Chapter 4

“ R AVISHED YOU, DID I?” It was a cocky thing to say. As well as entirely impolite. But he couldn’t help himself. Henry was all clichés this morning. He was sitting on top of the world. Floating on clouds. He felt young again.

“Apparently we weren’t as discreet as we thought we were.” As they strolled down the pathway, Philomena and Henry left Paulina on the garden bench in view of them. Well, in view for now.

Hand on heart, Henry offered, “I must confess to eavesdropping.”

“I’m not sure if that makes the situation any better or any worse.”

“It is what it is.”

“True.”

He could tell that Philomena was nervous. Hell, he was nervous. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he felt a wee bit anxious. Last night was an unforgettable memory engraved on his brain. Like a rare coin.

He still wasn’t sure what to do about it though. Having given his word to his mother that she could pick his wife, and knowing that this house party was designed so he could deliver on that promise, he felt more than a wee bit stuck.

And these little wee bits of emotion were more than a wee bit vexing. It was perhaps more vexing that Philomena wasn’t giving any indication of her thoughts or feelings on the matter. She was almost a touch cold since their flaming encounter.

It would be simple if one of two options could happen. One, everything could go back to the way it was before. Two, he could marry Philomena. It seemed that while both were simple in theory, they were both impossible in execution. At least for the time being. He didn’t want to humiliate his mother who had invited—summoned—the three women here. He also didn’t want to undermine her or betray her by reneging on his promise.

But he also knew, and more than just a wee bit, that he wanted to make sure that the second option happened. That is to say, he wanted to marry Philomena. Wee’s aside, (really, where those had come from he didn’t know, for he wasn’t even Scottish), he knew his heart.

“What are you grinning about?”

There was no denying it. “You.”

Philomena’s eyes rounded and her brows flung wide.

“It’s true.”

“Well…”

It was cute to see her stuttering. He had never seen this side of her before. Knowing her only as a friend, trustworthy, reliable, confident. After last night he could add passionate and shaken to the list, too.

“Did you arrange any flowers this morning?”

“I’m not always tweaking a posy.”

“Just usually.”

“Exactly. Sometimes I’m sketching said bouquet,” she said with a smirk.

There it was. Some of the coldness melting away. The intoxicating combination of friend and tease. And now as she teased him, it felt entirely different. Worlds. Clouds. Youth. It all rushed to the forefront of his mind. As they walked down the garden path, trees and their branches reached out overhead, shadowing the way ahead.

He wanted to do something silly. He knew it was silly before he even did it. He hadn’t done something so brainless since being a boy. But, well, worlds, clouds, youth, and all that. That’s all he could think. He jumped up and latched onto one of the overhanging branches and made to swing on it.

“Henry, what are you doing?” Each word was emphasized equally.

“Just swinging in a tree.”

“I can see that. But why are you doing that?”

“Just felt like it—”

And then the branch snapped. And Henry fell on his bum while a cloud of dust encapsulated him like a globe. So much for being young.

“Henry,” Philomena cried. “Are you all right?”

“Of course,” he tried to say with some dignity. “I’m fine.” He put his palms on the dirt to stand but before he could move, Philomena was on her knees beside him. “Perhaps I’m not all right.” He leaned back to rest his head on the grass. Might as well milk this tenderness for all it was worth.

“Henry, you scared me.”

“I did?”

A gush of air broke from Philomena’s lungs. He hated to see her in any kind of distress. Had always hated to see that. Fortunately, she was not the type to be easily overwhelmed. In this moment, her concern was apparent but it was easy to reassure her.

“I’m fine, sweetheart. I just need a little TLC.”

“What’s TLC?”

“Tender loving care.” He grinned up at her concerned eyes. “I think I just made that up. But I still want it.” The coldness was gone and in its place was the warmest smile. Glowing. Radiating. Just for him.

How many times had they shared a smile? He couldn’t count. But this was so much different than before. Before, they were friends. They talked about everything together, shared secrets, important news, and even trivial matters. No topics were untouchable. Only their bodies. And then that had changed. It seemed like such a natural progression, when he thought about it. He wanted to share everything with her. That’s why she was one of the first people he sought out when he found his most recent coin. Why not want to share his life with her? Why not? With that luminescent smile directed at him, he couldn’t think of a single reason not to. Not even his mother counted as a reason against.

“You’re adorable,” Philomena said sweetly.

“I am? You’ve never called me that before.”

“Well, clearly something has changed between us.”

“I didn’t think you were ready to admit it.”

Her voice was raspy. “I don’t think I can deny it much longer.”

The tone and texture of her voice coated his cock. It began to throb. Remembering what had happened the previous evening, he knew he was in trouble. He wanted her. In the gardens. On the grass. Now.

“No one’s watching us.”

Wide-eyed, she unexpectedly asked, “What do you have in mind?”