The music ended and they bowed to each other. The captain still grinned and Frederica thought he was either playing at being a fortune-hunter or that he was the most skilled one that she had ever come across.
Captain Wallace took her hand to escort her to the side of the room, not ten feet from Samuel. The captain did not release her fingers; instead, he bent over her hand and kissed it. Thanking her profusely for being his partner. Frederica glanced to her side, to see Samuel looking like he had swallowed an ostrich egg whole. His cheeks were as red as his scarlet coat. The two gentlemen could not have been more different. Samuel scowled and Captain Wallace smirked.
Her betrothed strode purposefully towards her and slightly bowed. ‘Lady Frederica, may I have this waltz?’
‘Yes.’
He tightly gripped her right gloved hand in his large left one. He led her back onto the dance floor and then put his right arm around her waist and led her in perfect circles around the room. For all his strength and bulkiness, there was a gracefulness to his dancing. A precision that she would expect from a high-ranking officer in the army. She breathed in his scent of leather, boot-blacking, and musk. He wore no cologne, but that did not surprise her. The clean and natural scent suited him very well.
Frederica leaned in a little closer to sniff again—she was going to be a professional perfumer after all. She breathed in deeply before saying, ‘You are an accomplished dancer.’
‘Wellington requires all of his staff to be adept at the art.’
The corners of her mouth tilted upward. ‘And do you always frown at your partners? Or only the ones you are betrothed to?’
Samuel reluctantly returned her smile and nodded his head in the direction of the captain. ‘You seemed to enjoy dancing with young Wallace. A Scot, I believe, and the younger son of the Earl of Inverness.’
‘I did,’ she said in her sauciest voice. ‘He is so handsome and there is something irresistible about an accent. I could listen to him speak for hours.’
He snorted, his lips forming a grim line.
If he were one of her unwanted suitors, she would have allowed him to remain jealous. But he was not. Like it or not, without love, but with a company and a dukedom, they were getting married.
Leaning closer, her nose brushed his. ‘Captain Wallace was describing what he is looking for in a wife—a pair of lovely eyes and pots of money. I, alas, do not qualify. Not being nearly rich enough to meet his basic needs as a second son.’
Samuel’s lips twitched as if he were fighting them not to grin; his military training must have won out, for he kept his mouth straight. ‘Are you ever serious?’
‘Occasionally, when the time requires. And never while dancing. I love to dance.’
‘Well, I would seriously like to take you outside.’
Was it a challenge? She could not and would not back down. She was not a green debutante, she knew exactly what her betrothed wanted to do out there. Perhaps if they talked less and kissed more, they would have a rather good relationship on the whole. Not that she was eager for his embraces. Of course not. This was a battle for dominance and she intended to win it. ‘What a pleasant thought. I should like that very much.’
He turned her abruptly and led her to the opposite side of the room near the door to an antechamber and into the courtyard. They walked past the gravel walkway to the green grass in the centre to a secluded nook behind a statue and shadowed by a large circular bush. Samuel stopped, still holding her hand.
Ignoring the fluttery feeling in her stomach, she shook her head. ‘Surely, a seasoned officer like yourself knows better than to stop at the first bush? It is always wiser to go farther back. You are less likely to find a previous occupant, or to get caught kissing by a chaperone.’
One corner of his lips tilted upward. ‘Is that why you think I brought you out here?’
‘Of course!’
Frederica pulled his hand, leading him farther into the dark garden. She did not stop until they were in a corner that was blocked on one side by a stone wall and the other by a prickly rose bush. ‘Now this spot is quite secluded.’
Samuel’s grip on her hand tightened slightly. ‘Have you been to many secluded spots?’
Wrapping her arms around Samuel’s neck, she pressed her body against his. He was all firmness and tight muscles. His brawn made her feel small, a rare thing for a voluptuous woman. ‘A lady never kisses and tells.’
‘Neither does a gentleman,’ he said, before slanting his mouth to hers.
She could feel him everywhere, for he was about her same height. His muscular thighs pressed against hers. It was wickedly exciting. His lips moved over and over hers in a beautiful rhythm, almost like music. Frederica ran her fingers through his short, thick hair, eliciting a soft moan from Samuel. She pulled his hair slightly, before opening her mouth and deepening the kiss. He responded by tightening his hold on her. The pressure of his lips matching the pressure of his arms. It was heaven. Even better than kissing Conte de Ferrari, the fiery Italian she had met whilst her family were staying in Rome.
When he nibbled on her lower lip, it was more exciting than reading the most sensational Gothic novel. Her imagination was nothing on the reality of his embraces. Samuel moved his mouth from hers and made a trail of kisses to her throat, still holding her tightly in his arms. She could hear his heart thundering in his chest. Her own heart was just as loud and wild.
Frederica placed her two hands on his chest and pushed him away slightly, but stayed encircled in his strong arms. ‘Why did you bring me here?’
‘A singularly stupid question,’ Samuel answered, pulling her back to him and kissing her neck in a sensitive spot below her ear.
She could not help herself, she purred like a kitten. She’d always enjoyed kissing and Samuel was rather good at it. She allowed him several more kisses before she gently pushed him farther away from her. ‘One more singularly stupid question—have you ever been in love?’