And maybe, just maybe, he no longer was the man he was a few weeks ago.
Maybe he was better.
Temptation had many forms, and who would have imagined that one of them would be both his demise and rebirth. But wasn’t love known for miracles?
Lucas dismissed his fanciful thoughts and quickly broke his fast. While he was finishing his tea, he hastily sent a note to Heathcliff, requesting he come by that morning. After that missive was dispatched, he sent off another to Meyer, knowing Greywick would likely intercept it, yet he didn’t care if the man read the contents.
Hyde Park, Grosvenor Gate, noon.
It was a simple message, one he hoped Meyer would heed. The plan Lucas was concocting was quickly brewing, and he knew that time was of the essence. He only hoped that Meyer would be amenable to meeting him. The scene that had haunted Lucas’s dreams was Meyer’s dance with Liliah the night before. Anyone else would have simply disregarded the soft whispers and the inclined heads as betrothed lovers conversing, but Lucas was far too aware of Liliah’s facial expressions to be fooled. She was telling him of her plan, the one that she hadn’t needed any of his help in concocting, the one that he wasn’t sure he could have executed.
As wise as it would have been to save his skin, he had gone to the ball with every intention of hinting at the solution of Meyer accepting Lucas’s by-blow, but when he’d seen her, all he could think wasmine.To his astonishment, she had broached the topic and had had the will to walk away.
When he wasn’t sure he would have had the strength to do the same.
It was bloody humbling.
And damned infuriating to see her in Meyer’s arms.
Yet now he suspected that Meyer, knowing much, would be less inclined to have a rational conversation. Lucas only hoped he himself was restrained enough to be the wiser of the two.
It never had been his strong point.
Lucas left the breakfast table and took the stairs two at a time as he rang for his valet. In short order he was tugging on his cuffs and descending the stairs, only to find Heathcliff just entering the foyer.
“What’s all this bloody business about meeting you so abruptly?” Heathcliff had the appearance of a man who had not slept, and Lucas pulled up short.
“Bee in your bonnet, lass?” He teased his friend with a crisp English accent, just to irritate him.
“Ach, I hate it when you do that. And yes, but clearly I’m not the only one. Ramsey stopped by and warned me about some harebrained scheme and that you were in a foul disposition. Well, that makes two of us.”
“Ramsey has been a busy fellow.”
“One of us has to be.” Heathcliff ran a hand through his hair. “What are you needing that’s so damn important?”
Lucas gestured to the study on the left and Heathcliff all but stalked in. Lucas followed and closed the door softly. “Now, I do believe that my information will be a much longer story, so why don’t we start with why you look like Master Death?” Lucas rubbed his hands together and took a seat by the low fire.
“It’s a bloody mess, I tell you.” Heathcliff didn’t even hint at subtlety. It never was his strong point; it was refreshing, since the large man was as transparent as glass when it came to his motives.
“Enlighten me.” Lucas arched a brow and waited.
Heathcliff rubbed his hand down his face, again, as if in disbelief. “I’m to have a ward, and oversee her come-out. She’s almost of age, which means I’ll be rid of her soon, but from my understanding, she has had little training from a governess.” He shook his head and collapsed onto the sofa. “As if I’m a proper guardian.”
“Well.” Lucas blinked, absorbing the news. “That’s indeed interesting. How did this all come about?”
Heathcliff shrugged. “Her parents were off gallivanting in the Indies and caught the fever. They never returned, and she had been living with her grandmother, who also passed. I was the last and very distant relation.” He blew out a sigh.
“That’s an odd turn of events. But the girl cannot be without fortune, or is she destitute as well?”
“Not destitute, she’s actually quite well situated, but without proper guardianship and not of legal age to oversee her fortune. I just learned all this yesterday, and already I’m having a headache trying to organize all the different needs for the lass.”
“A governess, of course,” Lucas added helpfully.
“That’s first on the list. I already put an ad in theTimes, but I’ve asked several acquaintances for references as well. I don’t want some old crow.” Heathcliff shuddered.
“Already turning your eye to the help,” Lucas teased.
“Heavens no, I just do na’ want to subject the poor lass to a mean biddy. Life’s been hard enough on her.”
