The Lady Dances
Chapter twenty-nine
With her hand on Christopher’s arm, Juliet moved onto the dance floor.
It was an odd feeling, and she half expected her grandmother to interfere, to ask her to bring her some lemonade or assist her into a chair.
After all, whenever a gentleman had asked for a dance over the past few years—as seldom as it had happened—her grandmother had always interfered.
Each and every time.
“You look confused?” Christopher remarked as he pulled her into his arms. “Do you not wish to dance? If not, we can—”
“No, I do wish to dance,” Juliet assured him, realizing how much she longed for it. Before, it had never mattered to her because the ones who had asked had been nothing more than mere acquaintances. But this was Christopher! And she wanted to dance with him. “With you. Only with you.”
The smile that came to Christopher’s face made her feel weak in the knees, and his hands instantly held her tighter, as though he knew.
Perhaps he did.
“I saw you dance with Samantha,” Juliet remarked, remembering the warmth that had swept through her at the sight, the way he had spoken to the girl, twirled her around, the joy in his eyes as well as the longing, no doubt for his own child.
“She’s adorable.”
Juliet nodded. “So are you. You are a wonderful father. I can tell.” Despite her lack of practice, in Christopher’s arms, she moved effortlessly across the dance floor. “You miss him terribly, do you not?”
Swallowing, Christopher nodded. “I need to return to Ireland,” he replied earnestly, “but first, I need to speak to you.” He glanced past her toward her family. “Do you think we can sneak away?”
Happiness surged through Juliet, and she smiled.
“Oh, please, let’s! Before my sisters drag over another gentleman.
If only I knew who they wish to match me with; yet there seems to be no one in particular.
Do they not care who—?” She broke off as she saw a wickedly enchanting glow come to Christopher’s face. “What is it?”
Smiling, Christopher once more glanced beyond her shoulder. “I know who they are trying to match you with.”
A shudder went through Juliet, and her hand tensed upon his. “Who?” she asked breathlessly, uncertain whether she wanted to hear the answer.
A wide grin came to Christopher’s face as he lowered his head to hers another fraction.
His warm brown eyes looked into hers, and Juliet could not help but feel that whatever he was about to say…
would be welcome news after all. “Me,” he finally said, a disbelieving chuckle rumbling in his throat. “They’re trying to match you with me.”
Stunned, Juliet stared up at him. “No, that can’t be true. Not once did they suggest…” She shook her head, still staring at him. “But you said that grandmother told you that…” Confusion entangled her thoughts, and Juliet no longer knew how to express them.
“It was a ploy,” Christopher explained, amusement dancing in his eyes. “It seems your grandmother has known for years how I feel about you, how you feel about me. She was determined to ensure you would not marry another until I finally realized that you belonged with me.”
Juliet felt her jaw drop, remembering all those times when her grandmother had prevented her from stepping out into the world, from dancing and conversing with potential suitors. “Are you certain?”
Christopher nodded. “She confessed it to me herself. Apparently, she recently even enlisted the help of your sisters to ensure that this time around we would finally realize that we belong together.”
Christopher’s words once more conjured her sisters’ discussion about matching Sarah with a good man, a man who conveniently had been Christopher.
Juliet still recalled how her heart had ached at the possibility of losing Christopher to another, even to a friend.
“They wanted to make me jealous,” she exclaimed in a whisper, disbelief flooding her being.
“They spoke of matching you to a friend of ours and I…I…”
Christopher grinned. “You were jealous?” Delight stood upon his face.
Juliet sighed. “Yes, I was. Does that surprise you?”
“It pleases me,” he whispered the moment the music faded away, and the dance came to an end. “Come with me. Now.” He grasped her arm, and together, they hurried out of the ballroom and along a darkened corridor.
Juliet felt her heart beat wildly in her chest, reveling in the receding voices coming from the ballroom. Shadows wrapped around them, guiding them onward, the only sound now the echo of their footsteps. Then Christopher threw open the door to the library and drew her inside.
Fortunately, a fire burned in the grate, its orange flames dancing like the guests in the ballroom and its waves of warmth chasing away the night’s chill. Juliet was about to move toward it when Christopher’s hand on her arm pulled her back and into his embrace.
Pushing her against the door, he moved closer, his eyes almost black in the dim light. “I cannot stop thinking about kissing you,” he whispered, his voice hoarse as he leaned his forehead against hers.
Juliet reached to touch his face, feeling the tantalizing warmth of his breath against her lips. “I feel the same,” she replied with a gasp as he tenderly grasped her chin and tilted up her head.
“May I?” Christopher asked, the yearning look in his eyes stealing the breath from her lungs.
“Always,” was all Juliet managed to say before his mouth claimed hers. Never would she tire of this feeling, and the thought that she might never have known it twisted and turned her insides painfully.
Only a few weeks ago, Juliet had been certain of her path.
She had been certain she would never be a wife and mother, urging herself to be content with being an aunt and a daughter.
She remembered well how her sisters had discussed their first kisses.
Had that already been part of her grandmother’s plan?
Had she sought to make Juliet realize her own lies?
Indeed, it had been that day that Juliet had blurted out her request to Christopher, that day that she had asked him for a kiss. It had set everything in motion, had it not?
Clinging to the man she loved, Juliet remembered her sisters’ words, their recounting of their first kisses with their husbands. Yes, Juliet had been forced to be patient, to wait until she had all but given up hope.
But it had been worth it.
When it had finally come, their first kiss had been achingly beautiful.
They had just confessed their love for each other, and the way they had fallen into each other’s arms had whispered of the separation that circumstances had forced upon them.
Yes, they had lost time, but perhaps they had needed that time to become the people they were today, only now realizing how deeply they cared for one another.
“I love the way you kiss,” Christopher whispered against her lips, the tips of his fingers grazing her skin as he brushed a curl behind her ear.
Feeling herself blush, Juliet chuckled. “You’re an awful tease.” With her teeth digging into her lower lip, she looked up at him.
“I mean every word,” Christopher rasped, then dipped his head and kissed her again. “I don’t ever want to see you from my arms.”
Juliet smiled against his lips. “I’m happy to stay where I am until the end of my days.” She pulled him closer.
“That sounds like an impeccable plan.”
“I’m very proud of it,” Juliet managed to reply before another kiss claimed her lips. Holding him close, she could have happily died in that moment.