“The stars are shining bright tonight,” he commented, still looking skyward.
She could not help but look up as well. It was not an idle comment. True enough, the sky was glittering, even though the moon was merely a sliver.
“Oh, they are,” she said with a sigh. Her heart was pounding so hard that she feared it would burst. “They simply seem further away. Not like from the greenhouse.”
She felt too bold, uttering those words, but she could not help herself, and she was relieved that she could not take them back. At least, she was able to see Daniel’s pained expression.
“That was a dream, Lady Lucy.”
The formal address stung.
Still, Lucy knew that they were in public and must conduct themselves with decorum.
“Now, we are in the waking world,” he added, sounding apologetic.
“What if I have become fond of dreaming?” she retorted. “What if I am willing to take risks? Remember, I was the same lady who came by the back door of Valentine St. Clair.”
She was no fool. She could only whisper St. Clair’s name, knowing that it was tainted. Then again, the name was mostly familiar to women who had visited the escort.
Then, she left him there.
Anyone who was watching from afar would think that they were just there to get some fresh air and nothing more. After all, didn’t Daniel choose Lady Cecily’s company over hers when he got the chance?
Still, Lucy did not want to risk it. Joshua’s eyes would narrow into slits whenever he saw her drifting away from him or drifting toward a man.
People closest to her and Daniel could not help but notice, though. Victoria seemed not to have the intention to merely watch. She was the sort who intervened.
“He is waiting for you,” she said. “You can see him in the small library, the one our host kept secret from most guests, but not from Richard and me. I can be quite persuasive.”
“But Joshua will notice my absence,” Lucy sputtered.
She should have just said no. After all, Daniel was never going to fully commit to her. She was better than that. Seeking St. Clair would have been better. At least, she would have control over the outcome.
“Theo is currently speaking with him,” Victoria confided, her smile wide and mischievous. “His stories can be, um, never-ending if he so wishes. However, you do not have much time. A quarter of an hour at most.”
Lucy’s gaze drifted to the impossibly irresistible man who had been haunting her thoughts. He seemed on his way to the library Victoria had directed her to.
When she reached it, she understood why her friend had pointed her to it. It was close to the ballroom, and its entrance was barely noticeable, the black door blending with the black walls.
“Mmm.”
Fifteen minutes.
It was not enough. Lucy could not understand why she was even making an effort.
Inside, Daniel waited. For the life of her, she believed he was just as confused as she was.
“Do you know that I used to hide in the stables when I was a boy?” Daniel admitted.
Lucy’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. Her confusion grew. So, they were just going to reveal random stuff about themselves here?
“It feels like I am hiding again, here,” he continued. “My father was a cruel man, but I was his heir. My sisters were not fully aware that he still found ways to punish me without anyone knowing. A lash on the palm. A slap across the face. Those were some of the worst ones, especially the slaps.”
A slap was considered reasonable by most people. However, it also meant humiliation and putting someone in their place while not causing permanent physical damage.
She supposed the emotional damage was an entirely different story.
“Then the hiding became an exploration. Instead of shaking in fear, I’d pore over my father’s journals about explorers. Even then, traveling seemed inevitable.”
