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When he had been told to marry a girl he had never met before, Lucas had fought back hard. He didn’t want his life controlled. Eventually, his parents had seen sense and broken it off, and Lucas didn’t need to worry about it anymore.
He hadn’t really given Dorothy a second thought – actually, he hadn’t given her a thought at all. They hadn’t moved in the same social circles, and Lucas had been keen on making her sound like an odious, fat, and frumpy girl who was having her parents find her a husband because she couldn’t do it herself.
That had been far from the truth. Dorothy was lovely. And she had a sense of humour about her that Lucas liked. It would have been a pleasure to go and spend more time with her, capturing moments like that again. He would have enjoyed her company.
But he had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen anymore. Not naturally, anyway. Dorothy was going to avoid him like the plague. It was a shame because now Lucas was intrigued.
Of all the people to draw him in, why did it have to be his former fiancée?
Thoughts of her kept him from falling into a deep sleep, tossing and turning, and unable to settle. The bed was soft and should have sucked him into the abyss, but Dorothy kept him hovering right above it, almost teasing him. It felt like torture.
So when there was a knock on the door and his valet came in, Lucas was in a really bad mood. He sat up and scowled at his servant.
“Do you have to come in at this time?” he snapped.
“It’s eight in the morning, My Lord.” Brackston gestured at the clock. “Breakfast is being served.”
“I don’t want breakfast.” Then Lucas’ stomach growled, which had him scowling. “Alright, fine. I’ll have breakfast. Then I’m going back to bed.”
Brackston looked amused. The redheaded Scotsman always seemed to be on the cusp of laughing about something. Today, Lucas didn’t want to see it. But instead of snapping at his valet, he flung himself out of bed and allowed Brackston to help him get dressed.
The sooner he got some food into him, the sooner he could go back to bed. Derbyshire shouldn’t mind too much if he did that. After all, he had travelled several hours yesterday, so he had an excuse to hide away from everyone.
Until he figured out what he was going to do about Dorothy Napier, should he leave her alone, or should he follow her and see if he could strike up another conversation? There was a chance she wouldn’t, though, and Lucas wondered if he should pursue her and have her push him away.
Maybe it was for the best. He had broken off the engagement for a reason. Then again, if he had known that Dorothy was as lovely as she was …
You need to stop sounding so shallow. It’s just disgusting to think of her in that way. Serves you right for not going to meet her in the first place.
Lucas sighed, adjusting the sleeves of his jacket. It was his fault. He hadn’t wanted to get married and thought the worst of Dorothy to make himself feel better. Now he had met her, and she had surprised him. His expectations were blown out of the water.
If he hadn’t been so stubborn and fighting back, he would be married to her by now. And that didn’t sound as nauseating as it had been before.
He needed to stop thinking about her. He would look like a fool if he went after her and she rejected him. Given how much of a fuss he had made during the engagement, Lucas couldn’t blame her for that.
Still, he wanted to try.
Once Brackston had finished helping him and was going about his duties, Lucas left his bedchamber and headed downstairs. The smell of cooked food floated up the stairs, making his stomach growl again. Now he was awake. He could probably eat a horse at this rate.
Lucas was at the bottom of the stairs when he spied Derbyshire coming out of the morning room with his wife. The two were grinning over something, and Lady Derbyshire looked rather flushed. It didn’t take a smart man to know what they had been doing, and Lucas couldn’t help smiling. It was rather sweet that they could behave like this, especially at their age.
It was moments like this that Lucas wished he had for himself. Then he pushed it away. No, he was not going to think about that.
“Lucas, good morning!” Derbyshire greeted him warmly as he and his wife walked over. “Did you sleep well?”
“Not really.”
“Oh?” Lady Derbyshire looked concerned. “Was something wrong with the bed?”
“No, nothing was wrong.” Lucas looked around. There was nobody there that he could see, but he still lowered his voice as he addressed the marquess. “You know that I was forced into an engagement last year by my parents?”
“I remember. It was finally called off, from what I recall.”
“I was engaged to Dorothy Napier.”
Derbyshire’s eyes widened, and his wife’s mouth dropped open.
“What? You were the one she was meant to marry?”
