Son of a rogue and a gypsy, Hero Fiennes Tiffin was a notorious rake until a shattering betrayal left him alone and embittered in the Welsh countryside. Desperation drives quiet schoolteacher Josephine Langford to ask Hero Fiennes Tiffin to help sav...
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Josephine slept very little, but in the dark reaches of the night she found a bleak kind of balance. A good Methodist should be guided by inner knowing, and the only inner knowledge she had was that she wanted to be with Hero for as long as possible. Not as his lover; she doubted that she would ever be able to forgive herself for such a devastating moral lapse.
But as she looked back at the time she had spent with him, the scenes were etched in her mind in vivid color. Next to that, the rest of her life appeared in shades of faded gray. This was the high noon of her life, and she sensed that when the three months were over, nothing and no one would ever move her as deeply as Hero. That being the case, since she was undoubtedly going to hell anyhow, she might as well enjoy the time with him rather than berate herself for her wickedness. She would have the rest of her life for repentance.
Though she dressed with care, she assumed that Hero would sleep late, since he had probably stayed up until the wee hours with Lord Strathmore. She was surprised when he emerged from the breakfast parlor as she came down the stairs.
He met her when she reached the bottom step and blocked her path. Without saying a word, he drew her into his arms and kissed her. Since she was standing on a step, they were almost the same height, which proved wonderfully convenient. His embrace held tenderness and a surprising element of yearning. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, she wondered if he too had experienced loneliness in the night.
When the kiss ended, they stayed in each other's arms. A little shyly, Josephine said, "You've claimed your kiss very early."
"I like to surprise you. If you want another today, you'll have to initiate it yourself. I'll cooperate if I'm in the mood." Though his words were light, his eyes searched hers intently. "I'm going to be tied up with business for most of the day, but I'll be back by late afternoon. Is there anything you would particularly like to do this evening?"
"I've always had a secret yen to visit Astley's Amphitheatre," she confessed. "Would that be possible?"
His eyes began to sparkle. "You've a taste for clowns and equestrians? Easily done—there should be a show tonight. Think about what else you'd like to see in London. There should be guidebooks in the library." He put an arm around her waist and they went companionably in to breakfast.
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