Knightengale smothered a laugh. “Do you daydream much?”
Milli sighed and leaned against the gnarled oak behind her, crossing her arms over her chest. There was a slight chill in the air, and she wished she had brought her shawl. “Daydream? Oh, yes. I like to think of myself as a character in one of the plays I am reading. When I was younger, imagining I was somewhere else, or someone else, always helped pass the time, especially when Papa was off to some country, and Elizabeth was, well, I don’t know where she was, at her school for young ladies, I suppose. I was with one governess or another until Papa sent me to school too.”
She let out a light chuckle. “Of course, I had to attend a few schools. Papa wasn’t pleased when one headmistress after another told him I wasn’t following the rules.” She frowned as she thought about her papa. Oh, how she missed him. “Life was rather boring until Elizabeth married Stephen, I can tell you that.”
“Do you miss your father?”
A hot ache grew in her throat. “I miss him terribly.” She turned to him, her eyes tearing up. “You are so kind to ask. Papa has been gone for two whole years now.”
“Two years?”
“Yes, and I am out of mourning now and can do just about anything I please. I am eighteen, don’t you know?”
He let out a low whistle. “An old lady for sure.”
She laughed. “Why, Lord Knightengale you do have a sense of humor after all. When I first met you, I thought you as stuffy as Marcus.”
“Marcus isn’t stuffy, he’s refined, my dear. Like a good wine. There is a difference.”
She shrugged, thinking about Marcus’s kiss and his confounded lessons. “Boring is more like it.” She shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“Just a little.”
He peeled off his jacket and hung it about her shoulders. The man was a giant. The jacket covered most of her, including her legs. Frankly, it was quite warm indeed.
She looked up at him. “You don’t think I’m a child, do you?” She picked at his jacket. “I mean, I am small for my age.”
His amused glance seemed to appreciate her finer features. “Not at all. You are quite a worthy specimen of womanhood.”
She couldn’t help but let her eyes smile back at him. “I like you.”
He leaned closer. “And I like you.” His voice was soft and inviting.
She bit her lip and stood up. Perhaps she had been too friendly. “Um, did you know there are millions of stars in the sky?”
“Are there?” He rose from his seat and moved beside her, brushing against her.
The warmth of his body made her swallow hard. Goodness, he was huge. His towering shadow blocked out the moon.
She clasped her hands together, eyeing the gravel walkway back to the ballroom. She couldn’t quite see the doors. And when had the music stopped? All she could hear was the rustling of leaves above her and the chirp of that tiny bird.
Drat. Why had she walked so far with the man? Because she had wanted to get away from Marcus, that’s why. Because she had wanted to show Marcus she was no mere child. Because she had wanted Marcus to know she could do without him taking her to the supper.
But with Knightengale hovering over her, she was thinking perhaps she should have gone straight to her bedchambers and curled up with Cleo who had been feeling under the weather.
She pulled the large jacket tighter about her body. “Well, I, uh, haven’t counted them exactly, the stars, I mean. But I’ve heard many things about the constellations. Did you ever study Galileo?”
“You know about Galileo?” He sounded surprised.
“Of course. My Papa saw to it that I was educated just as much as any man.”
“Good for him.”
He shocked her again. She lifted her gaze, her eyes wide with curiosity. “You think it good for a woman to be educated? I mean, more than they are today? With more science and math and worldly things?”
He smiled down at her. “Why not?”
The tenseness she felt evaporated. “Finally, a
Milli sighed and leaned against the gnarled oak behind her, crossing her arms over her chest. There was a slight chill in the air, and she wished she had brought her shawl. “Daydream? Oh, yes. I like to think of myself as a character in one of the plays I am reading. When I was younger, imagining I was somewhere else, or someone else, always helped pass the time, especially when Papa was off to some country, and Elizabeth was, well, I don’t know where she was, at her school for young ladies, I suppose. I was with one governess or another until Papa sent me to school too.”
She let out a light chuckle. “Of course, I had to attend a few schools. Papa wasn’t pleased when one headmistress after another told him I wasn’t following the rules.” She frowned as she thought about her papa. Oh, how she missed him. “Life was rather boring until Elizabeth married Stephen, I can tell you that.”
“Do you miss your father?”
A hot ache grew in her throat. “I miss him terribly.” She turned to him, her eyes tearing up. “You are so kind to ask. Papa has been gone for two whole years now.”
“Two years?”
“Yes, and I am out of mourning now and can do just about anything I please. I am eighteen, don’t you know?”
He let out a low whistle. “An old lady for sure.”
She laughed. “Why, Lord Knightengale you do have a sense of humor after all. When I first met you, I thought you as stuffy as Marcus.”
“Marcus isn’t stuffy, he’s refined, my dear. Like a good wine. There is a difference.”
She shrugged, thinking about Marcus’s kiss and his confounded lessons. “Boring is more like it.” She shivered.
“Are you cold?”
“Just a little.”
He peeled off his jacket and hung it about her shoulders. The man was a giant. The jacket covered most of her, including her legs. Frankly, it was quite warm indeed.
She looked up at him. “You don’t think I’m a child, do you?” She picked at his jacket. “I mean, I am small for my age.”
His amused glance seemed to appreciate her finer features. “Not at all. You are quite a worthy specimen of womanhood.”
She couldn’t help but let her eyes smile back at him. “I like you.”
He leaned closer. “And I like you.” His voice was soft and inviting.
She bit her lip and stood up. Perhaps she had been too friendly. “Um, did you know there are millions of stars in the sky?”
“Are there?” He rose from his seat and moved beside her, brushing against her.
The warmth of his body made her swallow hard. Goodness, he was huge. His towering shadow blocked out the moon.
She clasped her hands together, eyeing the gravel walkway back to the ballroom. She couldn’t quite see the doors. And when had the music stopped? All she could hear was the rustling of leaves above her and the chirp of that tiny bird.
Drat. Why had she walked so far with the man? Because she had wanted to get away from Marcus, that’s why. Because she had wanted to show Marcus she was no mere child. Because she had wanted Marcus to know she could do without him taking her to the supper.
But with Knightengale hovering over her, she was thinking perhaps she should have gone straight to her bedchambers and curled up with Cleo who had been feeling under the weather.
She pulled the large jacket tighter about her body. “Well, I, uh, haven’t counted them exactly, the stars, I mean. But I’ve heard many things about the constellations. Did you ever study Galileo?”
“You know about Galileo?” He sounded surprised.
“Of course. My Papa saw to it that I was educated just as much as any man.”
“Good for him.”
He shocked her again. She lifted her gaze, her eyes wide with curiosity. “You think it good for a woman to be educated? I mean, more than they are today? With more science and math and worldly things?”
He smiled down at her. “Why not?”
The tenseness she felt evaporated. “Finally, a
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