She walked toward him, and he reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers as though it were the most natural thing in the world. He led her down a pebbled path and behind a row of hedges, seemingly unaware that the simple pressure of his palm on hers made her belly turn cartwheels.

They sat on a secluded stone bench, their hands still joined and their knees a scant inch apart. Even in the relative darkness, she could see the heat and longing in his eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” he said reverently. With a knee-weakening smile he added, “You should wear flower crowns every day.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she said, “I’m sorry that I didn’t meet you earlier. I received your message too late.”

“It’s all right. I wouldn’t have written to you if it wasn’t urgent.” His handsome face turned serious, and an ominous chill stole over her skin. “Singleton visited me at the manor house this morning.”

Panic swirled in her chest like a freshly spawned tornado. “What? Why would he do that?”

“His uncle found a journal outside the tailor’s shop. Singleton thought I might know who it belonged to.”

“Oh no,” she said, shaking her head. “Please tell me that he doesn’t have my journal.”

Reese winced. “I’m afraid he does. He said that it contains the first names of all the women who are part of a secret society called the Debutante Underground.”

“Dear God.” Her whole body started to shake, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“He suspects that the journal may be yours, but he has no proof. If he asks you about it tonight, I suggest you deny any knowledge of it. In the meantime, I’m going to steal it back.”

A seed of hope sprouted in the arid, cracked earth of her heart. “You’d do that?”

He looked at her as if she was mad. “I’d do anything for you.”

Warmth flooded her limbs. “But … how? Do you even know where it is?”

“No,” he said, frowning. “But I’m going to try his study first. If it’s not there, I’ll sneak into his bedchamber. If necessary, I’ll search the house, room by room, until I find it.”

“What if someone discovers you sneaking around?” she said. “It would look very bad.”

“I don’t plan to get caught,” he said with a shrug. “Even if I did, I would never implicate you.”

“Oh, Reese,” she said, touched by his desire to protect her. “I got myself into this dilemma. It’s not fair that you should risk everything to get me out of it.”

“This isn’t about blame or fairness.” He flashed a grin that melted her insides. “I love you. If you’re in trouble, then I’m always going to want to help.”

“Even if I’m engaged or married to someone else?” she asked weakly.