They seated themselves, and she set her parasol down and arranged her voluminous skirts as best she could. Good thing she had practiced walking in these gowns while she was on board ship, or no doubt she would have made a fool of herself — tripping over her train, or squashing her bustle by sitting on it directly, rather than discreetly hiking it out of the way before she sat. The simple skirts and blouses from her old life in Scotland were a good deal easier to manage, but she couldn’t deny that these gowns, with their tightly laced waists and gracefully draped skirts, were far more becoming.
Overhead, a house finch trilled away. This bench was located somewhat off the path, and so she felt very alone here with Nathan, very far away from anyone else. She was acutely conscious of him sitt
