The rest of the week was uneventful. He had no more unwanted encounters with Mrs. Hamill, and he spent so much time in bliss with Venetia. Adrian could scarcely believe how easy it was to be with her, to be himself and not carry any shame of his past with him because she knew the truth and didn’t care. Although Mr. Sherman continued to pay court to Venetia during the day, Adrian was able to witness that she had no real interest in the man aside from his friendship. It was a small thing, but it gave Adrian hope, hope for what he was too afraid to voice aloud.
Whenever he had a spare moment, he sought her out, under the guise of bringing her tea or running an errand for her. It gave him a dozen small moments to touch her, to secretly kiss her, to whisper questions about her life and she of
