Free Love Is Blind by Lynsay Sands Page A

myself, but—as I recall now—there is a fountain near here."
    Moments later he spied the fountain and led her to it. They stood at its edge, suddenly oddly uncomfortable.
    Clarissa pretended to peer at the green smear of water before her, but her mind was wholly on Adrian. She was agonizingly aware of his presence, and even more aware of the silence that seemed to hang between them like a pall. It was most discomfiting. They had seemed to get along so well at the ball where they met, yet now that they were alone, she could not think of a thing to say. Clarissa was racking her mind when he suddenly gave a small laugh.
    "What is it?" she asked, raising her face curiously.
    "Nothing," Adrian said, then added, "I was just thinking that I am an idiot. I have been standing here in a panic, searching my mind desperately for some item of conversation to speak on. But it appears that I am a man who has lost all capacity for speech."
    Before she could protest, Adrian added, "Around Lady Clarissa, I am as nervous as a lad."
    "I am nervous also," Clarissa admitted quietly. "And I do not understand how it should be so. We seemed to have no trouble the first two times we met."
    "Nay, we did not," Adrian agreed, then turned her away from the water and said, "Fortunately, I am not a complete idiot, and I did bring something to distract us." He reached into his pocket and withdrew a dark square, then took her hand and filled it.
    "A book?" Clarissa asked with surprise.                    ,
    'Yes."
    Aware that he was leading her away from the water, she asked, "Where are we going?"
    "There is a small bower just a short distance away that offers some shade. I thought we might partake of it while I read to you."
    'You are going to read to me?" Clarissa asked with interest.
    "I recalled your saying that—above all things—what you most missed without your spectacles was being able to read. And so I thought to read to you," Adrian explained. "It will not be the same, I know, as being able to read for yourself, but hopefully it will ease your distress somewhat."
    "Oh, I am sure it will," Clarissa said quickly, touched that he was so thoughtful, and grateful that he had provided a way for them to avoid conversation until they were both less nervous.
    "What book did you bring with you?" she asked curiously as Adrian urged her to settle on a bench in a cool shady spot.
    "Ah, well, I brought 'The Rape of the Lock' by—"
    "Alexander Pope."
    "Aye," he agreed, obviously surprised that she knew the text. "Do you like him?"
    Clarissa smiled and nodded, and Adrian audibly sighed. "Well then, I shall begin."
    Chapter Six
    "Devil take you, cousin! Where have you got to?"
    Clarissa blinked in surprise and glanced around at the irritated comment. She recognized Greville's voice even as Adrian's deep, sonorous reading stumbled to a halt; then Reginald's chartreuse figure stumbled into view.
    "There you are! Dear Lord, I have been looking for you these past fifteen minutes. I shall be late returning Clarissa. We were to be gone only an hour."
    "Has it been an hour already?" Clarissa asked with disappointment. She'd been quietly enjoying listening to Adrian read.
    "She was allowed out for only an hour?" Adrian asked with a grimace. He closed the book. "Why such a paltry length of time?"
    "How long did you think we'd be expected to be gone?" Reginald asked dryly, as Adrian stood and took
    Clarissa's hand to help her rise. "We were only going out for a ride."
    'Yes, of course," Adrian said with a sigh.
    "What's that there?" Reginald asked. "Is that Pope?"
    "Aye. Clarissa has missed reading since being deprived of her spectacles, so I thought to read to her," Adrian admitted. He looked embarrassed.
    Greville grunted at the thoughtful gesture, but made no comment that might upset either of them. Instead, he turned back the way he'd come. "Let's be off. My carriage awaits, and I can hardly wait to get home and out of this ridiculous coat."
    Adrian