Isn’t that what a gentleman does? Rescues a damsel in distress?
You are brave and loyal and true. You have such a good heart.” He held my hand close to his chest and covered it with his other hand. “It is only afraid. But I would take such good care of it, love, if you would give it to me.
If I leaned toward him, something would happen. I was sure of it. But if I leaned away, nothing would happen. So I stayed perfectly still, balanced between something and nothing, not knowing which way I wanted to fall.
I will always want her,” Philip said in a quiet, furious voice. “Always! There is nothing you could do to change that.
Where is your compassion when i need it most? Open your eyes, love, and see what is right before you: that I am not merely a friend, but a man deeply, desperately, in love with you.
I long to touch your blushing cheek, to whisper in your ear how I adore you, how I have lost my heart to you, how I cannot bear the thought of living without you.
I think of marriage differently. A Companionship of like minds. A tie that binds, yes, but in the binding comes strength. A lifetime with your dearest friend as your truest and best companion. That is what it can be. I believe that.
You needn’t believe in something for it to be real, miss.
He held my gaze for a long moment. I realized that the fire was very warm, and that I was standing very close to a very handsome gentleman who held my hand in his. Philip looked down. “You brave girl,” he murmured, running a light finger along my palm. It was so soft a touch that it did not hurt at all. But it did send a wave of feeling through my hand, up my arm, all the way to my heart. I had never experienced such a sensation before, and I found it completely unnerving.
Don’t think because I like to tease you that I don’t take you seriously,” he said in a quiet voice. “It is an honor to know what’s in your heart, Marianne.
Did he hurt you?” The emotion I was trying to suppress clawed at my throat, unleashed by the gentleness in Philip’s voice. Without warning, a tear slipped down my cheek. I swiped it away.
I thought you said he didn’t hurt you.” His voice was harsh. When he looked into my eyes, my heart turned over. He looked angry and rather dangerous, and all the more handsome for it.
Don’t let others expectations direct the course of your life.