“Yes, it’s very good that Tremont will be with us. I would hate for you to be seduced by such a rogue so he can satisfy his needs. The man can have anyone as his paramour. I wouldn’t want to see you hurt once he discards you back in London.”
“Lisette!” her aunt snapped.
Her mother stared back at her, unperturbed. “Yes?”
Aunt Winifred said nothing, not wanting to reveal anything else. Diana said, “You know nothing of Sebastian Devons’s character.”
Her mother sighed. “True, but he is a known rogue. I would hate to see you fooled by someone like him because he is bored, and there are no other ladies around. You, Diana, are not built to hold a man like Devons’s interest.”
“How—”
“It’s fine,” Diana said, interrupting Aunt Winifred. “Fortunately for me, there is nothing improper going on between us.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t expect anything different from a proper lady like you,” her mother said.
Silence descended upon the room as they sipped their tea. Her mother’s words were always cruel, but her comments aboutSebastian stoked her own fears. She wouldn’t dwell on it. It didn’t matter. It was just a tryst. Then why did her heart ache so much?
She glanced at her aunt, whose fury was evident. Diana knew the carriage ride home would be filled with the many reasons she should leave her mother in Livorno. Diana couldn’t. Her mother was here alone. Regardless of how ridiculous it seemed, she felt obligated to make sure her mother was taken care of. Maybe Clara had been right that she was too kindhearted.
Once in England, Diana hoped to see her mother infrequently. Her cruel streak had not gone away.
*
Sebastian silently creptdown the hallway to Diana’s room. Earlier, she’d not been at dinner, sending word through Aunt Winifred to their group that she was feeling unwell. When he asked Lady Clark, she’d shaken her head and said she had a trying day with her mother.
Throughout the meal, he’d been unable to focus on anything but Diana. He hated that he couldn’t go to her immediately and was now sneaking about. He imagined her distress in a dozen different ways. Each worse than the other.
Then he’d been angry with himself because his overwhelming need to be with her made Sebastian realize he’d done the one damn thing he shouldn’t. He’d fallen in love with her. Sebastian had been a fool to think he’d ever given his heart to Lilah because what he felt for Diana was so much more. He knocked softly, and his stomach clenched as he heard Diana pad to the door. She cracked it and gave him a small smile before stepping aside to let him in.
He frowned. She appeared pale, and there were shadows under her eyes.
“What is wrong? I was worried when your aunt said you wouldn’t join us for dinner.”
She pulled her wrap tighter around her. “It was a long day with my mother.”
Anger flared in Devons that the cold woman had driven her to feel so awful. “You should leave her here.”
Diana sighed. “My aunt said the same, but I can’t. She is all alone. I want nothing from her except to see her settled in the country in England.”
“You owe her nothing.”
Diana’s eyes flashed. “I know that, but she is still my mother.”
He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. “Don’t be upset with me. I’m only angry because I care for you.”
“You are a true friend.”
He flinched at her words. He fucking didn’t want to be her friend. Sebastian wanted so much more. He wanted to be the man that comforted her when she needed it. Unable to hold back, he tilted her chin up and studied her. “Let me court you.”
Her eyes widened in shock, and she pulled away, stumbling out of his arms. The piercing in his heart almost drove him to his knees. They stared at each other silently. Fear, concern, and perhaps excitement flickered across her face. “Why now?”
“I know I’m not a lord, and I’m asking a great deal of you to even consider me.”
“Don’t,” she said, holding up one of her hands.
He went silent. She wouldn’t even consider him at all. He tried to control the anger coursing through him. Sebastian looked away. When he turned back, she was frowning at him apprehensively. “Wait until we return to London.”
He took a deep breath, hoping he was misunderstanding her. “Why?”
