deserved gallantry, and he would not rush her.
“Now, you haven’t answered my question,” he whispered. “Will you drive out with me tomorrow? And allow me to escort you to the Nelsons’ ball next week? And spend long stretches by your side and explore all the countryside together? And forgive me for being such a stubborn fool and denying what my heart has wanted since the first time we met five years ago?”
*
“Your question keeps growing.” Sophie attempted to give the tease a lighthearted tone, but her words were breathy.
Lifting her hand to his lips, Mr. Kingsley pressed a kiss to her palm, his eyes closing to savor the touch. His fingers wrapped around hers, closing her hand around that token of affection. Sometime in the past moments, they’d moved closer together, and Sophie felt the brush of his knees as her skirts swallowed his feet.
And yet Mr. Kingsley did not close the distance.
Holding his gaze, Sophie saw the longing there, which stoked her own heart until it blazed like the hottest embers in a fire, and she found her self-control sadly lacking.
Leaning the last few inches, Sophie pressed her lips to his. The shock of her boldness and her first kiss had her pulling back as quickly as she’d advanced. Her cheeks were aflame, and there was no need for Mr. Kingsley’s jacket about her shoulders, for her whole body flushed. By most accounts, the kiss would be counted as little more than a buss, but her heart swelled at the sentiment beneath that quick touch.
“I am trying to be honorable and keep my distance until we’ve properly courted.” Mr. Kingsley’s voice was rough, though there was a spark of humor in his eyes. “Please do not test my resolve.”
But his arms came around her, pulling her close, and Sophie leaned her head against his shoulder.
“As to your questions, my answer is yes to all of them,” she said.
“I should hope so after such a display,” he teased, and she poked him in the side.
Mr. Kingsley laughed and released her, taking her hand in his and pulling her away from the tree now that the rain had eased. Together, they strolled through the fields, the scent of the wet soil and leaves filling the crisp air around them.
Chapter 27
Staring out the parlor window, Mina searched for Oliver’s figure on the front drive even though she knew it unlikely he’d return along that route. The surge of joyous energy flowing through her wouldn’t let her sit and wait like a proper adult. So, she stood there, hovering at the useless window, waiting.
The sun slid down the horizon, the day waning sooner as the world began to embrace the changes autumn wrought. A little more than a fortnight from now and the trees would be ablaze with the golden yellow leaves. And the Banfields would be gone.
Mina made a vow to leave Bristow the next time the Nelsons hosted a house party; such lavish gatherings only served to let the hosts display their wealth and self-importance while stirring up trouble in the neighborhood. In truth, Mina blamed herself for not being more suspicious when the invitation had been extended. Thank goodness it was a local party in which she was free to spend much of the time in her own home.
Arms came around her, and Mina smiled to herself, leaning back into Simon’s embrace as he pressed a kiss to her neck.
“You are quite pensive, dearest,” he murmured.
“I am girding my loins.”
Simon’s arms tightened around her. “We needn’t suffer through this. We could pack up and go bother Ambrose and Mary in Lancashire if you wish it. Or go abroad and join Graham and Tabby on their European travels. Or scurry off to London with Nicholas and Louisa-Margaretta. We’ll tell the Nelsons some crisis pulled us away. It is the beauty of claiming familial difficulties. It can be as vague as one wishes without resorting to dishonesty and cannot offend when used. Family is family, after all.”
Allowing her head to fall back and rest on Simon’s shoulder, Mina longed to accept that escape. “Do you truly think we ought to pull Oliver away from Miss Caswell at such a juncture?”
Groaning, Simon’s head drooped, his arms growing slack. “I suppose not.”
His breath brushed across her neck, tickling her skin, and Mina embraced the peace that came from having her dear husband so near.
“A fortnight more,” he murmured as though it were a prayer.
“And then we shall be free again.”
Turning in his arms, Mina