Giddy, deliciously freed from should and should not, she regarded him. “You said it would please you to serve me.”
“So it would.” His voice was deep as dreams.
“I would like you to”—she held his gaze with hers—“escort me to view the fireworks display.”
It should have been wrong or strange to issue commands to him. The difference in their true stations was impossibly wide, never to be breached. But having him serve her felt right, in a profound sense that even now she was coming to understand. Because he yielded his power to her, trusting her with it, and even as that yielding filled her with humility, she was emboldened, too.
He believed in her. He recognized her power.
His smile was wide and heart-stopping. “My lady,” he said, dark eyes shining in the light of torches and lanterns, “nothing would give me greater pleasure.”
When he rose, she also stood and took his offered arm. “Tonight is about pleasure, after all.”
They joined the crowds milling through the gardens. Noel used his size and natural authority to guide her safely through the throng. He was in all ways attentive, his gaze almost never immobile as he navigated the crowded paths. When his hand came to rest on the small of her back, she wanted to close her eyes and lean into the sensation. Thank God her garments were lightweight—they permitted her the indulgence of his touch upon her body. Perhaps it was for the best that there were a few layers of silk and linen between them, because if he did touch her bare skin, she would go up in flames.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked above the din.
“The best spot for viewing the fireworks. Few know of it.”
“You do.”
He leveled his gaze at her. “I know so many things.”
“So you say,” she replied airily, “but many men make claims without offering an ounce of proof.”
He stopped abruptly to face her. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“I know,” she confessed. “I cannot seem to stop myself. It’s just . . . when I’m with you . . . I feel . . .”
“You feel . . . ?”
She stared up at him. “Like myself.”
For a moment, neither moved or spoke. Then, “This way,” he said, guiding them off one of the main paths. There were people here, too, but far fewer. Their numbers grew more and more scarce, until Jess found herself completely alone with him beside a tiny pond. Little jewellike fish swam beneath the surface of the water.
“Oh, but it’s charming.” Jess pressed her fingertips to her mouth as she took in the enchanted scene. She glanced down and saw a strip of shiny fabric near the toe of her shoe. She used a fallen twig to pick up the object.
It was a garter.
She lifted one of her brows. “Is this why you brought me here?”
“You’ve found me out,” he said drily. “I’m a trophy hunter, collecting garters and drawers. I keep them in a locked cabinet beside my bed, and late at night, I take them out and groan delightedly as I throw them into the air like raked leaves.”
She snorted, then, with a flick of the twig, sent the garter spinning off into the darkness. “I’ve little desire to touch a stranger’s underclothes.”
“Then you deny yourself one of life’s greatest enjoyments.” He rested his hands on her shoulders, and her heart leapt like it had been let out of a cage. Instead of pulling her closer, he turned her so that her back was to his front.
“What are you— Ah!” The first burst of fireworks exploded. He had positioned her so that she’d see the pyrotechnic display.
Yet she’d seen such things before. Granted, the fireworks that a traveling circus troupe had used had been on a much smaller scale, but they’d impressed her. Now she had to force herself to look up at the sky and the adorning bursts of light and color. The noise was terrific, jolting her down to her marrow.
It was Noel, however, that captivated her. She tilted her head back to see him. She could watch the colors sculpt the angles of his face for hours. No doubt he’d seen the Vauxhall fireworks many times, but his expression was one of appreciation—even joy. He had every reason to be jaded by life. In some ways, he was. And yet he allowed himself the simple delight that came from watching pyrotechnics. As though he still held out hope that the world contained delightful surprises.