Her hand fell away and her eyes opened in frustration. She didn’t know when she might see him again, and she wasn’t sure her patience would be able to last until she did. She desired him with a need like nothing she’d ever felt before. She had always known something dark and delicious lurked beneath the surface of her skin, and now that she had dipped her toes into the well of those secret desires, these feelings would not abate so easily.
Throwing back the covers, she slid her legs off the edge of the bed and decided it must be time for her to rise, although there was surely not much to look forward to on such a dreary day.
The thought had just slipped through her mind when the door opened and her maid rushed in looking quite harried.
“Jane? Is something wrong?”
“No, miss. Your aunt just wanted me to make sure you were up and made ready. Your father should be here shortly.”
Immediately, everything in Lexie’s brain came to a screeching halt. “My father is coming to London? But he hates town.”
“All the same, that is what I heard.” The maid removed a pastel yellow gown from the wardrobe and held it out for her perusal. “This has always matched your coloring quite nicely, and not everyone with light hair can manage to wear yellow so beautifully.”
As Jane chattered on, Lexie was still trying to process why her father might be making the arduous journey to London, his words, not hers. The only times he would come to the city were to consult with his solicitor or other business that could not be taken care of through his estate manager.
Something very important must have prompted this sudden visit.
All at once the fine hairs on the back of her neck started to rise on end, as if warning of a dire prediction. “Is my aunt still in residence?”
“Yes, miss. She is in the morning room. Shall I send for?—”
Lexie grabbed her wrapper and donned it over her nightdress. “No need. I shall see her myself.”
The maid cast her a horrified look before Lexie padded downstairs on bare feet. Lexie had never roamed about the townhouse in such a lax manner, as she knew it wasn’t looked upon very kindly by her aunt. She believed that no one should leave their bedchambers unless they were properly attired. She might normally agree, but with this sense of foreboding tugging at her, Lexie decided she would risk her aunt’s ire this time.
Striding into the morning room, she found the silver-haired lady just where Jane said she would be. She was reading a local periodical, but Lexie didn’t waste any time in asking, “Why is father coming here?”
The paper was lowered and a critical frown followed when her aunt took in Lexie’s state of undress. She gave a sniff of displeasure but set aside the paper. “Good morning to you too,” she admonished. A dainty brow was lifted. “I asked your father to come to London to discuss your future and the prospect that you are about to squander. After the way you went galivanting around London without a proper escort yesterday afternoon, the threat to your reputation is the next step on the road to ruin. Since I would be failing in my duties as a chaperone should that happen, I have enlisted the assistance of your sire to convinceyou that a match with the Earl of Lindley is a solid one and worth devoted consideration. The earl will be joining us for supper this evening at which time your father will have the chance to decide for himself.”
By the time her aunt had finished, Lexie’s ears were buzzing. She could not believe what she was hearing. “You shallforceme to marry the earl?”
“I will do no such thing,” her aunt returned sourly. “But your father might. I have given you several weeks to choose a suitor, and the earl practically dropped into your lap and yet you would ignore such a handsome man in favor of a life of spinsterhood?”
Lexie wasn’t sure there was anything wrong with being a spinster. All the unmarried ladies she’d met had never appeared that distraught with their fate, and yet, she was expected to marry for the sake of merely doing so. “I don’t love the earl.”
“Affection will come in time, and if it does not, that is not what unions are based on. They are utilized as a way to populate the earth as God intended and nothing more.”
She couldn’t believe her aunt actually accepted as truth that marriage was nothing more than a tool, like a rake or a hammer. To Lexie, it was the turning point to happiness or dismay. And while she did admit she admired the earl and he had some good qualities, he did not make her heart beat fiercely, nor was he the one she wanted with every fiber of her being.
A sudden idea bloomed in her mind, and although Lexie didn’t know if her plan would work or not, she had to try. “Would you be averse if I invited another potential suitor this evening?”
Her aunt’s interest immediately rose. “I didn’t realize someone else had come to call on you.”
She didn’t want to mention the duke’s name and have her aunt reject it out of hand, so she had to make sure she presented a convincing argument to get her consent. “I have long admired the Duke of Cuthbert, and while I know you are not favorable tohim, he does hold a lofty title and wealth. Surely that carries some sort of sway, regardless of his reputation.”
Her aunt’s face turned stony. “Your father may not think so.”
“But he would be welcome to come and let father decide for himself which man he prefers?”
It took a moment for her aunt’s face to relax once more, but she finally relented with an irritated sigh. “If it will silence your insistence on the matter of the duke, an invitation shall be extended to him as well. I will ensure it is delivered this afternoon.”
Relief flooded Lexie, but it was short lived. She couldn’t be assured that Dominic could make dinner this evening if he was still tied up trying to locate his attacker. But she had to have hope that he would be there, or else all might very well be lost.
And to make sure her aunt didn’t go back on her word, Lexie returned to her chamber and penned a quick missive to Amos. If there was anyone who might be able to get a message to Dominic, it was him.
“Jane.” She handed the letter to her maid who was patiently waiting to assist her mistress. “Please see that this is delivered to the Crown & Sceptre by way of a private messenger boy.” As the maid reached for the letter, Lexie closed her hands over hers. “It must go with the utmost discretion. Do you understand?”
The girl nodded. “Yes, miss.”
