A smile came easily to her lips. “Really?”
“It crossed my mind when I saw her waiting by the door like a Roman guard with your cape and gloves in her hands.”
Susannah laughed and felt herself completely relax. She said, “She is entirely harmless. Don’t let her intimidate you.”
A grunt that sounded very much like a swear word passed his tempting lips. “The day will not come that I let her discourage me,” he said.
Chuckling, Susannah said, “Would it have been so terrible if I had intended my companion to come with us?”
“No, but…” He paused and grinned. “I would have taken it to mean that you were afraid to be alone with me.”
She stared at him with an easy smile, enjoying their playful conversation. “I am not an innocent miss who has never been alone with a man before, my lord. Why would I be afraid to be with you in an open carriage?”
He shrugged lightly and said, “Because I can tell that you don’t want to be attracted to me, but you are.”
Susannah protested with a soft laugh. “Why am I not surprised to learn that you think so highly of yourself?”
“Because you knew my grandmother, and you’ve read Lord Chesterfield’s letters. But I spoke the truth, and you know it. And I know you can see that I am definitely attracted to you, too.”
This engaging man beside her was entirely too perceptive, but she wasn’t willing to let him know that. “I don’t believe I know anything of the sort, my lord.”
“Be modest if it pleases you to do so,” he teased her. “It makes you even more beautiful. But know this, Duchess, before we leave the park this afternoon, I will make sure you have no doubts about just how attracted I am to you.”
Anticipation rippled through her, and she looked away from him. He had obviously seen way too much in her eyes already. By the saints, what was she going to do about the marquis?
Traffic was thick and slow as they approached the entrance to the park. The marquis queued with the other carriages waiting to enter the park through the west gate. Their curricle fell in line behind a fancy closed carriage that was driven by a handsome, liveried driver and drawn by a matching set of chestnut-colored horses.
The warm, sunny day had the park bustling with activity. The grassy areas were packed with distinctively dressed gentlemen and elegantly fashioned ladies. Some of the people wishing to see and be seen strolled the vast grounds with their children and dogs, while others were on horseback or rode in the open carriages.
Lord Raceworth stopped the curricle and threw the ribbons to a groom. When he reached back to help Susannah down from the carriage, she hesitated. She couldn’t help feeling odd. She swallowed her trepidation and took Race’s hand. As he held her firmly while she stepped down, she felt his warmth even through her gloves.
“Why the hesitation?” he asked as he let go of her and reached back into the carriage for the food basket. “You said you weren’t afraid to be alone with me.”
This time he wasn’t smiling. There was real curiosity in his features. Did she owe him an explanation?
Susannah inhaled a deep breath of the spring air and slowly released it. “I’m not. It’s just that it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Hyde Park, since I’ve strolled beside a man. I’m simply adjusting to this very different life than I’ve lived for the past few years.”
“Understood.”
They fell into a slow walk, she holding her parasol and her reticule with the documents sticking out of it, and Lord Raceworth carrying the food basket.
“You said your husband has been gone for years. Why haven’t you been back to London for a visit?”
“There has been no reason to return until now. My husband was very generous and left me a charming cottage called Chapel Gate, which is on the lands of Chapel Glade, and a more than adequate allowance to see to my needs. When my father died five years ago, my mother came to live with me, so my life has been full. I’ve been quite happy there, and I’ve not needed anything London has to offer.”
“Do you still attend the kind of grand house parties that my grandmother used to give?”
“No, not since my husband died, and we didn’t attend very many while he was living. Though he was a kind man, he was very careful about whom he socialized with, and your grandmother was one of the few. He thought highly of her.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. I’ve always known that many men adored Lady Elder, but not a one of them more than Gibby.”
“Gibby?”
“Sir Randolph Gibson is a good friend of mine, and he was my grandmother’s dearest friend for many years. He claims that she is the only woman he ever loved.”
“I remember my husband once told me that a lady who could outlive four husbands had his respect and his compassion.”
Lord Raceworth laughed, a gentle, genuine sound that sent shivers of awareness throughout Susannah’s body. Just looking at him made her feel warm and good inside. He was right. She was very attracted to him, but she didn’t intend to do anything about the way he made her feel. Her only goal must be to obtain the pearls for her mother.
