“Thank you, my lady, but when it comes to high society, reputations must be preserved at all cost, and that means steering clear of anyone with a questionable past or questionable associations.”
“Hedgewick was your father,” she stated with quiet outrage. “How were you supposed to avoid an association with him? By not being born?”
“Well,” Marcus said with a quiet chuckle, “as it turns out, there is a chance I may not be his son.”
This statement led to a stunned silence, until Lady Louise eventually managed to ask, “Are you saying your mother had an affair?”
“ Yes. With the previous Duke of Windham.”
“Good lord.”
“So I could actually be the current Duke of Windham’s illegitimate brother for all I know.”
“And your sister?” Lady Louise asked, her shock evident in her tone. “She married the duke.”
“Regina was conceived after the murder took place, so there’s no chance of her and Windham being related in any way besides marriage.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“Quite.”
She angled her face toward him. “Is that why Hedgewick killed him? Because of the affair?”
“It would appear that way. The two were friends, you see, and Papa couldn’t stand the betrayal.”
“I suppose I can understand that, but murder?” Lady Louise sighed. “It must have been awful for you and your sister.”
“1820 wasn’t the best year for us.”
She seemed to accept this as an end to their discussion, for which he was relieved. He’d much rather have her think of him as his own man, one who stood apart from the Hedgewick title, instead of one who’d been connected to it by blood.
“I’ve missed this terribly,” Lady Louise said after a few more paces. Her fingers curled around his forearm, their tips digging into his flesh with a gentle pressure he feared he’d not want to part with when their walk ended. “The soft breeze cooling the heat from the sun as it bathes my skin, the birds chirping in the trees, and the glorious colors of spring in every direction one turns.”
“Is your vision getting sharper as your eyes adjust to not being covered?” he asked while leading her between flower beds filled with a brilliant mixture of tulips in various shades of reds and yellows, purple hyacinths, and happy daffodils. A squirrel leapt across the grass farther along, pausing briefly to glance their way before continuing toward a large oak.
“I think so. It’s not completely clear, if that makes sense, but then again, it wasn’t before. And I do believe it will be better if I get a new pair of spectacles as you suggested. But I can see you’ve got freckles.”
Laughter burst from a place deep within him. “Do I?”
She smiled at him from beneath her veil and his heart, the foolish thing, took flight. He drew her closer - so close their shoulders met. It really wasn’t proper and if he were a true gentleman, he’d add more distance immediately. Only, when it came to Lady Louise, he wanted to forget his manners, every rule of proper conduct he’d lived his entire life by, and rush headlong into whatever disaster awaited as long as it meant he’d be near her.
“They add character,” she said, “and charm.”
He drew her to a halt and turned to face her. Every piece of common sense he harbored warned him not to take this further. He knew he could never have her. And besides, she loved Nigel. But Nigel wasn’t here right now and Nigel wasn’t the man Lady Louise was looking at as if he meant more to her than he’d ever dared hope. She was looking at Marcus.
“Really?” Needing something more, he took her hand in his. A swift sideways glance informed him they weren’t being watched. Hannah, who’d dutifully stopped some distance away, was too busy admiring a sundial. Accepting the slight bit of liberty they’d been granted, Marcus raised Lady Louise’s gloved hand to his lips, only rather than kiss her knuckles, he turned her hand over and kissed the inside of her wrist, allowing himself the pleasure of marking her bare skin with his lips.
She sucked in a breath and he kissed her once more, this time while holding her gaze so there could be no doubt in her mind of where he stood. She’d know his intentions now and to his surprise, he didn’t regret that.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me in exchange for my help.” With her assistance he’d managed to send a response to Mr. Von Gräfe a few days earlier.
The color of her eyes deepened to a darker shade of chocolate. “How could I deny you after everything you’ve done for me? It was my absolute pleasure.”
Her comment lifted his spirits.
“I’ve been giving your project some thought,” he said as he slowly let her hand fall. Linking his arm with hers once more, he recommenced walking. “The school for blind children?”
“What about it?”
