Chase released his latest dance partner back to her hopeful looking Mama, and turned away with relief, intending to seek out a drink to fortify himself before selecting the next young lady to torture himself with. Automatically, he looked for Lady Theodora, and was surprised to see her slip from the room. Frowning, he wondered where she had gone.
A few minutes later, drink in hand, he casually scanned the room again. She wasn’t there. It was, of course, none of his business where she was. Perhaps she needed the ladies’ retiring room. Still, he found that he wanted to know.
Downing the drink, he deposited the glass with a passing footman and, before he could think too closely about his actions, left the room through the same door that Lady Theodora had used. The empty hallway led towards the back of the house, and whilst internally he argued with himself about what he was doing, his feet had no doubts – he proceeded down the hallway, looking for any sign of where she might be.
He felt a bit of a fool, wandering the corridors of a house he didn’t know, on the off-chance of finding a girl he shouldn’t be looking for, who might not want to see him even if he found her. But he kept walking.
Right at the end of the hallway, a partially ajar door released a strip of light onto the floor – perhaps she was there? Chase slowed as he reached it – what was he doing? But he kept walking, until he could see, through the partially open door, that it was, indeed, Lady Theodora in the room – alone.
His heart beat faster. He should turn and walk away. She sat in a large armchair, a book on her lap, staring into the fire. He wondered what she was thinking about.
She was beautiful, in a charming, unstudied way. The red gold light from the fire made the gold tissue lace of her dress glitter, and the red and gold tones in her hair echoed the flames. Again, he felt that urge to pull all of the pins from her hair and tangle his hands in it.
Without conscious though, he found himself moving. He stepped quietly through the door, and, just as quietly, shut it behind him. An internal voice screamed at him to get out – for to be found alone with her here would surely result in scandal and marriage. He ruthlessly silenced the voice, and stepped forward.
~~~~~
Tia stared at the flames, unseeing. All she saw, instead, was his face, as he had looked at her when they danced. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there, and she didn’t care. This was infinitely more pleasant than dancing with fops and boors.
Then something broke through her dreaming. A sound?
Perhaps the quiet ‘snick’ of the door closing?
She turned, feeling still in the dream, and saw him walking across the room towards her. She did not consider the fact that he should not be there, or that she should not be alone with a gentleman. In the dream, it was entirely reasonable, nay utterly desirable, that he be there.
Tia stood, rising smoothly from the chair, the book falling, unnoticed, to the rug at her feet. She walked towards him, her eyes on his, her heart in her eyes. Somehow, she discovered, her hands were reaching for him, and he took them in his, bringing them to his lips. He turned each hand, and kissed her palms, taking her breath away with the sensation, as a heated tingling spread out from the point of each kiss.
He released her hands to fall naturally on his shoulders, and pulled her against him, one hand around her waist, and the other cradling the back of her neck. She went willingly into his embrace, her heart beating hard and her breath coming faster as she felt the hard planes of his body pressed against her softness. It was her dream – but this was real, at least she thought it was.
And then his head came down to hers, his lips brushed hers, softly at first, then harder, as he deepened the kiss. Tia stilled, unsure, then, as if she had always known how, she began to kiss him in return. His tongue traced the lines of her lips, and she gasped at the sensation, then melted against him as his tongue explored her mouth. Tentatively, she explored his in turn.
Heat rushed through her body, leaving her tingling in ways she had never felt before. It was then that she was certain that this was real, that she had not fallen asleep in the chair, and dreamed of his kiss, but that he was really here, in her arms, kissing her. For there was so much more to the kiss than she had ever imagined. It was beyond what she could have imagined, deliciously, intensely more.
His hands slid over her body, gentle caresses, which aroused her, and held her, making her feel wanted, needed, and utterly safe. That this was, in any way, contradictory, did not occur to her.
Eventually, after some unknown length of time, which was both forever, and not long enough, he pulled back from her with a groan. Tia heard a little moan of denial escape her own lips at the loss of his touch.
They stood, still close but no longer touching, simply looking at each other, both, it seemed, stunned by the intensity of their kiss. At almost the same moment, they both become conscious of the fact that they should not be here, alone. But Tia could not speak, she had no compass for a moment like this, and did not want to break the dreamlike state.
“Lady Theodora, it seems I must apologise. That was very wrong of me. But…. I cannot say that I am sorry it happened, however inappropriate it may have been.” His voice was warm, caressing, and the look in his eyes told her how much he had wanted it – as much as she had, or perhaps, even more.
“Your Grace, I am in agreement. I am not sorry either, although indeed tis most inappropriate.” Tia’s eyes sparkled with a sense of mischief he found enchanting, and the fact that she simply agreed with him, rather than instantly screaming ‘compromise’ and attempting to trap him into marriage was more attractive than anything else she might have done.
His face lit with a smile and, after a moment, he laughed, causing Tia also to burst into laughter. It seemed so silly, that such a wonderful thing should be something to apologise for.
He reached for her hand again, and, bowing over it, as his touch sent waves of tingling warmth through her, kissed her hand slowly, then standing, reluctantly released it as he spoke.
“My Lady, to protect your honour, I will leave you now. But I will, of a certainty, seek your company in a more suitable way tomorrow.” Bowing again, he turned and left the room. Tia thought that perhaps she should have spoken, then realised that it wasn’t necessary – for, unquestionably, he knew how she felt. And that was a remarkable and wonderful thing, all of itself.
~~~~~
Chase felt bemused, detached from reality, as if he had stepped into a strange dream. What had he just done? And why? He had always made it a rule not to in any way corrupt innocents, or take advantage of young ladies, lest he end up married to them. Yet he had just voluntarily put himself in a position which could easily have resulted in them being discovered, and forced to marry.
How had he known that she would not reject him, that she would not cry ‘compromise’? He had no idea, yet he had been certain. It had seemed dreamlike, completely right. She had just walked into his arms, as if she had been expecting him.
And the kiss had been remarkable, he could not quite define how or why – it had simply been more than any previous kiss in his life. In a situation where he might have been expected to run as fast as he could, congratulating himself on a close escape, he had, instead, truly meant it when he had said that he would seek out her company tomorrow, in a more appropriate manner.
Lady Theodora was an unexpected delight. Beautiful, willing to be unconventional, not, it appeared, interested in gossip or spite, with a sharp wit and an honest open manner. About as opposite from most of the young ladies he was acquainted with as was possible.
For the first time ever, Chase contemplated the idea that, perhaps, a female could be good to be around for more than just physical gratification. Perhaps, now he had the tiniest insight into the sort of relationship that some of his friends had found.