The thought disconcerted him. They’d promised each other they would enjoy the time they had and not worry about the future. Another peel of laughter erupted from Diana. Perhaps, Tuscany wouldn’t be that bad. Sebastian nodded tightly, appreciating the subtle warning Monroe was giving. “Is it really that full of lords and ladies?”
“Yes, there is a direct route by land once on the continent and several ships travel much faster paths than mine,” Monroe said.
Fuck.He hated that his time with Diana could possibly end so soon. Lady Clark had been right. He’d been a fool, resisting the attraction that swirled around them. Monroe stepped closer to the crowd and clapped to gain everyone’s attention. “Count Messina asked his family to throw you all a ball tonight. We will be heading back a little earlier than expected. Make sure you receive plenty of rest. It will be a late night before our departure.”
Sebastian frowned. That likely meant he couldn’t see Diana alone this evening. Both being unwell once was a coincidence, two nights in a row would cause speculation. He glanced around. Well, in London, it would. He wasn’t sure about here or this trip. All the norms of society didn’t appear to apply. He couldn’t let that mess with his head. None of this was real.
He joined Spoor and Haggerty in a carriage, wishing he were with Diana.
“I would have rather stayed and studied the ruins longer,” Haggerty grumbled.
“We have been looking at old rocks for days. It will do us all some good to have a normal night of socializing,” Spoor said.
Haggerty grunted but didn’t say anything. Sebastian didn’t disagree with the scholar, though, his reasons for avoiding the event were selfish. He wanted to spend the evening with Diana, alone. He’d never felt so physically connected to someone.
The carriage stopped and the door opened. Sebastian stepped out, looking at Messina’s manor house. It was an opulent old building. He could understand why Messina loved the place so much. He suspected it was older than even the Derry estate he grew up on with Malcolm.
Diana was still outside, he hoped, waiting for him. Sebastian walked to her and held his arm out. “Would you like to go for a stroll before you rest for this evening?”
“I would love that, Mr. Devons.”
They wandered down to the gardens that sat in the back corner of the estate behind the house, passing a row of hedges. Once the house windows were out of sight, Devons grabbed Diana and pulled her to him.
She looped her arms around his neck. He trailed his lips down her throat. Diana sighed. “Why must we go to this ball? Tell me we should pretend to be ill again?”
“We should,” he said as they fell against a stonewall.
“But we can’t. People might talk.”
At this precise moment, Sebastian didn’t care who talked. He continued his onslaught of kisses on her neck and across her heaving bosom. She grabbed his hand. “Stop. I can’t concentrate.”
He chuckled wickedly. “Good. Don’t be sensible.”
“Truly do you think no one will suspect?”
Sebastian sighed. “No. We both should attend the ball.”
She appeared so sad that Sebastian chuckled again and took her in his arms. “But at least I can dance with you.”
Her eyes widened. “What are you doing?”
He started to hum a song, pulling her close. “Showing you how I wish I could hold you in my arms when we are dancing later tonight.”
Laughter echoed through the garden, and he continued to hum. They swayed moving around the open area. He looked down at her and knew he would always remember this moment. His common sense told him to release her. He pushed the thought from his mind. There was tomorrow to think about the consequences.
Chapter Twenty
Diana walked withher aunt on the weather deck. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. While she wanted to spend more time with Sebastian alone, to her surprise she’d enjoyed the ball at the Messina’s estate. She suspected Sebastian did as well. They’d managed to sneak in a few secret moments but all it did was torment them.
“That is a gigantic smile you are wearing,” Aunt Winifred said.
Diana looked at her startled. Her aunt stopped and pointed at two chairs. They both made their way over and sat. Diana couldn’t believe how lovely the weather was. On land, July felt scorching hot but the breeze from the ocean took away some of the heat.
“You and Devons have grown close.”
“Yes, I consider Seb—Devons, I mean, a great friend,” Diana said, flushing at her flub of using his given name.
“His feelings run deep for you,” his aunt remarked.
