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Richard leaned back on his hands. “Well, Vane stumbled upon my sister in the corridor right outside the Duchess of Somerset’s ballroom and the pair fell tits over arse.”
Miss Claremont let out a laugh again. “What happened next?”
“Conveniently, a pair of gossiping old ladies came out of the ballroom right that moment and assumed they were witnessing rather a brazen affair.”
“Oh, no. It can’t be!” Miss Claremont’s eyes twinkled with merriment.
Richard paused for a moment to catch his breath. He cleared his throat and forced his eyes off her. “Yes, and naturally, scandal followed. Isabel refused to marry Vane at first, and that resulted in our quite spectacular fall from grace.”
“Why didn’t you insist on marriage?” she asked rather curiously.
Richard shrugged. “And have my sister be miserable? All because two old crones couldn’t keep their lips sealed? Seemed rather unfair.”
“But she married him still,” she said and waved her hand, encompassing the gardens and the house.
“She did. And I hope she won’t come to regret it. Although, quite surprisingly, they seem to have fallen in love.” His voice sounded bitter to his own ears.
“You don’t believe in love?”
Richard swallowed. It was a difficult question. One he didn’t know the answer to himself. “I believe my sister when she says that what she feels is love. I suppose I just don’t believe her husband is worthy of it.”
Miss Claremont laughed again. “I think it would be better for your peace of mind to believe that they are indeed in love.”
Richard snorted. “Yes. And I believe that my sister knows it.”
Miss Claremont cocked her head to the side and studied him with a frown. “You think she is feigning her delight so you do not worry?”
Richard shrugged. “It’s possible. How am I to know?”
She smiled suddenly, her lips settling into a beautiful curve. “I think you only need to look at them once to know that the love between them is real.”
Richard chuckled hoarsely. “I would never take you for a woman who believed in such a maudlin sentiment.”
She pursed her lips. “I am not as jaded as you, my lord. I do believe love exists. I just do not believe it’s a feeling suited for me.”
Richard frowned, trying to guess her motivations, but he couldn’t. She was a closed book to him. “You think that love is not for you and neither are liaisons. What feelings are for you, Miss Claremont?”
She laughed but didn’t answer. Instead, she leaned back on her hands and threw back her head, watching the stars.
He studied the soft curve of her neck, her plump, shapely lips for a long moment, before assuming the same pose and turning to the sky.
He widened his arms to better accommodate his weight and brushed his little finger against hers. Accidentally… at first.
He raised his finger and brushed her skin again. She didn’t say anything. As if she hadn’t noticed. But he knew that she had. Her breath hitched, and gooseflesh ran across her skin.
Slowly, his second finger was circling over her knuckles. She moved her fingers, grazing them against his.
Richard became bolder and covered her hand with his. She didn’t say anything. It was as though she didn’t notice. Except she widened her fingers until they entwined with his. Richard smiled, his thumb still brushing over her skin.
“I love watching the stars,” she said on a sigh.
One side of his mouth kicked up in a smile. “Sam, my youngest sister, was interested in astronomy. She loved it. Devoured the books. Our father even bought her a telescope.”
“How lovely. And what about you? Did you like astronomy as well?”
He shrugged. “I watched the stars with her a few times. I was more into marine biology.”
“Truly?” She turned toward him, her eyes widening with surprise.
