Page 35 of A Highland Lass for the English Duke

"Lissie!"

The room became so still that Lissie wondered if Will had turned everyone to stone.

Smiling, Will pushed his way through the callers and came toward her. The beaming smile he was wearing made it worthwhile. Lissie was literally glowing in his attention, and seeing the look on his face made her feel proud.

Although her head was whirling, and she did not know what had prompted Will to reach her here, one thing she was sure about was the reaction of the London ladies. Seeing the most eligible bachelor in the whole of London just sweep into her room was the most exciting thing that had happened in some time.

"Lissie, my darling, how beauteous thou art this morning."

He bowed before her, tipping his low-brimmed hat. A sly smile crept across his cheeks, seen only by her. Lissie felt amusement rising in her throat.

Either side of her, the room had stopped dead. Annice was glaring at her, as were Lady Caroline and her cronies.

But Lissie did not have eyes for any of them.

"Will!" she said, genuinely surprised. "H-How did ye find me?"

Another smile wrapped its way around Will's face.

"'Twas hardly hard, my lady, to find the only Scottish beauty in London."

A peal of giggles erupted from behind them, but neither of them was listening.

"So, what are ye doing here?"

It was direct. Perhaps too direct. She could imagine what Annice had to say about it. But Lissie did not care.

"I wondered if you wanted to go for a ride, my lady?" he asked, with a twinkle in his eye.

He did not need to ask twice. Lissie jumped at him, almost knocking him over. A murmur of amusement covered the room. Let them laugh, thought Lissie, glowing. Meeting Caroline in the eye, she grinned.

"Let's go," Lissie said to Will. "Wherever ye want."

* * *

Everything twinkled in the clear, bright sun. Emerging from the darkened room behind them, Lissie felt like she had been buried for years. Blinking, her eyes adjusted to the light.

In the bright of day, it was easy to shake off the uproar from the house and forget it had ever been there. The noise, the snarky smiles, the judging... All of it was gone in the time it took for Will to open the front door and let her eyes flood with light.

Reaching the outer world, Lissie felt herself restored. There had not been enough of this; the sun, the birds, and the sky. Since coming to London, she had been shut up and kept underground like a root vegetable.

"You asked me for a ride, but in fact, I cannae ride this morning. I have no horse," said Lissie as they walked side by side down the driveway.

The morning was beautiful, even for London, she had to admit. And as they walked, Lissie had to take care to steer away from Will's hand, which dangled closely to hers.

The energy between them fizzled, taking on a life of its own. A surge of pleasure bubbled up in Lissie. For the first time since arriving in the English capital, she felt alive. But more than that, she felt something else; desire.

This tall young man was quite the unexpected pleasure. In a city where everyone seemed to be gray, he stood out. His shoulders were straightened, and his hair the color of coals, in stark contrast to the small, shabby dust and ash-shaded folk who milled around.

Looking at Will in the face, Lissie ringed the changes. In the full glare of light, he held up well. Unlike some of the others, he did not look as if he would disintegrate in the first ray of sunshine to come his way. And his skin was a rosy pink, a little fresher for being out in the sun, with only a few lines to mark his years in this world.

And now he was smiling, with a tricky look in his blue eyes. They had walked as far as the stables, and now Lissie was standing, uncertain, before him.

"Well, that is where you are wrong, my lady."

A large smile unfurled across his face. Lissie looked on in suspicion.

"What do ye mean, wrong?" She squinted. "I left Florentine at the Percy Manor."