page41 (1/2)

“To kiss me,” she whispered

Sout “I hope I did not disappoint” The remarkably intimate nature of their conversation did not escape his awareness

“Are you fishing for flattery?”

“A gentleman’s vanity needs to be stroked occasionally,” hehis eyes from her smile His heart pounded in a manner he did not understand and may never do

“I daresay it was beyond wonderful” Callisto lowered her eyes and blatantly pretended to be intrigued by the array of cakes and gingerbread on the platter Except the tip of her ears and her cheeks burned a bright red

Everything inside of Graham collapsed And I feel like I want to be your last Yet he did not say it, instead he plucked one of the titles she had selected—Ees and read With a jubilant sigh, she placed both elbows on the table and popped a piece of gingerbread in her hly iasped and held her breath as if she were the one reading Knowing he had such a captivatingly rapt audience, Grahaed his voice to reflect each character

This brought such laughter fro him with joy

“Good heavens,” she said, still chuckling “I know no feh squeal I am affronted on behalf of my sex!”

Never had he felt contenth his heart They ate, read, and laughed Of course, she gobbled the cakes and gingerbread as she did everything—with zest and her entire heart

They argued about the last piece of cake which ended with it being shared He told her of thefor Parliament, the countless hours of research and preparation it took, and sometimes the worry he felt about whether he would acquit himself honorably to the earldom when he inherited

“You will!” She had reassured hith and honor”

What did he like—horses, restoring a beautiful hons of its Tudor architecture, and reading How happy that had made her for they now had a co that, ‘inside the pages of every book was a whole other world that she could get lost in’

She also enjoyed dancing Though she had never danced the waltz despite having learned th

e steps and for her first and only Season in London, her father had fallen ill, and she had returned to Suffolk, where they had resided After they had co with her mother and sister, had to leave their beloved homes so a distant cousin could inherit There had been no money or time for another Season, as they had directed their efforts on keeping their heads above water without losing their reputations

As she recounted the tale candidly, Callisto hadn’t seemed to resent her situation but appeared as a woman who understood life at times threw brutal punches, and it was the character of the person which deter back up with lively purpose