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“Is that—?” he started to ask as he inched back toward the window. He used his fingertips to push the thick curtains aside, and then, he saw the lady in question stop, hitch her skirts much higher than society would have deemed appropriate as she was showing at least two inches of her ankles, and take off in the direction of the flower gardens. Richard chuckled and waved his hand at Harry.
“Go on without me. I’ll be right there. I’ve got something to tend to first.”
CHAPTERSIX
Leticia ran with all her might toward the flower gardens. She was sprinting at such high speeds because she was quite certain that if anyone caught sight of her, they’d stop her and censure her for a number of reasons.
If it was one of the ladies of theton, they might scold her for hiking up her skirts in such a distasteful way, or they might rebuke her for traipsing across the yard like she was a racehorse. Should her Aunt Amelia or the Dowager encounter her, they would reproach her for avoiding the party. And the list went on and on. So, as Leticia dashed away from the Manor toward the gardens, she prayed that not only would the tip from her uncle about finding Richard near the rose bushes prove accurate, but she’d make it there without being accosted by anyone else.
Not that finding Richard there will be much better. He’ll surely take delight in reminding me that I am a lady, and I need to drop my skirts and act like one.
Leticia careened through the hedgerows, dodging the massive stone fountain that today was producing the clearest, coolest water she’d ever seen. Her throat felt parched just looking at the spouting liquid, but she stayed clear, choosing to focus on the task at hand.
I must warn Richard. He needs to know the truth.
She wound her way around the intricate mass that was the Dowager’s gardens until she came to the heart of it all—the place where the rose bushes grew high, starting low to the ground but climbing up trellises that stood more than seven feet high. The white roses were in bloom right now, and their sweet perfume wafted to meet Leticia.
Uncle Sebastian was wrong. Richard’s not here. So…I just ran all that way for nothing.
Even though Leticia was a bit annoyed, she knew she hadn’t made this trek for nothing.
No one should be taking advantage of Richard. As obnoxiously obstinate as he can be, he doesn’t deserve to be treated this way.
Then, with the furious fire rekindled in her belly, Leticia stood and straightened her dress.
If I can’t find Richard, I’ll go to Harry. He’ll want to know what I overheard.
* * *
I wonder who she was meeting out there.
Richard didn’t know much about Leticia’s current situation, but he figured that she wouldn’t be hurrying across the lawn in such a scandalous fashion if she weren’t late for an engagement.
Naughty little Leticia. And none of us even knew she was courting anyone.
He paused for a moment as he shut the door to his chamber behind him, trying to recollect the last time he’d seen Leticia with anyone. She had, of course, entertained several suitors during her last Season, but one by one the gentlemen all drifted away when they realized she wasn’t about to bend before them. In some cases, she’d even defiantly said as much.
“I don’t wish to be any man’s property—” she’d announced one morning, and while that didn’t drive anyone away immediately, after that fewer and fewer gentlemen dared to call at her door.
Or maybe she’s not courting anyone but only having a little rendezvous.
He chuckled aloud at that notion. Leticia had never been the type to do anything covertly.
No, if she’s meeting with someone out in the gardens, it must be for a reason that has nothing to do with any amorous feelings.
He swaggered away from his chamber and headed for the stairs, thinking of Leticia and who she might be racing to see.
Perhaps I’ll just pop out there for a second. It couldn’t hurt to check up on her and make sure one of the dastardly scoundrels about town isn’t taking advantage of her.
But even that thought was laughable as Richard could not fathom the type of man who would be able to get anything over on Leticia. She was so fiercely independent that he imagined that if anyone had suggested a clandestine meeting in the rose garden, it had been her.
And as he pictured her, walking toward him, tipping her head, and smiling at him coyly, indicating that she wanted to spend time alone with him in the rose garden, he felt strangely aroused.
“Richard!” Leticia’s voice startled him and as he was just about to descend the final step on the staircase, he tripped over his own feet altogether. He reached forward at the same time Leticia stretched to catch him, and they wound up intertwined in an impossible fashion. His left arm was stretched so that it wrapped around her neck while his right foot slid between her legs. For her part, she’d put out both hands to stop him, but now, somehow, her palms were held straight up over his head as though she meant to protect him from the sun’s rays. And perhaps, that would have made sense had they been outside, but here they were—standing at the base of the staircase.
“Leticia,” he said, his voice coming out in a deep rasp, rather unexpectedly. He cleared his throat. “Forgive me.” He stepped backward then, the toe of his boot getting caught on the hem of her dress, lifting the front as it had been moments before while she was running toward the gardens. Neither of them said a word, and she held perfectly still while he extricated his left arm. As he moved, his fingertips lightly grazed the side of her neck, and he saw her eyes widen just marginally, but she said nothing. Then, once he was completely free of her, she dropped her hands to her sides.
Both stared at one another for a beat, but then Leticia grabbed hold of Richard’s hand and began towing him along behind her.
