“Were you expecting the Duke of Pemberton?” he pressed.
He stared into her eyes as he completely trapped her in one place. Soon, only a small gap separated them. Lavinia felt herheart thud in her chest, and she hurried to come up with an answer.
“The Duke would not come here,” she muttered. There was a bitterness in her voice, although it had turned a little shaky from her nerves. She felt uneasy, and she wanted to escape.
“What do you like so much about His Grace? What hold does he have over you?”
Lavinia closed her eyes and wished she could be somewhere else. Anywhere else. It was hard enough to confront her burgeoning feelings for the Duke. She did not want to have to explain herself to the lovelorn Lord Windham, too.
“Why… why must you mention the Duke at a time like this, Lord Windham?” Her voice barely concealed the tremor of unease that ran through her.
Her heels sank slightly into the soft earth as she pushed her back against the trunk, hoping that she would magically go through it.
“I don’t like the way you look at him,” Lord Windham uttered. “I want to know, Miss Fitzroy. What do you see in him?”
Lavinia’s heart pounded hard in her chest. An image of the Duke flashed through her mind. As she remembered his light brown eyes, the way his body felt against hers, the way his fingers traced her skin, and the press of his lips against hers, the pain of his subsequent coldness only grew stronger. Although this wasnot something she wanted to share with Lord Windham. This was something that nobody else had to know.
“How I feel and who I admire are none of your concern,” she replied.
She tried to step around him, but Lord Windham quickly blocked her path.
“You do not need him, Miss Fitzroy. I am here now,” he said softly, as though he were hoping to coax a scared animal out of a hole. “The Duke of Pemberton is a rake, a man with no regard for decency. He will only ruin your reputation, Miss Fitzroy, as he has so many other fine ladies. He will ruin your family.”
Lavinia winced at his words. While Charles had spoken kindly of the Duke what seemed like mere moments ago, these words of caution echoed what her mother had said that morning.
“Do you think I need you to intercede on my behalf?” she scoffed.
“You need to know what type of man he is, Miss Fitzroy.” Lord Windham lifted his chin slightly and sniffed. “The Duke of Pemberton is no gentleman.”
“And you are?” she challenged. “You have spent this week following me from one place to the next because you fell in love with my portrait?” Her unease caused the words to spill out of her mouth.
“I have followed you because I care for you, Miss Fitzroy. I have made it my mission to seek your favor because I adore you and?—”
“You cannot adore me, Lord Windham,” she said through gritted teeth. “You do not even know me.”
Instead of being repulsed by her words, Lord Windham leaned closer so that only a hairsbreadth separated their faces. “I want you, Lavinia,” he whispered. “I want you to be mine.”
Lavinia recoiled, her stomach twisting with revulsion.
“No.” Her response was immediate and automatic. “I want love and romance and?—”
“I can give you everything, even the things he cannot,” Lord Windham cut her off, sounding desperate. “I can make you happy, Lavinia. Your life with me would be filled with one adventure after another and, in time, I am sure you would grow to love me as much as I love you.”
“No!” she cried. “Love does not work that way, My Lord. I do not intend to marry someone and then fall in love. I want… I want…” She sagged against the tree.
“Be reasonable, Miss Fitzroy.” Lord Windham licked his lower lip. “You know that a union between us would be smiled upon by one and all. Don’t you realize how much this would make your mother happy?” he reasoned.
“I will not marry you, Lord Windham.”
“Please,” he pleaded. “Please, Miss Fitzroy.”
Suddenly, he lifted his hand and grabbed her. His fingers curled delicately around her wrist. He treated her as if she were a bit of spun sugar.
Lavinia stared at him in shock. As she opened her mouth to speak her piece, a twig snapped, and a voice barked, “Unhand her, Windham.”
Her heart leaped as the Duke emerged from the trees. Although his expression was cold and furious, she knew he was what she needed.
Lord Windham’s hand dropped to his side at once, and he turned to face the Duke.
