LAUGHTER burst from Cole's chest, and the shirt he was holding in his hand fell. Cole desperately tried to rein in his outburst, but then he caught sight of Julia's ever-narrowing glare and his laughter redoubled.

"What's so funny," Julia asked, her hands planted akimbo.

He picked up his shirt and wore it over his head. "By Jove, what are you wearing? The last thing I expected to see when I rode to the serpentine this morning was a woman, no, a young woman of noble birth," Cole said correcting himself. "Wearing breeches." Looking her over, he smiled, "I daresay it does suit you."

Two red splotches appeared on her cheeks. Julia was mortified, no embarrassed she didn't even know what it was she felt. All she knew was she was angry that he dared to laugh at her and also embarrassed that Cole had caught her dressed as such. She was supposed to be making designs on him and not giving him reasons to think her unsuitable.

Julia smiled. "Ah, but my lord, you see, I couldn't resist. I didn't think it might hurt if I donned breeches and rode as early as I did this morning. I'm afraid I wasn't expecting company. I might have been wrong," Julia said, faking a despondent demeanour.

Thick, full brows quirked up. "My lord?" Cole repeated. "I could have sworn that you called me Cole the last time we met and yet, here you are calling me Lord Hanton."

"Why, I might have forgotten to call you Lord Hanton, due to the circumstances, but I promise you, today I won't."

Cole scoffed. "Drat it all, just call me my by Christian name, will you? I prefer being called Cole. Please call me Cole." He said, bowing as if introducing himself.

"Cole," Julia said, and he rewarded her with a big smile on his face.

"I like that, I prefer Cole to lord Hanton." He drawled out in mock delivery. "Lord Hanton makes me feel positively old."

Julia chuckled. "You old, I doubt that."

He scowled, "I didn't say It makes me old, I said it makes me feel old." Cole frowned. "Somehow I find it easy to talk to you." His eyes squinted. "Maybe because  I feel you are a soul of discretion and you aren't at all like any proper lady I know."

"I'm not?" Julia queried.

"Of course not." He chuckled, and walked over to sit down by the edge of serpentine looking over the still water. He picked up a stone and started throwing it into the water. Julia followed behind him, sat down beside him and copied his action.

"I'm not like a proper lady because?" Julia queried again.

Cole paused in the act of throwing a stone into the lake, a fine granite held loosely in his palm, his long slim fingers grasping it. "Look at you, you are wearing breeches. I don't think I know any lady who would wear one."

"Sometimes I don't think you know any lady at all," Julia said.

His expression suddenly turned ferocious. "What was that?" He asked.

Julia panicked. "I meant that Iâi that you â" Julia stopped when she saw that Cole was laughing at her. He looked so carefree.

"Oh God! I was only kidding, Julia, have a heart," Cole said and chuckled again as he picked up another stone from the ground and threw it into the water.

Julia was happy. When she didn't hear or receive any note from Sebastian, she kept thinking of how she would meet Cole. She had a mind to confront Sebastian and ask him, but here she was in Hyde park, with Cole and no chaperon. This was the perfect opportunity for her to practise her skills on him. If she wanted to entice him properly, today was the day. So Julia turned and plastered a smile on her face.

She smiled brightly at Cole. He smiled back and Julia felt her smile slowly withdraw from her face. Something was surely wrong here. He wasn't supposed to smile back. He was supposed to look at her longingly, perhaps at her lips or maybe reach out for her, angle for a kiss, anything but not smile at her! She was out of her element here.

Julia didn't have any coloured lips or painted face to hide behind, perhaps, a proper gown that hugged her at all the right place might have been appreciated, if she knew she would run into Lord Hanton! All she had was breeches and a dress shirt, nothing too appealing. It wasn't even enough to enhance her beauty. When Cole wasn't looking, Julia grabbed her hair and arranged it carefully around her face. At least if she would look unappealing, she might as well have beautiful hair framed about her face.

Eyes cast down, Julia worried her lower lips. She caught sight of Cole staring at her, so she slowly raised her lashes and looked at him just as her mother had taught them. Cole was transfixed. He had always thought Julia was a beautiful woman and here she was confirming it for him. Reaching out for her he cupped her face and inhaled her scent. She smelled like roses to him. Her face was upturned as she breathed against his face, waiting, anticipating.

If they were to marry, she might as well find out if she could welcome his kisses. That way it wouldn't be so hard for her when they went about the business of producing an heir. So she waited for him to make the first move. Cole brought his lips down to hers and kissed her slowly, gently, as if he was afraid that any more pressure than that could bruise her lips.

~~~

COLE MOVED HIS LIPS over Julia's own, kissed and smooched her lower lips. He bit and teased her, urging her to open up for him. She opened up, and he plunged deep. Caressing her face.

As fast as everything had happened. It ended in the same fashion, leaving Julia more confused than she had ever been. Cole was smiling down at her, stroking her hair. Granted he was dashing, black hair, hazel eyes and all that. But why did she feel empty? Why did she not feel her heart racing, or hear herself moaning? She had been fully aware of the kiss. When it started, how it started, till when it ended. She hadn't even taken leave of her senses as she normally did each time she was kissed by Sebastian. His kisses always left her feeling many things all at once. She felt anger, annoyance, womanly, even desire. That was it. She felt desire for Sebastian's kisses but felt nothing for Cole's. Just wet slop of one's mouth over another.

It wasn't because he wasn't good at kissing, rather because she didn't like it. Because she had known a better kiss than the one he had just given her and obviously desire played a major role too. Julia groaned inwardly. How had it all gotten to that.

Cole frowned, Julia suddenly looked so pale, and she seems to battle with something Internally. "Are you alright," Cole heard himself say.

Julia turned and stared at him. "Yes, why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Nothing, for a moment there I thought I saw your face go white. Are you sure you are all right? You will not swoon here, will you?" Cole asked.

"Swoon," Julia scoffed. "I never swoon, and I wouldn't be caught doing so."

"You don't?" Cole asked. "Then perhaps am not in danger of procuring smelling salt in Hyde park."

She laughed. "By and by, I have been meaning to ask you, why haven't you paid attendance at the Duke's townhouse?"

One dark brow rose. "Have you been keeping tabs on me?"

"Of course not," Julia cried. "Why ever would you think that."

He shrugged. "I don't know, you tell me."

"Tell you what?"

Again Cole shrugged, and Julia gritted her teeth. "Perhaps, since I am always there to visit Victoria, I had thought if you or any other person had called on the house that I would know. I like to think I am observant at such a thing, " she released.

Hazel eyes rested hard on her face. "Has it ever occurred to you I might just walk straight to the study, which I might point out is on the ground floor. Whereas you yourself would be admitted into the drawing-room on the first floor."

Julia looked dumbfounded. She hadn't thought of that.

"I gather this is not your first time?" Cole asked.

A frown settled on Julia's face. "First time of what?" She asked.

"Of wearing breeches."

Oh.

She blushed and contemplated whether or not to tell him the truth. Cole was a mystery to her, he was a man she was supposed to sell a particular picture to, but the problem was that she didn't even know the picture she was supposed to sell to him. He was so unlike the London gentlemen she was acquainted with.

"Well?" Cole queried, folding his hands.

"Ah, not entirely. I just like to ride with breeches," Julia said, deciding to stick as close to the truth as possible.

He nodded, his expression thoughtful. "That explains why I find you here wearing breeches, even though you know what it could do to your reputation if you were found out."

Julia scoffed. "Of course not, " she leaned towards the right, resting her cheek on her shoulder. "this is why I have this hat here," she said, patting her hat with her left hand and covering her face with it.

Cole stared, she acted like someone who had gone out in such a fashion before. Surely this couldn't have been her first time.