“Mrs. Malcolm,” he began.
Her gaze flew to his, and she shook her head.
“Good day, my lord.” With that, she all but ran from the room.
Blast!Cradling the book against him, he left. It was the ticket to seeing her again, even after Lady Susanne told her mother he would no longer court her.
A few days later, he received a letter from his own mother. Carolyn Diamond got quickly to her reason for writing by the second sentence.
We miss you, dear son. I hope you are well and behaving yourself.
He smirked. He was a grown man and could behave how he chose. Then he thought of his mother’s green eyes and how she could give a dragon’s stare when displeased, and his smirkvanished. Moreover, his father, a tall, personable man, could be firm — even a little frightening — when necessary.
Adam never wanted to disappoint either of his parents. He tugged at his cravat, which felt a little too tight, as he continued to read.
I heard from my friend, Lady Beasley, yesterday. It seems you have lost interest in her eldest daughter. That is a shame. I would not have minded linking our two families.
However, I know you have your reasons. You are a sensible man — mostly — and will find a woman who makes your heart sing. That is your father’s and my fervent hope.
Although I wonder if Lady Beasley will still invite me for sherry next time I am in Bath.
Then she entertained him with news of his four sisters, which he appreciated, making him laugh and also miss them more than he’d anticipated.
When Adam finally put down the long letter, he couldn’t forget his mother’s words about a woman who made his heart sing.Wasn’t that precisely what Mrs. Malcolm did?
He had felt unsettled since he first met her. Each time he was thrown in with both her and Lady Susanne, it was only Alice who interested him. And he could compare her to any number of women with whom he’d kept company, daughters of his parents’ friends, ladies he’d met at balls and dinner parties. None gave him the warm and effusive feeling she did. Certainly, none made him want to bring her happiness even at the expense of his own.
But Alice caused that and more, leaving him staring out a window and wondering how he could steal her away for a picnic.
A picnic couldn’t be against the rules for a governess.Could it?
He expelled a long breath, knowing perfectly well that it was. If she had a bachelor sniffing around her skirts, she would never be able to keep her employment. He must leave her alonesince he did not intend anything more lasting for the future. Otherwise, it was unfair to her.
But oh, how he wished he could stretch out upon a picnic blanket with her, feed her morsels of tender chicken and grapes, drink wine, and then swive like rabbits.
If only he could speak with Clarity. His eldest sister would suss out the best course of action to make everyone happy. In lieu of her advice, he would have to figure it out as best he could.
Chapter Eight
Alice had half-hoped she would be sacked after the incident at Sydney Gardens. At least she would be free to begin a torrid affair with the man who made her body sizzle like a rasher of bacon in a hot pan.
She sighed at the thought of how she’d tingled when he kissed her and of wanting him to do it again.Had she learned nothing from her previous disregard for propriety and her foolish wildness?
However, lessons continued as usual, and although Susanne gave her a nettled glare when they encountered one another in passing, nothing else changed.
While taking her break and strolling through Bath’s bustling avenues, Alice’s discontentment in her usual mundane practices made her realize everything had changed. For one, her thoughts were constantly on Lord Diamond, how he had held her when she’d cried and the way he’d taken the blame for their indiscretion, making sure her reputation hadn’t suffered.
And secondly, when she went to bed at night, she contemplated the profoundly different life she might have had over the past few years if he’d been her husband and not Richard. When she awakened, she felt a sense ofdisappointment, knowing her chance at happiness had been wasted on such an undeserving man.
In truth, she didn’t know Lord Diamond well, but he’d already shown more good character during their short acquaintance than Richard ever had.Apart from the ill-advised, spontaneous kissing!
As she left her favorite shop with not only fine instruments but also the best selection of sheet music, she startled. Lord Diamond was waiting outside. And she knew he was waiting for her, obviously not conducting any shopping of his own.
“How did you know where I was?” Alice asked, resigned to the fact that he was interested in her, only hoping she could navigate the situation without detriment.
“I followed you,” he confessed, looking proud of himself. “It was easy. You mostly only go to two places, either here for musical accoutrements or to the Lilliput Alley bakery for Sally Lunn buns. Shall we go there next?”
“We cannot go anywhere together.”
