Rose Gardner's Florist (The Providence Street Shops #2) - Bonnie Dee Page 0,43

wild. Those were happy, carefree times, catching minnows, building forts, or playing at being highwaymen.”

“There was a fort on our street, but the big boys ran it and the littles weren’t allowed to join in. I played hopscotch and jumped rope with my friends.” Rose avoided mention of her days as a button girl in a sewing factory.

In the comfortable silence following the meal, Rose savored the wine sending warm tendrils through her body. “This tastes like liquid sunlight.”

“I’m happy you enjoy it. Would you care to walk alongside the stream, or wade in it?”

Rose paused for a moment, caught between decorum and having fun. “I would like that. I must confess my shoes are quite uncomfortable.”

She quickly shed them, and Will did the same before rolling up his trouser legs. In this private grove, there was no need to worry about propriety and they might behave like children. Will took Rose’s hand to pull her up and continued to hold it as they entered the water together.

The chill quickly numbed Rose’s feet all the way to the ankles. She held her skirts high to avoid wetting them. Will’s glance lingered on her legs, making them feel as hot as her feet were cold.

Stones poked here soles as they waded over the pebbles to a slower part of the stream. In that quiet eddy, fish made their beds on a smooth mud bottom. Rose watched in fascination as they fanned the dirt with their tails until they’d made perfect circles in which to lay eggs.

Will let go of her hand, rolled up his sleeves and joined her in her nature study. Crouched with forearms on thighs, spectacles in danger of slipping off his nose into the stream, and hair tumbling across his forehead, he appeared very young and playful. How had she once imagined him staid and stuffy? It went to show that most people had hidden depths society often forbade them to show.

“Aren’t they a marvel,” he exclaimed. “One forgets the wonders of nature when surrounded by city streets for too long.”

“Have you decided whether to add a koi pond to your conservatory? It is not too late to include one in your plan,” Rose said.

He regarded her, his eyes keen and bright above the lenses. “If you would like one, then I would too, for I pray you will spend time there once the work is finished.”

Naturally, she enjoyed his appreciation, but once again it seemed too sudden for him to feature her in his future. “Why do you like me so much? Surely there are women who would better suit you, those of your own class.”

“No. There are not. The debutantes my mother has forced upon me seem little interested in anything outside the social whirl. Their eyes glaze over when I mention any topic of interest to me. But you possess such intelligence and express interest in many subjects. I am completely content in your company.”

He stood, towering over her like one of the trees that sheltered them. “From the moment I entered your shop and met you, I was smitten—with your appearance, naturally, but even more by your bright and energetic nature. Although at first I expressed myself with excruciating awkwardness, I have since grown at ease in your presence. I enjoy your friendship very much, and pray you feel the same way about me.”

“I do.” She waded nearer so she might take his hands. “I like spending time with you. But when you speak of future association that includes your family, I do not see how that will be possible. I am an interloper in your world.”

He engulfed her hands in his. “You are not! And if any person in my family makes you feel so, I would end my association with them before I would end my friendship with you.”

Before she knew what was happening, he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bank. Throwing her arms around his neck, she snuggled close to his chest—enough to feel his heart beating. He laid her down on the cloth where they’d eaten lunch, breathing hard from his exertions and from something that made his eyes grow heavy-lidded and hungry. An answering flare of interest shot through Rose. They were evenly matched in a craving for something other than lunch on that blanket.

Keep yer legs crossed if ya know what’s good for ya. Mum reminded her. Rose did not wish to end up in Arietta’s predicament, but she could enjoy herself