Chapter 25 #3
“They do,” Sebastian replied. “Society has devised a remarkably elaborate means of allowing a woman to be drenched with perfect propriety.”
She laughed. “And they willingly brave that water? It looks formidable.”
“It is,” he said. “But reportedly invigorating. I shall permit you to judge for yourself tomorrow, provided you promise not to declare war upon the first wave.”
Darcy chuckled, her attention returning to the endless motion of the sea.
It was all so alive. At last the carriage turned away from the crowded promenade, and Darcy became aware of the change immediately.
The streets grew quieter and the houses larger, set apart with the ease of wealth so established that it required no display.
She glanced at Sebastian. “You have a house here as well?”
His mouth curved faintly. “A modest one, by my family’s thoroughly unreasonable standards.”
Her gaze returned to the passing residences and the careful elegance of their pale facades.
The carriage soon halted before a handsome townhouse whose stone front caught the afternoon sun.
Servants appeared at once, the door opened, and Darcy was ushered inside, though some part of her attention remained fixed upon the ceaseless sound of the sea.
Later, when they had been settled, Sebastian turned to her.
“We shall go out this evening,” he said. “When the sun has lowered, and the crowds have thinned. Moonlight upon the water is worth seeing at least once.”
Darcy’s heart lifted at once. “I would like that very much.”
“You are tired,” he added, his tone gentler now. “Rest. The journey has not been a short one.”
She had not realized how deeply the journey had settled into her bones until that moment. The long hours in the carriage, the inns, and the constant motion had left fatigue pressing upon her with quiet insistence.
“I shall rest only a little while,” she promised, though an indelicate yawn betrayed her.
Once alone in her chamber, Darcy shed her traveling clothes without waiting for assistance and slipped naked beneath the cool sheets.
The first touch of them against her heated skin drew a low moan from her, and within moments she surrendered to sleep.
When she woke, evening had deepened outside the windows, and the last traces of daylight were fading into dusky blue.
Darcy dressed simply in a dark blue gown, soft fabric allowing easy movement. She arranged her hair in a loose braid that fell over one shoulder, leaving several dark waves free about her face, and slipped her feet into light shoes before descending.
Sebastian was waiting. He said nothing at first, but his gaze moved slowly over her, warming her more thoroughly than the fading day. “Shall we?” he asked at last, his voice carrying a faint roughness that made her newly conscious of the secluded evening ahead.
They walked in companionable silence, the distant sound of the sea growing louder with each step until it surrounded them once more. The crowds had indeed thinned, leaving stretches of the shoreline quiet, the earlier bustle replaced with a softer, more intimate atmosphere.
He led her farther along, away from the remaining clusters of people, until they reached a secluded stretch where the waves met the shore in steady, unbroken rhythm.
Darcy came to an abrupt halt at the sight before her.
Upon the pebbled shore, blankets had been layered one atop another to soften the uneven ground.
Beside them waited a basket, a plate of fruit, and a decanter of sherry, catching the pale light of the rising moon.
The arrangement was intimate without being ostentatious, each detail chosen with the same quiet attention that had begun to make her heart dangerously tender.
She turned to him, her eyes bright. “You arranged all of this?’
“I hoped you would not object.”
“Object?” Her laugh escaped, full of delight. “You appear determined to astonish me at every turn.”
His gaze softened. “Then I shall consider the journey a success.”
Without another word, Darcy slipped off her shoes and left them upon the blankets before stepping toward the water.
The pebbles shifted beneath her bare feet, cool and uneven, but she did not hesitate.
The tide reached for her, its first touch startlingly cold and drawing first a gasp, then a laugh, as she ventured farther.
The water climbed from her ankles to her calves and then her knees, each advancing wave tugging playfully at her skirts.
She looked back once, her loose braid lifting in the wind, then continued until the sea reached her waist and her dark gown clung to every curve.
Darcy tipped her head back, laughing into the cool night air as the waves pressed and retreated around her.
“This is glorious!” she cried, her voice ringing with pure, unrestrained joy.
When she looked toward the shore again, Sebastian stood motionless beside the blankets, watching her as though her delight were the only sight upon that vast coast worth seeing.
The tenderness in his expression struck more deeply than the cold water and made her happiness feel suddenly, perilously complete.