He certainly wasn’t going to apologize for wanting to marry her, but he should apologize for the manner in which he went about asking her.
Would that really change anything?
No, it would not.
So, until he had a better plan, or came up with the right words to say to her, he would avoid Eliza as she had avoided him earlier.
At least time was on his side because until that man was caught, she would be remaining at Wyndhill Park, and hopefully he would completely win her before she was ready to depart from his home.
With those thoughts, Lucian altered his route and marched into his library and took a seat behind the desk. Surely there was something here that needed his attention.
“The post has arrived,” a footman announced. “There is also a missive for Miss Weston.”
A chill snaked down his spine. “Bring it to me.”
The man produced the tray in which letters had been placed and Lucian lifted them and then shuffled the stack until he came to the one addressed to Eliza.
It was fromhim.
Lucian broke the seal on the back, not caring that it was not addressed to him, then unfolded the parchment to read the note.
It should be me, not him, that you share yourself with.
They had been seen.
Or had they been heard?
If someone had heard them, then it was someone in his house. If they had been seen, then that man had been outside of the cave they recently explored.
It was not possible that anyone had heard them. The only servants on the floor where they had chambers were her two servants, and they weren’t sending the letters. No servants should have been wandering the halls that late at night, which meant, that man had been on the estate and had watched them in the cave.
Why hadn’t anyone seen him?
He had footmen and gardeners posted everywhere, except not further from the house.
Blast! He would now make certain they stood around the borders of his property and not just protecting where Eliza might be.
Lucian rose from the desk and strode out of the library, taking the missive with him. Until he told her otherwise, Eliza would not even leave the house until this man was caught.
When he reached the parlor, he paused as she was not within and returned to the entry.
“Is Miss Weston in her set of rooms above?”
“No,” Stella answered, coming from the dining room. “She has taken two footmen with her to the last cave.”
Fear like he had not experienced before swept through Lucian.
“Here!” He shoved the letter at Stella. “I am going after her.”
He then hurried into the library and took his pistol from a drawer and checked to make certain it was primed and ready before he returned to the entry.
“Send footmen to the cave as a precaution—the one that has the fork in the paths inside.” He then rushed from the manor, heart and pulse pounding.
If that man had gotten close enough to watch them, how close was he to Eliza now?
The strange manlifted his own lantern so that she could see him more clearly and Eliza studied his light eyes and blond, curly hair and tried to recall where they may have met, or what his name might be. But Eliza could not place him, though he was very familiar to her. Had it been because she had noticed him while he followed but she had not thought that anything was out of the ordinary?
“I thought you would be happy to finally meet me.”
