Page 61 of The Duke’s Wager

They did not call her the Ice Queen for nothing.

Behind her, the Duke and Duchess had made their apologies and left for their seats too.

“Lucy.” Her father’s hand had a steely grip around her upper arm, and he pushed her in the direction of the doors.

“It is time for us to find our seats too, or would you spend the entire night standing here and enjoying the admiration of strangers and vagrants?”

It was an unfair accusation, and Lucy had to bite on her lip not to react to it. Henry steered her in the direction of their seats firmly, his voice a vile whisper in her ear.

“I warned you, did I not? I told you who he was.” Lucy bit down on her lip even harder. “I hope you see the truth of who that cad is now, Lucy. He is not our sort. He is a shameful, rude rogue who has no business visiting a woman such as yourself, no matter his title. I hope you heard him when he said that he had no plans to visit our house again – and I hope you take this seriously. Edward Lockhart is nothing but trouble!”

Lucy remained quiet. She was used to her father’s taunts and insults. She had grown up with them, and they’d become a part of her life, they no longer mattered. It no longer hurt.

His comment on Edward’s behavior, however, stung. It broke her heart into pieces.

Lucy knew exactly why his words hurt so much; they were true. Her father, for once in his miserable life, was right.

Edward Lockhart was trouble. He would never truly care about a woman, least of all one like her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The opera house had slowly filled with people.

“Really, Edward.” Evelyn’s voice shook with barely concealed rage. “It was unbelievably rude of you. You barely acknowledged Lady Lucy! It was incredibly uncomfortable. I am ashamed!”

Edward closed his eyes and sighed. He knew that his grandmother was right, but he could not listen to her. He could not get Lucy’s face out of his mind.

She had looked like a goddess – a magical being that had come to earth to grace the world with her presence. But it had been her eyes that had haunted him.

He had seen her eyes sparkle with delight when she told a funny story; he had seen them filled with nostalgia when she shared fond memories of her mother; and he had seen them full of anger when she spoke of her father.

Never until tonight had he seen her eyes filled with such sadness, such betrayal.

He was to blame for it – he had no doubt about this. It stung even more than his grandmother’s angry whispers, whispers that continued even now as he chastised himself for hurting her. He never wanted to be the reason for her pain.

It aggravated him to no end that he was. No, Edward mused with a shake of his head. It was a lie to think that he was aggravated. In truth, it was guilt that gnawed at him incessantly.

He had not meant to hurt her. He had seen her, looking lovelier than ever, and he had been overcome by emotions – emotions that he did not understand. And he had thought that by ignoring her he would be able to distance himself from her once more, gain back some of his control.

Needless to say, it had not been successful. It had proved to be too late. Distancing himself from Lucy Beaumont was impossible.

Somehow, in the midst of their meetings in the cemetery and their sharing of thoughts, ideas and stories, she had captivated him more than any woman ever had. And more – he was certain of this – than any person ever would.

Little by little, Lucy Beaumont had crawled her way into his heart. And now she was engraved in his mind and soul. He was consumed by her, and he wanted nothing more than to magically transport them to the cemetery where it felt easy. He wanted to sit next to her, touch her, speak with her, share secrets, and laugh with her.

“Edward!” Though his grandmother’s voice was soft, there was no mistaking the anger in her tone, and Edward turned his head to face her. “Have you heard a word I said?”

He had not. “Yes, grandmother.”

She looked at him through narrowed eyes. “And?”

“And what?” He paled, trying to find a way to gather his wits and answer her.

She still stared at him adamantly. “Well? Will you apologize to her?”

Of course. She wanted him to apologize to Lucy. This was something he understood, something he in all honesty agreed with.

“Yes, grandmother. I will apologize as soon as I can.”