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But he had to remember that she might not necessarily be as great on the inside as she was on the outside. What if it was just a one-off interaction, and she was actually a nasty person? But from the way they talked and how she was with everyone during lunch, it seemed like there wasn’t a mean bone in her body. Lucas wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he could tell.
It felt like he was trying to find a reason to keep her away from her, and he couldn’t think of any. Not until he had spoken to her properly and gotten to know her. Unfortunately, now they knew who each other was, he didn’t think that would happen very cordially. Dorothy was probably going to bite his head off.
And given how he had behaved, Lucas wouldn’t blame her.
A squeal from outside just as the rain started hitting the window had Lucas looking down towards the garden. Running up the slope were three people, two women, and a man. One of the women was holding onto the gentleman’s hand, her hat missing in their scurry towards the house.
It was Dorothy Napier. Lucas couldn’t see the face of the gentleman holding onto her, but he could see it was Frederica Colt, Lady Derbyshire’s niece, alongside Dorothy. She was the one doing the squealing.
Something stirred in Lucas’ belly, something hot and angry. Was he actually jealous seeing Dorothy with another man? How was it possible that he could be jealous of something as innocent as that?
Of course, Dorothy Napier was a beautiful woman. Why wouldn’t she have men falling over themselves to get her attention? But something inside Lucas wanted him to be her only gentleman.
He hit his head against the window. He really needed to snap out of this and wherever his thoughts were going. It was ridiculous, and Lucas was starting to sound like someone he didn’t recognise.
It had to stop. Dorothy was nothing to him, and she never would be.
The group of three had disappeared out of sight, going into the house. The rain was really heavy now, and Lucas’ ears were throbbing from the loud beating on the glass. He wouldn’t be surprised if the valley were awash in a while.
Moving away, Lucas gave his book a scowl. He had been trying to read for the past half-hour, and it hadn’t been working. Lucas had ended up reading the same sentence fifteen times before he realised it. His thoughts just could not stay focused.
If only people published books that just had pictures. Then he would be able to understand what was going on.
He needed to do something to take his mind off Dorothy, and reading was meant to be it. He couldn’t leave the bedchamber with his mind in a mess. So, Lucas lay on his front on the mattress and opened up the book to the last page he remembered reading. Only to see that he had read it already and flicked to where the words didn’t look familiar.
After a while, the words were beginning to sink in and look somewhat decent in a sentence. Then there was a knock on the door. Lucas sighed and lowered his book.
“What is it?”
“Lunch is about to be served, My Lord.”
“Alright, Brackston, I’m coming.”
Lucas closed the book with a snap. Typical of his valet to interrupt him when he was just getting a distraction. Rolling off the bed, he checked himself in the mirror to ensure he looked relatively decent. Satisfied that he looked fine enough to be out among the other guests, Lucas left his room.
Only to meet Dorothy at the top of the stairs. She was now wearing a new dress in pale pink, the fabric fitting nicely to her body to show off a figure that made him want to keep staring. She looked a little flushed and her hair, while pinned back, was still a little damp and curly. Even so, she still looked beautiful.
Lucas felt a tightening in his gut, but he ignored it. God, he had to stop this.
“Lady Dorothy.”
“Lord Dashwood,” Dorothy said stiffly. “If you’ll excuse me? I’m meeting Lady Frederica.”
“I …” Lucas faltered as Dorothy started to walk away. “I …”
She turned on the top step, fixing him with an unflinching stare.
“What?”
“I …” How was he suddenly so lost for words? Lucas gritted his teeth and ploughed through. “I do hope there aren’t any hard feelings about this engagement. I didn’t wish to hurt anyone, but …”
“But what?” Dorothy demanded.
“It wouldn’t have been right. Not marrying someone you’ve never met. I’m sure you can understand.”
The expression in her eyes hardened, and Lucas couldn’t fight back the shiver. Now that he had not expected from her.
“I wasn’t too impressed with the engagement,” she said in a tight voice. “Especially when the other part of the union was behaving like a child. But I do agree that I’m relieved that it didn’t happen.”
