Justin swallowed hard.
He couldn’t let her go.
He couldn’t.
“Lord Carlisle.” Her voice echoed in the high-ceilinged foyer. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten our appointment.”
She referred to it as an appointment. He considered himself to be courting.
Did one court a lady who already had accepted him?
If she’d give him the chance, he believed he’d court her for the remainder of his days.
“Prescott and the duchess have returned to London.” He didn’t want to discuss his meeting with Dev.
He didn’t even wish to think about it.
“Sophia is here?” Her eyes flew open with something between relief and joy. But then she seemed to check herself. She smoothed a non-existent wrinkle from her gown and began descending the steps.
Justin could only watch her move, fully appreciating one of God’s finest creations.
Woman.
This woman.
“They arrived today,” he answered vaguely, his gaze settling on her delicate hands as she tied the bow of her bonnet. When she finished donning her gloves, he offered his elbow. “Shall we?”
Tucking her hand into the crook of his arm felt right. Familiar and yet exciting. He breathed in her scent, appreciating her nearness all the more for his fear he might not be able to keep her.
Neither of them spoke as he assisted her onto the high-perched seat and then went around to climb aboard himself. No room for a maid, nor a groom.
With a flick of his hands, Justin steered the horses into the street and at the jerking motion, she clutched his arm again. Her continued silence gradually became somewhat uncomfortable and that was when he realized… “This was St. John’s Phaeton,” he stated baldly.
He glanced sideways in time to see her nod. “It was.”
Justin inhaled deeply. “Do you think of him often?” He’d wondered this on more than one occasion. Did she compare every gentleman she met with St. John? Did she compareJustinwith St. John?
They drove past the entrance to the park. Justin turned in the opposite direction. “At first,” she finally answered. “I fooled myself into believing I’d lost the love of my life.”
Justin clenched his jaw.
“But now,” she added, shaking her head. “I realize he cannot have felt the same. I was a toy.”
Justin covered her gloved hand.
“Tell me about these Carlisle sisters, your unmarried cousins. Are they elderly? Are they your wards now?”
He appreciated her change of subject. “Definitely not elderly.” And they were not his wards either but still his responsibility. “The eldest, I believe, is thirty. The youngest twenty-one.” He’d only met the eldest of the women, the other three having been out during his short visit.
“Did the former earl give them the benefit of a Season?”
He’d not thought of that. He’d barely had time to inquire about their health. “I have no idea.”
“Are they pretty?”
Justin raised his brows. Again, he had no idea. The oldest was not an antidote, but he’d not really paid much mind to her looks. In answer, he merely shrugged.
And then that bell-like laughter he’d not heard nearly enough of rang out beside him.
