Diana shook her head. It was the trip, the sun, everything. She knew that. “You are mistaken, Aunt.”
“Do you want to know a secret?”
Her aunt’s tone left little room to say no, so Diana nodded. She sighed. “When I was a very young girl, perhaps eighteen, I fell in love with a man far beneath my station. I loved him fiercely.”
“Before you met your husband.”
Her aunt nodded. “I loved Lord Clark, but not in the way I loved this man. His name was Roger, and he was a barrister from the village by the family estate. We spent a summer in the country together.”
Diana squeezed her hand. Her aunt turned towards her with watery eyes. “It was the most passionate experience of my life. If I close my eyes, I can still remember his touch. That is how much he has been seared onto my heart.”
“Did he propose?”
Her aunt laughed. “Goodness, no. My parents would have destroyed his life. All of your mother’s meanness comes from our parents. She is an exact replica of them. And even if we had somehow figured out how to make it work, he died in some rebellion in Africa.”
Her aunt never rambled, so Diana knew she was trying to make a point. “Why are you telling me this?”
Her aunt grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. “Because I want you to enjoy your time with Sebastian Devons, but I would suggest you keep your heart locked up. It’s what I wished I had done. I regret professing those romantic words to Roger. Some people can never be together, and as much as I wish that weren’t true, we both know that is how the world works.”
She wanted to laugh and deny such emotions existed between her and Sebastian, but the words wouldn’t come out. Still, she told herself that she and Sebastian were only lovers. It would end after the trip.
“Aunt, it is only because we are on this journey.”
Her aunt smiled sadly. “And for Roger and me, it was only a summer until it wasn’t. In the end, instead of saying goodbye, we professed our hearts to each other. We never should have. It complicated everything.”
“Well, there have been no professions of love on either side.”
Her aunt released her hand. “Good.”
“Would it be so preposterous if a successful businessman married a dowager marchioness?” she asked.
The words were out of her mouth before she could think about it. Her aunt’s eyes flew to hers. Diana turned crimson. “Not that he would ever ask me.”
Aunt Winifred frowned. “It wouldn’t be easy or scandal-free for the owner of a gentlemen’s club and the mother of a soon-to-be duke to wed. They would have to love each other very much to endure such gossip.”
Diana was silent. Why had she asked that? Sebastian’s feelings for her were not that deep, and hers for him weren’t either. Them dancing around Messina’s garden flashed in her mind. The joy she felt. No. She wouldn’t allow herself to wander down this path. They were involved because of this trip. If it never happened, they would still be practically strangers. Maybe.
Her aunt stood and held out her hand to assist Diana to her feet. As they walked, she murmured, “It takes bravery to have a love like that, and if you can’t be courageous, don’t give him false hope.”
Diana nodded. Tears welled in her eyes. She wasn’t sure why.
Later in the day, Diana sat at her desk writing her Ladies of London letter. Her aunt’s words lingered with her. Courage is what her aunt said it took to embrace a love between a commoner and a lady. Was it that scandalous? Would Robert be impacted by a choice like that? She tossed her pen on the desk. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t lying when she told her aunt there had been no declarations of love. They’d admitted they had an incredibly strong attraction to each other but nothing more.
They were having a tryst. That was all. The blasted trip made everything seem like so much more. Just like her aunt mentioned about her summer away from society with her barrister. She needed to guard her heart as her aunt suggested.As for Sebastian’s heart, she would never hurt him. She wasn’t like Lady Wesley.
She sighed, tired of her melancholy thoughts. Right now, she wanted to enjoy the moments she had left with Sebastian. Happiness was all she wanted on this trip. She smiled, thinking about how wonderfully perfect Sardinia had been. She reread her Ladies of London letter, wanting to ensure it was perfect.
To the Ladies of London,
Sardinia’s soaring cliffs and beautiful water are a sight to behold. If any lady has the opportunity to visit, they should. Perhaps even bolder, they should dip their bare feet in the ocean. The shores are covered with little coves and caves that make you think Sardinia is Poseidon’s paradise.
Also, on this beautiful island, we were introduced to an ancient civilization with its own story worth learning about: the Noras. I do hope at some point to bring some of this civilization to London as part of the Historical Society for Female Curator’s exhibits.
We ended this visit dancing the night away at a ball put on by one of the families that have been here for hundreds of years. I even persuaded Mr. Devons to join in on the festivities.
Lady Hensley
*
