“The world is much larger, Lady Lucy,” he continued. “I realized that when I explored the Continent. Yes, part of it was escape, but it was also about finding out what the world could offer. When I was in the Alps, I was able to feel closer to the clouds. Nature. I didn’t just visit the cities where libertines found more ways to enjoy themselves. No. I was out there, trying to get as close to the skies as possible. I tore down the walls that defined me. Within civilization, I found places that were built differently from ours, and it was a moment of clarity for me.”
Lucy looked up at him with wonder. Daniel was a handsome man, but something else seemed to glow from within him as he talked about his travels.
“You’ve seen so much,” she breathed.
His words made her realize just how little she knew of the world and how she had been limited even in the small space that she occupied.
“Yes. I’ve seen, heard, and smelled so many things,” Daniel murmured, nodding. “In hindsight, I had been so fortunate. I can still smell the spices in Constantinople. I can still remember how I devoured dishes in every place. Each meal held a story of a proud culture. Of people who searched for their truths.”
“I would have loved to see these things,” Lucy whispered, suddenly melancholy. “It sounds like an adventure of a lifetime.”
“It can be,” Daniel said with a light shrug. “It was a form of escape, too. Regrets followed me even as my senses feasted. My sisters?—”
He paused. He sounded like she was earlier, slightly guarded. He probably was also uncertain about sharing too much.
Lucy did not prod.
“You experienced in that short period what I could never in a lifetime,” she said wistfully. “I am also a woman. What you can enjoy as a gentleman living on your own is impossible for someone like me. I will have to be married or chaperoned for that to happen.”
She shuddered at the thought of traveling the Continent with Joshua while wearing dresses she hated.
“I am sorry,” Daniel offered, as if he were apologizing for his masculinity.
It was the way of the world, and she wondered when it would change. If ever.
A sudden gust of wind interrupted their conversation, catching Lucy’s bonnet. It knocked it from her head as if it knew that she was covered far too much.
“Oh!” she yelped, jumping as she tried to catch her bonnet. However, the silk ribbons seemed intent on slipping through her fingers.
The bonnet, as if it had a mind of its own, cartwheeled over the grass. Both Daniel and Lucy ran after it. Once they thought they were close enough, both lunged for it at the same moment. As they reached down, their hands brushed against each other over the brim.
Lucy’s breath hitched. She had not experienced such a sensation before. It was like a bolt of lightning traveling from his skin to hers.
What was that?
When the two of them looked up, they bumped each other’s heads. They chuckled a little. When their gazes met, she could see flecks of gold in his blue eyes. They looked serene at that moment, at ease. It was quick, but it seemed his features became more pronounced even under his trimmed beard.
The mask was down.
The world around them—Hyde Park and its people—seemed to vanish, and all she could think of was where their fingers touched.
Daniel did not pull away from her, his hand remaining close to hers. His thumb brushed over her knuckles longer than she hadthought possible. It might have been brief, but for her, it felt like a lifetime—a connection.
Tension thrummed between the two of them. She could feel it. She wondered if he could as well.
“Here it is,” he said unnecessarily, but the words must be said. They must cut through the crackling tension that made her whole body tremble.
Daniel straightened up fully, handing her bonnet back to her. Their gazes were still locked.
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Lucy rasped, her throat suddenly dry. She tried to keep her trembling hands steady as she reached for her bonnet.
Daniel looked startled at her reply. He made a visible retreat, even though his eyes were still on her. Lucy nodded, as if acknowledging their return to reality.
They resumed their walk, the silence between them heavy.
Chapter Twelve
“It’s all in your head,” Lucy told herself as she settled in her room.
