Sophia eschewed the heavy lavender-scented quilts Robbie spread upon the ground and sat on the stone bench beside Juliana. It seemed natural for Dominic to sit on the grass at Juliana's feet, his thick golden hair so close she would have only to reach out her hand to run her fingers through the curls.
Goodness, the lump on my head must have addled my brains, she told herself sternly. Folding her fingers tightly together, she looked up to where Robbie ran his bow tentatively over the strings of the violin. Soft notes filled the garden weaving a gentle serenity. She could hear Sophia sigh softly beside her, and Dominic leaned his head back against the edge of her bench. Suddenly the mood changed, great trills of notes enticed them to keep time to the lively music while Mrs. Forbes tapped her tambourine. Juliana could envision bare feet stamping and bright skirts twirling to the sparkling tune.
Then suddenly Robbie was singing and the violin became sweet, haunting strings. The theme of the music was earthly passion. The songs sprang from every country and every age of Romany wanderings. Songs eerie with the yearnings of long-forgotten lovers, with lost tears and remembered laughter. Songs that spoke directly to the heart.
She looked at Dominic. The moonlight defined his profile. Perhaps he felt her gaze, for he turned and rested his wide and solemn eyes upon her.
Drugged with the beauty of the music, she did not look away when she should have, but instead let the sweetness of the moment fill her with a warmth that ran like fire through her blood.
The last note faded into the darkness and Juliana, dragging her gaze from the marquis's face, looked hazily around her. Tears stood in Aunt Sophia's gray eyes. Freddie, looking very young, nibbled thoughtfully on a thumb while gazing at Robbie.
Juliana caught Mrs. Forbes's eyes from where she stood near her grandson's shoulder and felt that for some minutes she had been watching her. Her browned and work-worn hand suddenly touched Robbie's arm, and he lowered the violin to his side.
They all sat silent, faintly dazed, until Mrs. Forbes spoke. "It is late. Robbie will see you to your rooms now."
They rose in silence, the magic of the haunting melodies having bewitched them, and Sophia placed her hand on Freddie's arm, moving back into the inn.
Juliana lingered in the midst of Mrs. Forbes's garden, unwilling to let her feelings go. She felt as if she had just come awake after a long sleep. Life was different somehow. The world had moved forward without her. Taking this trip to London was the right choice. She'd lived in the past with memories and regrets for too long. It was time to begin anew.
When she made no move to follow the others, Dominic stepped closer to her and they were breathing the same air, perfumed by an exotic mingle of flowers. Moonlight bathed his face with gilt, and Juliana felt her bones had turned to liquid and were flowing away leaving her weightless. All of her excitement, her emotional response to the music, had to come from her decision to go forward with her life. It couldn't have anything to do with being alone in the moonlight with the marquis.
"The music was … lovely, wasn't it?" she breathed, forcing herself to speak.
"Lovely … yes," he whispered languorously, lifting her hand, turning it over to brush the inside of her wrist with his lips. He raised his eyes to her face and she met his look openly. What he saw there curled his mouth into a smile, and he twined their fingers together leading her deeper into the night garden.
Willingly she followed him into the shadows, captivated by the tenderness in his voice, the softness of his lips on her wrist, the gypsy music lingering at the edge of her consciousness. She could touch now the excitement she had felt earlier. It was here at her fingertips.
They turned a corner on the pathway and were before the brick wall that protected the little garden. Dominic stopped, turning her to him, his face starkly beautiful in the moonlight. Slowly he raised his hands, twining his fingers deeply into the curls resting on her shoulders, and whispered her name. "Juliana."
The rich timbre of his voice saying her name evoked a memory, a cherished memory of Will saying her name with that same longing. And with that memory came the desire to feel again those feelings that Will had awakened in her. But she knew these yearnings were different; she had changed and this man was not her beloved Will. The feelings he evoked were not of a comfortable secure love, but of a turbulent passion that could pull her over an edge into unknown depths of emotion. But it seemed right, a natural part of this night and this place to tilt her head back to gaze up at him. His eyes flashed sapphire lights, igniting the fires of excitement so they burned within her. A whisper of fear sent a chill down her arms. His hands settled on her shoulders, propelling her gently into the warmth of his embrace. Juliana knew she ought not to close her eyes, but she did anyway. She could feel his mouth hovering above hers, warming her lips, stroking them with his sweet, wine-scented breath before slowly they touched.
I shouldn't be doing this, her mind flashed a warning, but it had been too long since she had been kissed, so Juliana quieted that voice, pleading for just one more moment. One more moment to feel this strange delight. Her hands went up to his chest to feel the strong steady beat beneath his jacket. It quickened slightly when his lips pressed hers again, more urgently this time. Cool and dry, his searching lips taught her a lesson that had long been hidden from her.
"Juliana … so soft, so perfect," that enchanting voice whispered. His finger gently caressed her cheek and she slowly opened her eyes.
It was not like Will at all. It was like no feeling Will had ever evoked, not even during his careful, gentle lovemaking. This man took possession with one kiss as sweet, gentle Will never had in their month of marriage.
The slamming of a door brought Juliana out of her daze. Light flashed along the path and a brisk step broke them apart.
"Your lordship?" Mrs. Forbes's voice shattered the spell. "Bring the young miss in. The night air will bring an inflammation of the lung. Hurry now."
Turning back the way they had come, Dominic's arm encircled her waist and she leaned against him following Mrs. Forbes's retreating back. The heady perfume of night-blooming jasmine overpowered all the other scents in the garden. The air was heavy with it, pressing against her. The path seemed uneven now, and she stumbled slightly, but was caught firmly in his strong arms.
She needed to say something to him, needed to understand what was happening, but was unsure of what she wanted to know. Nevertheless she tilted her head against her shoulder, whispering, "Dominic … "
He placed two fingers over her parted lips. "In the morning … Juliana. We will talk in the morning."
Chapter 3
From her bedroom window Juliana saw the sun rise over Mrs. Forbes's garden wall, now such an ordinary rose brick, so unlike the enchanted bower of the night before. She had not closed her eyes all night. At one point, in the dark, chill hours, she had lit her bedside candle to search through her luggage until she found her jewel case. Taking out the locket containing Will's and Sir Timothy's pictures, she had placed it under her pillow. She wasn't quite sure why she had done that, perhaps because suddenly Wentworth Park and the life she had lived there seemed very far away.
She tried to blame these feelings on the excitement of the trip to London and the anticipation she felt. She tried to blame her sudden eagerness for life on the romantic atmosphere created by Robbie's violin. She tried to blame those moments of madness in the garden on the moonlight: any reason, any other reason than the marquis himself. But she could not deny that Dominic Crawford, Marquis of Aubrey, was the reason she had not slept. His fingers pressing hers, his arms enfolding her, his lips caressing hers, awakening a new joy, freeing a flood of emotion she had thought locked away forever. He had understood, she had seen it in his eyes. And when he had said they would talk in the morning, she knew he, like she, was unable to break the spell around them. That he, like she, needed time to consider the strange affinity between them.
Somewhere in the distance a cock crowed. Everyone would be awake soon. She would once again see the marquis. The thought both frightened and pleased her. Juliana was not sure which emotion was stronger.