AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then would you do us the honor of escorting us out to the lawn? I understand that the games are just about to begin.” Leticia wanted to say something to her aunt to stop her from pressuring Richard in such an obvious way, but she could think of nothing, other than the feel of his fingertips on her lips.
“It would be my pleasure,” Richard replied, nodding his head respectfully at them. “But I have just forgotten one last thing I need to see to…pray, forgive me for leaving you on your own, but I need just another moment in my library.”
Aunt Amelia’s eyebrow arched suspiciously, but she did not badger Richard any further. “We look forward to seeing you at the festivities.” Then, she took hold of Leticia’s hand and draped it through her arm, tucking it in the crook of her elbow. In this way, she managed to pull Leticia away from Richard without allowing the two of them even another second in which to conclude their conversation.
Once they’d walked far enough down the hallway that they were out of earshot, Aunt Amelia whispered, “Spending time…alone…with His Grace in his library, are we?”
“Oh, Aunt,” Leticia said with a slight chuckle. “We weren’t planning anything nefarious—I can assure you on that account.”
“I never thought you were,” her aunt returned. Leticia felt her cheeks go bright red, and she knew there was nothing she could do to hide her embarrassment.
“You don’t mean to say you thought—”
“I thought nothing,” Aunt Amelia replied with a secretive smile. “I only know what goes on behind closed doors when a man and a woman—”
“Oh, Aunt Amelia, really!” Leticia scolded, now feeling the flush creep up her neck as well. “Richard and I are the oldest of friends. We couldn’t possibly be doing anything other than antagonizing each other behind that closed door. You know the way we are always bickering back and forth.”
“I do,” Aunt Amelia said effortlessly, “and I have known many a couple who started out arguing but found something entirely different along the way.”
“Come now,” Leticia gasped, surprised that her Aunt would say so much, even if she was thinking it. “Richard and I don’t even think of each other that way.” But then, as if her hand had a mind of its own, it lifted, and she touched the soft fabric of her glove to her bottom lip. She pictured Richard standing in front of her, begging her to calm down, and helping her regain her composure. But now, instead of her insides quieting, they became a riotous mess. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she glanced over her shoulder wistfully, hoping that Richard might still be standing in the doorway to the library, watching her and Aunt Amelia make their exit. But Richard was nowhere in sight, and the door to the library was firmly closed. An exhale, full of longing, escaped Leticia’s body then as she sighed heavily.
“Ah,” Aunt Amelia breathed, giving Leticia an understanding nod, “now we’ve come to it.”
Come to what?
Leticia waited for her aunt to expound upon her statement, but she never did. As Leticia allowed herself to be towed toward the fun and games, she thought of how she wished, in more ways than one, that she had not left Richard behind…alone in that library.
* * *
What are you thinking?
As soon as he shut the door behind Leticia and Lady Pearl, Richard twisted the key in the lock and began to pace the length of the room. He passed books he’d read dozens of times sitting right next to others he’d never even bothered to take off the shelf, but he ignored them all just the same.
His head swam with the words and visions of the time he’d just spent alone with Leticia, and he stomped his feet more forcefully, trying to dismiss them altogether.
She wanted to tell me something…but did she ever manage to get the words out?
He searched through their conversation, looking for hints of what had been on her mind, but the only thing that stuck out was the way she so unfavorably reacted to any mention of his future bride, Miss Loery.
I can’t begin to imagine why Leticia doesn’t like her.
He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, trying to recall exactly what Leticia had said about his betrothed. “Hag—” he said aloud. “Did she really call her that?” That sort of scornful comment could certainly lead one to believe that Leticia was jealous of Miss Loery’s looks, but again, that was nonsensical as Leticia was just as captivating.
What else did she say?
Leticia’s words floated back to him then. “Miss Loery is no lady.”
What does that mean?
He knew at this point that he could not hide out in the library any longer, so he left the safety of its confines and ventured toward the lawn where his guests were beginning to assemble. He spied Miss Loery and determined he best walk in her direction. As she turned and spotted him, she waved her hand, beckoning for him to join her quickly.
In all the months Richard spent courting her, Miss Loery had never so much as stolen a kiss. She had allowed him to brush his fingers across her knuckles, but there had been no private moments or sneaking away from chaperones, so they could spend alone time together. They had danced, many times, of course, but even then, propriety dictated that they share several dances with one another while also making time for other partners. By his recollection, Miss Loery had not so much as uttered a cross word in his presence, and that included the time it started raining on them in the middle of Hyde Park, and they had to rush to the carriage to escape the worst of it. She probably ruined her dress that day, but she’d borne it all quite well, smiling and waving at him amiably as her driver carted her away toward the safety of her family’s home.
What could Miss Loery have done to offend Leticia so?
”Hello,” Richard said, coming to stand next to his bride-to-be. “What have I missed?”
Miss Loery laughed in a perky way, and she laid a gloved hand on his forearm. “I’ve just been telling our guests, Lord and Lady Harbley, that the games should begin soon. That is…if the rain holds off.”
