“I’ve pondered the duplicitous nature of candles myself.” He glanced down with a dashing smile. “Hostesses in London trust the flames to bow to their wishes and remain safely upon the wick. They have been lucky so far.”
As they reached the refreshment room, Captain Redmond drew her closer, protecting her from the jostling crowd. And then, instead of procuring lemonade as Lilly expected, he scooped up two flutes of champagne from a nearby waiter’s tray.
Handing one to her, he steered them to a granite bench near the terrace doors. Without relinquishing his arm, Lilly sat on the cool bench sipping the intoxicating drink. What did one say when conversing with the man of her dreams? Well, she must say something, that was for certain.
Anything!
“Are you just returned from the continent?” Her voice came out sounding breathless. She fluttered her fan again. It was frightening, really, to imagine the future father of her children fighting in some distant land.
The specter of a shadow crossed his face. “I am. I have been attending matters in Brussels until a few weeks past. With the battles won, I found myself yearning for England.”
“How long were you there?” She hoped she wasn’t treading into a distressing subject. Many families had lost young men to the effort. It could be a touchy subject.
He grimaced. “Just over a year. I left Oxford before completing my studies.” Before she could ask if he intended to return to Oxford, he spoke again. “Where do you hail from, Miss Bridge?”
Oh, but this was something she would have no difficultytalking about. “The south, a small village near Plymouth. My father’s property is a day’s drive from the sea. I had never been far from there until a few weeks ago. And it is all so very different. London overwhelms me at times! So much humanity in one place! I’m still not certain how I feel, having so many people all around me. The sensation can be…unnerving at times.” Was she rambling? “I’m not finding fault though. Please forgive me if I sound ungrateful to be here.”
Shewasrambling now! First tongue-tied and then a nattering ninny!
He laughed as though she’d said something clever. Her hand still rested upon his arm.
“And yet you are here. You aren’t afraid of experiencing new things?” he asked.
“Oh, no!” She considered her words a moment. “I would have died if Father hadn’t allowed me to come! How can a person grow up if he or she has never been to London? By simply being here, I realize there is so much more to the world than I could ever imagine.” She was a little homesick though. “I was so happy to leave home, but now that I am here, I feel a greater appreciation for all that is familiar to me. I think, perhaps, home will mean more to me for having left it.”
She paused and took another sip of the bubbling liquid in her glass. Tilting her head, she met his gaze boldly. “What about you?” She wanted to know more abouthim. “Are you looking forward to going home after your time away?”
His jaw clenched a few times before he spoke. “My father’s home, where I grew up, will one day belong to my brother. He is soon to be betrothed, and I won’t want to intrude…” The captain seemed to look off into nowhere for a moment. “My father will stay there, of course, but I no longer consider Summers Park my home. I do have a property of my own…south, but closer to London. I’ve only been a few times to check in with the steward. I hadn’t thought about settling down there yet.”
Lilly looked at him from beneath her lashes. “Well, you hadn’t met me, so why would you have?” She laughed. It must be the champagne! She was only partly joking. She didn’t know how she could say something so bold, but in that moment, it felt as though they’d known each other a lifetime. She expected him to laugh as well, but instead, he looked deeply into her eyes. He glanced at her lips and then back to her eyes again.
“Quite true, Miss Bridge, quite true.”
A WELL-NEEDED BATH
1824
Michael let out a slow sigh of relief as the door closed behind the last of the inn’s servants who had filled his bath. The harried maids had unpacked the bags left by his valet, turned down his bed, and placed towels and soaps within reach of the tub. Having been an army man earlier in life, he was more than capable of handling his own toilette.
God, what a day it had been!
Enjoying the privacy, Michael shed his filthy garments and stepped carefully into hot, fragrant water. His entire body ached, causing him to wince while lowering into the copper tub. Not since first returning from the war had a bath felt so heavenly. As the water eased his muscles, he began to feel human. Perhaps later, he’d even feel like a duke again.
She’d changed.
With his eyes closed, and his head tilted back, he could not shake himself of her image.
This disturbed him.
He slid down and immersed his head beneath the steaming water. Perhaps it would wash away the torrent of memories assaulting him. Perhaps it would distract him from rehashing her betrayal.
With tightly closed eyes, he held his breath and allowed the water to embrace him.
Why now? Why after all these years? He’d known she’d married. He’d even known where she lived. She’d made her choice. She’d made the choice for both of them.
When he could hold his breath not a second longer, he burst out of the water and then shook his head like a dog. The droplets flew away from him, onto the floor and privacy screen.
She and her stepdaughter were to join him for dinner.
