A movement out of the corner of her eye had her narrowing her eyes. She might have thought nothing of the gentleman standing by a tree except for the fact he seemed out of place among the majority of London. At least, anyone from the West End, with his simple clothing and hardened jaw.
A shiver of apprehension crawled up her spine.
This man was trouble.
Suddenly eager to turn and retrace her steps before he glanced up and noticed her, Lexie stepped into the riding path of the bridge just as a horse and rider found their way there. With a muffled curse from the rider, combined with Lexie’s sharp gasp of surprise, the encounter could have gone very differently. Instead, the man atop the steed was able to gain control over the animal quickly enough. Dismounting, he walked over to Lexie, who was trying to recover from the near mishap.
“My lady, are you injured?”
She glanced up into the face of a gentleman in a bottle greenjacket, taking particular note of his clothing, simply because the shade of his eyes perfectly matched his attire. “I…” Words had suddenly escaped her.
He reached out and grasped her shoulders. “Can you tell me your name?”
She blinked, her tongue abruptly coming free from the roof of her mouth. “Alexandra Givenwald.”
He smiled slowly, and she was taken aback by the sly yet charming nature of it. As more of his features came into focus, his light windblown hair and slightly darker, neatly trimmed beard, she would have to be blind not to notice that he was rather appealing to the eye. However, as lovely as his mannerisms and his outward appearance, she knew she would not be dreaming of him this night.
He exhaled in apparent relief and let his hands slide away from her. “I’m glad there was no harm done.”
Recalling that she had practically jumped into the middle of the lane, she allowed some of her chagrin to come forth. “I do apologize for that, sir. I was woolgathering and should have been paying better attention.”
He lifted a brow, as if surprised to hear her admit her guilt. “Yes, well, at least there was no harm done.” He executed a slight bow. “I gather we will be crossing paths again, Miss Givenwald, so allow me to introduce myself so we can dispense with the formalities the next time. I am Francis Marcomb, the Earl of Lindley.”
“My lord,” she murmured with a small curtsy. With a twist of her lips, she added, “I will try not to embarrass myself at our next interlude.”
He leaned forward slightly and murmured, “Should that not prove true, your beauty would still outshine any offense.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Is that so?” She leaned toward him. “Then you should know I’m not easily swayed by flattery, my lord.”
Lexie moved past him, and although she heard the sound of laughter following in her wake, she did not turn around. Instead, she rejoined her maid and made her way out of the park. She was disappointed that she had not seen the duke, but it was always pleasant to engage in some harmless flirtation.
Unfortunately, she made the mistake of relaying her encounter with the earl when she returned to the house after her aunt asked her if she’d had a pleasant ride. “It was very nice. And I met someone new by way of a chance encounter. He introduced himself as the Earl of Lindley.”
The older woman’s blue eyes instantly lit up. “How intriguing! I was under the impression that he was on the continent and would not be returning until the season began in earnest next year. How fortuitous that he should arrive earlier than planned! This might be your chance to gain his notice, although it seems you already have.”
Lexie wanted to roll her eyes, but she refrained. “He seemed pleasant enough, I would agree, but I’m not sure we would suit in that way.”
Her aunt waved a hand. “You are entirely too fickle when it comes to choosing a husband. The process is simple enough. You choose a man who can keep you comfortable and in turn, you provide him with the requisite heirs to carry on the line.”
Lexie snorted. “Of course. There is nothing to it at all, except for the misery a wrong match would surely bring.”
“Tell me you still aren’t hoping for a love match?” The lady sighed heavily. “Such fanciful dreams aren’t commonplace in society. I have tried to instruct you in these matters most thoroughly. You should have known your parents married for convenience and they lived in harmonious contentment until your mother’s death.”
“Is that all I shall be granted?” Lexie asked curiously. “Mere contentment? Is love truly that unattainable?”
“In most cases, yes. But security and a good name are worthmuch more in theton, I can assure you.” Although her tone had been firm, her aunt softened her voice when she added, “I was hesitant about marrying my Alfred at first too, so I understand any reservations you might have, but once we wed, we were able to combine our interests to make a harmonious home. Although we were not blessed with any children from our union, we made the best of our misfortunes and found happiness together. The same can be true for you and the man you wed,ifyou marry the right one.”
Her brow furrowing in thought, Lexie carried her aunt’s words with her for the rest of the morning. She wanted to trust in her advice. Because she was an older woman, Lexie should believe that she knew what she was speaking of regarding relationships.
However, when Lexie was in her room and looking at her reflection in the dressing table mirror, all she could think of was the Duke of Cuthbert and how she should turn her attention to the earl who her aunt thought was obviously more suitable. But it wasn’t the earl’s face she saw when her cheeks turned pink and her breathing deepened. It wasn’t the earl’s lips she imagined kissing hers, as well as the rest of her body. It wasn’t the earl’s hands that she pictured caressing her body.
It wasn’t the earl that she desired.
She shook her head. Perhaps passion would come and if the duke’s current interest began to wane, then it wasn’t as though Lexie couldn’t change her mind and dally with the earl to see if she might actually prefer one over the other.
Perhaps a bit of jealous rivalry wouldn’t be amiss.
Thus emboldened, she changed for the musicale that evening and told herself that if she wished to make a firm opinion about who she wished to ruin her, she had better make sure the man she chose was worth the scandal that would surely ensue.
