“I cannot imagine that you would ever be a bother.” Valentine smiled, his light brown eyes warm and endearing and once again Lavinia reminded herself that he was a rake.
Perhaps that is what you should do. Take a lover and discover passion. Elizabeth’s words echoed in her mind. Your life has been that of duty and now you should take something for yourself.
Goodness! Why was she recalling that conversation now?
She most certainly could not take a lover, nor did she want one, especially if he was a rake.
“Lady Teviot?”
Lavinia blinked. Oh, how she hated that name, yet there was nothing she could do to change it short of marriage to another, which would never occur.
“Is all well? You seemed concerned. I do promise not to disturb you.”
Except, maybe she wanted him to.
Lavinia shook the thought away.
“I am simply tired from the journey. I should go in and rest.”
“Yes, of course.” He stepped back and started to walk away, Max the sheepdog trotting by his side.
Rakes were known to be the best lovers, or that was what Society believed. Did she dare find out for herself?
No!
Lavinia turned and stalked back into the cottage. Valentine was her brother’s solicitor, who she would be required to encounter weekly once they all returned to London. If she had him as a lover over the holiday it would make it very difficult to meet with him over estate matters in the spring. Therefore, she would dismiss the very foolish idea. If she truly wanted to know if her sister and Blythe spoke the truth—that intimacy could be pleasant—she would find another rake. One that she would not have to encounter ever again.
Demetrius had only known Lady Teviot since last spring, when she and her sister had come to London for the Season, both widows and just out of mourning. She had displayed nothing but strict supervision and devotion to her family and always remained reserved and polite. She gave counsel to the duke, guided her younger sisters, and oversaw the household. Demetrius had been quite certain that they could not get on without her. Yet, she was here, alone.
He glanced down at Max who walked along beside him.
“You may have ruined her dress, Max.”
The sheepdog looked up at him.
“You should not jump on people, especially women.”
Max just wagged his tail.
When they reached the terrace Demetrius pointed. “Sit.” Then he stepped inside to find the brush he had purchased specifically for Max and returned outside and set to grooming the dog. It was a daily practice and necessary, but if Max kept going in the water he would have to do this more often.
At first Demetrius had been irritated by the shedding and feared that the woman he had hired to clean his set of rooms would quit. Luckily, she adored Max as well as the increase in her wages.
He also found that the time that he spent brushing Max after the end of a long day was relaxing, which had come as a surprise.
He may not have known what to do with the cat and dog, nor had he even wanted them, but Demetrius had come to realize that he’d be lonely if they were gone.
They still weren’t the same as human interaction, however.
With those thoughts, he glanced at the Sea View cottage.
Why had Lady Teviot abandoned her family for the Christmas holiday?
Demetrius remembered the first time he had seen her and had been struck by her beauty, mahogany hair with a hint of red, and light blue eyes which were narrowed on him the moment they were introduced. She then proceeded to question him about the language he had used in a contract and made suggestions for how the agreement could better benefit her brother.
He'd been stunned and impressed. He had never met a woman, so beautiful and desirable, with intelligence and determination that she did not feel the need to hide. Every time they had met, which was weekly during the Season, Lady Teviot challenged him.
Despite the impossibility of the two of them sharing a dance, let alone anything more intimate, Demetrius was still infatuated with Lady Teviot, an emotion that had grown daily since their first meeting.
