He runs after her into the hallway and grabs her wrist.
„Please", he says. „Don't run away from me."
„Florian, I can't… I'm not… You are…"
„Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't want that kiss as much as I did."
Her bright blue gaze slowly travels from his hand holding hers to his face.
„Florian, I am too old for you and you stay as a guest in my house. It is all terribly inappropriate. I can't…"
„I don't care. I am in love with you, miss Mardle. I am so very madly in love with you." He smiles gently as his thumb softly caresses her hand. His eyes hold hers. She knows she should ask him to let go of her hand but she can't. It's like this silent flame inside her, that ignited the moment she opened the door and saw Florian standing on the doorstep for the very first time, has burst into this glorious firework that's blinding and deafening her conscience. In this moment, the only thing she can feel is how ferociously she longs for this young man, with every fibre of her being.
„Please", he says again, more pleadingly. His elegant fingers tenderly touch her cheek and follow her soft jawline to her chin. Then he strokes her lips. Josie Mardle closes her eyes with a trembling breath. Florian smiles and steps closer. Their lips touch, slower and more sensitive than the first time. Josie feels how Florian's tongue softly touches her lips. She can't hold herself back any longer and throws herself into his kiss, grabbing his face with her two hands.
Suddenly they hear noises at the front door. With a flustered face, Josie pulls out of the embrace and quickly steps into the drawing room, desperately trying to fix her hair. Agnes finds a bewildered Florian left in the hallway.
„What's happened?", she asks, looking curiously into the handsome man's dark brown eyes.
„Nothing, why?" He clears his throat, knowing his attempts to look casual are failing, his head still spinning from the sweet aftertaste of miss Mardle's lips.
„You look… I don't know… Never mind. Oh lord, is that the time? I need to change. Victor's picking me up in half an hour. He's taking me out for dinner."
„How lovely. I need to… tune my violin. Yes." He awkwardly bids goodbye and runs up the stairs.
„Is miss Mardle in the sitting room?", Agnes tries to ask but Florian is already out of sight. She steps into the sitting room and finds miss Mardle absent-mindedly rearranging the flowers. Agnes notices Florian has left his violin on the table next to the mantlepiece.
„Good evening, miss Mardle. What's the matter with Florian? Is everything alright?" She looks at miss Mardle's flustered face and loosened hairdo.
„Are you alright?" she asks slowly.
„Good evening, Agnes. Yes, quite alright, thank you. Is something the matter with Florian? I thought he'd gone up to his room." Josie silently curses the trembling tone of her voice, horrified to give anything away of what transpired in the room only mere minutes ago.
„Look, if anything's happened between you and Florian, I'm sure it wasn't on purpose. He's such a decent man, I'm sure he would never do anything to offend you. He's so grateful for what you've done for him."
„That's quite alright, Agnes. Nothing is the matter", Josie answers a bit sharply. „I understand you'll be out for dinner tonight? With mister Colleano?"
„Yes. Well. If nothing's the matter, I probably better get changed." A little hurt and with a silent nod Agnes walks out of the room. Miss Mardle lays her two hands on the table and tries to catch her breath. Did all of this just really happen?
Later that night, Josie sits in the dining room, waiting for dinner to get served when Florian walks in. He brushes her arm as he takes his usual place next to her. Miss Mardle shivers. „Good evening, miss Mardle." he whispers.
„Florian, I…" but Josie can't finish her sentence as the maid walks in to serve them. They eat in silence, Josie with her eyes fixed on her plate and Florian's eyes fixed on her. The tension is palpable but none of them dares to speak a word. As soon as they're finished, miss Mardle gets up.
„I'm terribly tired. I'm going to bed. Very busy day at the store tomorrow. Goodnight", she says, avoiding to look Florian in the eyes.
Florian quickly gets up but fails to say anything before she storms out of the room. For a moment he hesitates. What if he has been wrong all this time? What if miss Mardle really doesn't feel about him the way he undeniable feels about her? No, she has returned his embrace with a passion beyond his wildest dreams, and in that moment he was sure his ardor - as she had put it so beautifully, although it was by no means mild - was mutual. He runs after her, for the second time today. As he runs up the stairs he sees how she quickly closes the bedroom door. He takes a deep breath and knocks.
„Miss Mardle? I…"
Josie Mardle stands on the other side of the closed door, her forehead against the wood and both her hands on the doorknob. Part of her wants to open the door and surrender to the firework in her chest but she's terrified of letting a man do that to her again. The wounds Roger inflicted on her are not yet healed, if they are ever to be healed at all.
„Miss Mardle, may I please come in?"
She hears his gentle voice through the closed door and her heart stops, as she realises that if she doesn't let this young man in now, she will probably never love again as in this very moment. She used to love Roger with all her heart for so many years but he never was really hers, was he? And the moment she believed he would truly be hers, he disposed of her, from one day to the next. She has been so utterly broken-hearted that she believed she could never be whole again. And yet, here is this young and handsome foreigner, pleading to be with her and it makes her feel so very alive. Josie Mardle feels alive for the first time in years.
She slowly opens the door.
„Yes. Yes, you may."
She lets go of the doorknob and takes a few steps back. Florian steps into the room and closes the door behind his back, his gaze locked into hers.