When he reached the window to the sitting room where Sophia stood, he tapped lightly on the window with his knuckles. Sophia didn’t appear to notice at first. With her hands braced against the mantelpiece by the fire, she was too lost in her thoughts to notice.
Jeremy tapped again, louder this time, and Sophia snapped her gaze toward him. Those dark eyes widened as she found him. She glanced once at the door of the sitting room, then she grabbed a small chair and thrust it against the door. By jamming it under the handle, she stopped any chance of that door from opening, then she hurried to the window and unlatched it, lifting up the glass.
“Jeremy! What are you doing here?” she whispered, looking out past him to the garden, clearly wary of him being seen.
“Well, fearing your letters are being interrupted, I decided it was better to come and see you in person.”
“Wait… what does that mean?”
There was a hoot of an owl beyond the window. It was enough to spook Sophia who beckoned him inside quickly. He clambered through the gap and dropped down the other side, taking off his top hat, before Sophia dropped the glass.
Jeremy felt this urge to walk toward Sophia. They were alone, after all. He could press his lips to hers and no one would notice, yet he did not have the freedom to do such a thing.
We agreed to one night of passion, and that is over. She might not welcome such kisses again.
Though her blush from when they had danced together at the ball, and the spark of each time their hands touched, told him it might not be so unwelcome.
“What were you saying about letters?” Sophia asked and stepped toward him. For one second, he thought she wanted that kiss too. She came so close it would have been easy to take. He could have placed his hands softly to her hips and drew her to him, adoring her with his lips. He imagined such kisses down her neck and across the opening of her neckline, before returning them to her lips. “Jeremy?”
“Ah, yes… the letter.” He reached inside the pocket of his jacket, looking away from her to stop the temptation. “Here, I wrote you a letter today and this was sent back to me. Did you ask your brother-in-law to write it?”
She as good as snatched it out of his hand in her eagerness to read it. He could see she had not, just in the way she pored over the letter, then her jaw fell agape.
“I was not aware of you writing to me at all! An invitation? You invited me to the theater?”
“Yes.” He smiled, unable to stop himself. “You mentioned enjoying a restoration comedy. Well, Aphra Behn’s ‘The Rover’ is being performed tomorrow night. I asked if you wanted to go with me.”
Her reaction was not something he had expected. Sophia folded her arms and let the letter hang loose off one of her hands. One eyebrow was raised and there was a rather mischievous smirk on her lips.
That look just makes me want to kiss her more.
“What?” he asked innocently, glancing to the door that was jammed shut another time, fearful of someone trying to come in at any moment.
“Correct me if I am wrong, but did you not have a rule about such things?” she asked and pushed the letter back toward him. “You once told me you only spend one night with a woman, and you certainly do not spend time with them after you have…”
“After what?” he asked, unable to stop himself being playful. “Showing passion to a woman?”
“Well, yes! I know you do not want any more passion, after all.” She looked down at the floor between them as she spoke, her cheeks coloring.
God’s wounds, I do.
Jeremy couldn’t stop himself. He moved toward her and lowered his lips to her ear, needing to be close.
“It seems I cannot stay away from you anyway.” That whisper was enough to make her hands rise to him. They curled around the edges of his waistcoat. It was such an intimate touch that he lifted his hands too. He gently brushed his fingers over the curve of her hips, listening as she gasped.
Oh, to hear more gasps like that!
“So, your invitation is to just enjoy the theater with me?” She was teasing him, pushing him further. He chuckled in her ear, loving the way she toyed with him.
“Yes, let us say that.”
“Nothing else?”
“Say yes and come with me, then I might tell you more.” He longed to tell her more now. He angled his head so that his lips hovered over hers.
Yes, just another kiss!
She looked ready to raise herself on her toes and take that kiss herself, for her eyes fell half closed.