She eagerly followed him out the terrace doors of the dining room that led to the gardens. They walked a short distance, until they were cloaked in darkness and out of view of the house before he set her against the trunk of a tree and captured her lips with his own.
After a passionate kiss that left them both breathless, he released her and muttered, “I have thought of nothing but this—but you—since last night.”
“The same for me,” she whispered urgently. “I wish there was somewhere we could be alone.”
His eyes flashed in the darkness, and she spied the hunger lurking just beneath the surface. “As do I, but there is still work to be done.” He moved away from her with obvious reluctance and said, “The attacker is still wandering the streets.”
Lexie was disheartened to hear this. “He wasn’t captured?”
“The rain impeded any progress that might have been made,” he noted with a downturn of his mouth. “But with any luck that will soon change.”
She ran a finger down the front of his waistcoat. “I do hope the criminal is caught before our vows are spoken.” She lifted an inquiring brow. “Unless you weren’t intending to heed my father’s blessing?”
He captured her mouth in another drugging kiss that left her knees weak. “I will ensure that the first of the banns are posted this Sunday.”
She gave a small pout. “We must wait three weeks before we can marry?”
“Anticipation, my dear,” he returned smoothly. “And trust me when I say you shall have plenty of it so that when that day arrives, you are running into my arms.”
She quite liked the sound of that.
His focus flickered to someplace over her shoulder. “I will be right back.”
She glanced behind her but could see nothing in the shadows. “What is it?”
“I need to speak with someone I hired to watch the house.” He set a finger under her chin. “I wasn’t taking any chances with your safety, and I trust most of the Bow Street Runners.”
She nodded. “I understand. I shall wait here until you are finished with your meeting.”
He kissed her forehead and then melted into the shadows.
As she waited for him to return, she wandered about the gardens. She rubbed her arms, and although the night was cool, it wasn’t overly so. The rain had ushered in more changing colors on the trees, but it would be some time before the winter season set in.
Her steps crunched on the small pebbles as she made her way back to the main path that wound through the garden. She didn’t notice that there was an echo until she glanced up and spied Lord Lindley striding toward her. She stopped. “My lord. I thought you had already left.”
“I was intending to,” he said evenly. “But your aunt persuaded me to seek you out for an audience.”
Lexie withheld a sigh. She didn’t know why her aunt was so determined that she procure the hand of the earl, but she would speak with her about it first thing in the morning. She was going to marry the duke, and nothing would change her mind.
“Lord Lindley?—”
He held up a hand. “Don’t say anything. Just listen to what I have to say.”
She crossed her arms and waited patiently.
He exhaled sharply. “I know I must pale in comparison to the enticement that the duke presents. He is a mysterious man with dark secrets. It makes for an exciting prospect, but trust me when I say he will break your heart. I know I shouldn’t speak so openly,but I care about you enough not to allow that to happen. You must reconsider his suit for your own sake.”
Lexie couldn’t be upset with him. She reached out and laid a light hand on his forearm. “I appreciate your concern. Truly. But I am old enough to make my own decisions, and if they turn out to be the wrong ones, I’m the only one that has to live with those choices. It’s not up to you to rescue me.”
He looked as though he wanted to argue the point or say something further, but in the end, he nodded. “Very well. I can accept defeat, but just know that should you change your mind, I would carry you over the border to Gretna Green this very moment.”
Lexie knew she had nothing to fear from the earl, but the way he spoke caused a shiver of apprehension to travel up her spine as if he’d threatened her, rather than offered a solution to a problem. “Thank you, my lord. I shall consider your advice at length, but do not hinge your hopes upon me. It would be best that you seek out the attentions of another.”
There was a flash of something in his gaze, which she couldn’t quite decipher, and then he turned on his heel and walked away.
She stared at his retreating back until he’d disappeared, unease remaining with her long afterward. When Dominic returned to her side, she jumped in alarm. He instantly frowned. “Are you well?”
“I think so.” She shook her head and decided it was best if she didn’t tell him about the encounter with the earl. It would solve nothing and likely just make Dominic angry. “What did the Runner have to say?”
