“I’m not above kidnapping,” Lucas replied with a teasing tone.
“Is that a threat?” Liliah asked, giggling.
Lucas leaned forward, kissing her all too willing lips ever so softly. “It’s more of a promise.”
“Then how could I refuse?” she murmured in reply between kisses. “Provided you ask rather than assume.”
Lucas gave a soft laugh and leaned back. “Life will ever be interesting, will it not? Very well.” He took both of her hands within his and knelt. “Lady Liliah Durary, make me the happiest of men and consent to be my wife?”
Liliah nodded, tears prickling her eyes.
Lucas moved to stand, then paused, tilting his head in a teasing manner. “I need to hear the words.”
Liliah laughed, keeping her tone soft so as to not create curiosity should a servant walk by her door. “Yes.”
“Ah, she speaks!” he teased, then stood and pulled her into his arms as he kissed her with a fierce passion.
Liliah pulled back, studying his almost drunken expression. “What made you change? I had quite given up on you before I even dared hope, and now I find I’m quite frustrated to have endured such heartache. I missed you, Luc.”
“Forgive me, love. Just as you are stubborn, so am I, and it took a while for me to come to grips with what had transpired. I’m sure it’s not easily forgivable, but I’m willing to work off my debt.” He leaned forward and nipped playfully at her earlobe.
“I’m sure we can make some sort of arrangement.” Yet as she spoke the words, her emotions sobered as she considered the mountain still to climb that was before them both. “How are we to move forward?”
Lucas leaned back, his expression sober as well, having likely sensed the change in her mood. “There is much to discuss. I trust we will not be interrupted as you are ready for bed?”
Liliah nodded. “Which begs an altogether different question—”
“One question at a time, love.” He nodded and took a seat at her writing desk, quite far away from her.
“Why the distance?” Liliah asked as she moved to take a seat by the fire, her body chilled from the emotional rush and the subsequent absence of her lover’s embrace.
“Because you’re entirely too tempting to my senses and I need to be thinking clearly as we converse about plans,” he replied honestly.
Liliah’s lips tipped in a crooked grin, but she didn’t reply.
“Now, I have some information, and am missing a bit more, but before we dive into that, I need to tell you about my past.”
Liliah frowned. “I’ve heard the titter about . . . Catherine, was it? I don’t fault you for anything, Luc.”
“I thank you, but I rather need to tell you the information that the public doesn’t know.” He took a deep breath.
“Are you afraid it will change how I feel, or my decision?” she asked cautiously.
Lucas chuckled, but it held no mirth. “No, but that could simply be my arrogant pride speaking. The tale has more to do with your father . . . than I.”
Liliah tipped her head, her mind spinning with the various implications, and she leaned forward in her seat.
“Around six years ago I was married to Lady Catherine Blymont. She was a ward of Lord and Lady Barrot, with whom I’ve had a longstanding relationship. The marriage was a suitable arrangement for both of us financially, and I expected us to get along quite well. I realize now how blind I was, but it is of no consequence now.” He took a deep breath.
Liliah shivered, premonition stealing her warmth. Even the nearby fire wasn’t enough to ward off the chill.
“I was quite happy with Catherine as my wife. But she was far more social than I, and grew increasingly spiteful of her station as an antisocial earl’s wife, so began attending parties alone. To make a longer story shorter, she commenced an affair that led to a pregnancy. She was quite convinced of the gentleman’s affection, and was quite forthright about her intentions to divorce me and find her happiness with another—damn the consequences to her social status. This blatant disregard for her social standing is what never made sense, till later.” He leaned forward, folding his hands on his knees.
Liliah waited, the sound of the crackling fire overly loud in the anticipation-filled room. Yet a moment later, her thoughts filtered into place, creating a startling realization. “A woman who cherished social standing so deeply wouldn’t risk the grievance of a divorce unless the reward was more than ample recompense.”
“Exactly.” Lucas nodded, approval glowing in his eyes. “The man in question was already married, with two daughters within a few years of a come-out. Turns out the man was sorely out of spirits with his current wife for never producing a son, and the thought of marrying off daughters was made even less palatable by the fact that he would be unable to marry them off if his indiscretion was known.”
“Dear Lord,” Liliah remarked. “It makes so much sense.” She flipped through the memories of the events to just before her mother’s death. She had never understood why her father had been so hard-hearted, almost incensed at her mother’s death. “My mother died four years ago.” She blinked back tears.
