for the engagement had been settled in all but name, but there was no need to belabor that point. They both knew the truth.
Mr. Kingsley tucked his hands behind him, and they stood face to face as though discussing a business arrangement, which Victoria supposed this was—even if she truly liked and admired her intended business partner.