He’ll ask her what her favorite flower or color is in a few minutes. Or whether she prefers Bath or London?
As chaperone she could sit back, enjoy the ride, and smile and nod occasionally.
And there it was. “Do you prefer Brighton or Bath, Lady Jocelyn?” asked Lord Ludlow.
Well, I was almost right in my prediction.
The carriage slowed down as they entered the park gates with the four hundred acres of rolling green fields and little groves of trees in the distance.
“Oh look,” whispered Jocelyn, “I think that’s the Duchess of Dilmouth. She’s a great friend of Princess Charlotte.”
“Indeed, she is. She looks fierce, but it’s all an act,” said Lord Ludlow, indicating for the landau to slow down as they approached the duchess’ carriage.
He bowed to the duchess as their carriage stopped, a small queue beginning to form behind. “Ludlow,” she said, in a grand and haughty tone. “Delighted to see you, dear boy. Didn’t knowyou were in town. You must call this week. Introduce me to your friends?” she commanded.
And so, Jocelyn and Olivia had a brief introduction to this grand and gracious lady, well known in London society.
“Hatfield's here somewhere, though on horseback. Can’t imagine him on a carriage drive somehow. We passed him back there somewhere,” she said, and with that she was driven off for another circuit of the Ring, the circular road around the park.
Lord Ludlow instructed his coachman to continue towards the Serpentine Lake. “I don’t think there will be a duel near the Serpentine at this time of day,” he said, with a smile.
“I shall make sure that I avoid the lake at dawn then,” said Olivia, laughing and noticing the glint of water in the afternoon sun.
And there he was. A lone man, standing with his horse, looking out over the Serpentine Lake in the middle of central London. The Earl of Hatfield looked round, clearly surprised to see his cousin enjoying a landau ride around the park.
Olivia’s heart skipped a beat.
It’s the sunshine. I’m not used to the brightness and the warmth.She certainly felt it as heat spread throughout her body.
Lord Hatfield nodded in her direction, and he looked at her, his eyes making that intense contact with hers. Then he raised an eyebrow quizzically, and she looked away as she felt her cheeks flushing pink.
“May I join you?” he asked, and walked towards them to open the door, reaching out a hand to help Olivia step down from the landau. Colin was doing the same for Jocelyn on the other side of the carriage, the pair racing off towards the water.
Olivia felt the fire from the touch of his hands, gently helping her down to the gravel path. The tiny flicker of warmth grew steadily into a burning flame as he offered her his arm.
They walked towards the Serpentine, and he pointed out the moorhens dipping their heads under the water and swimming down in their search for food.
“Did you enjoy the ball?” he inquired politely. “You enjoy dancing?”
“Indeed, I love to dance. I believe dancing and the rhythm of the music is worth the tedium of the social contact.”
He stared at her in surprise. “That’s an unusual thing for a young lady ofthetonto say. I like that spirit of honesty. It’s refreshing.Although I’m not sure I appreciate being included in the tedium of social contact!” He said laughing.
“Oh, I didn't mean…” Olivia wondered if her feet would move forward and take the next step on the path. The flame of warmth spread down her body, through her stomach and down her arms to her fingers.
Am I on fire?If this continues, I’ll be jumping into the Serpentine to cool off,the thought led her to let out an inadvertent giggle.
Lord Hatfield looked towards her in intrigued surprise.
Oh no, he’s going to ask why I giggled, and I really can’t tell him.
“Erm. I was thinking of the lake at my home at Silverton and how we used to swim in the lake in summer,” she improvised.
That was a close call. I’m having such a strange reaction to Lord Hatfield. This can’t go on.
They stopped to gaze at the Serpentine, the shallow, man-made lake in Hyde Park. In the afternoon sunshine it sparkled as if it were scattered with diamonds.
“So beautiful,” she said and then gasped as a man on a horse came up close behind them and leaned down and pulled the turquoise feather off her bonnet.
