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“We can only hope that he’s not present; otherwise, this can end up going wrong.”
That could not happen. Lucas did not want this to go wrong because Burville ruined it all. He headed around the side of the house before Pierce could respond. His friend caught up with him as he reached the rose garden, but Lucas didn’t pay him any attention. He was more focused on finding Dorothy.
Sure enough, she was on the terrace, along with her mother and Frederica. The three ladies had parasols up to protect themselves from the sun, which was firmly shining down onto the stone slabs. There was no sign of the earl, which Lucas found was a bit of a relief; he wasn’t sure if he would have any confidence at all if Bedford were present.
Frederica was the first one who saw them, and she sat up, her eyes brightening when she saw Pierce.
“Lord Dashwood. Mr Cowper.” Her cheeks went a little pink, and she bit her lip. “This is a surprise.”
Lady Bedford and Dorothy also looked around, and Lucas watched as Dorothy stared at him in bewilderment while Lady Bedford looked confused.
“Lord Dashwood.” She frowned as she looked over at Pierce. “Mr Cowper. To what do we owe this visit? We weren’t expecting you.”
“Forgive us for being so presumptuous, My Lady.” Lucas took off his hat, trying not to twiddle it in his hands. God, why did he have to be so nervous over this? “My friend and I were out for a ride, and we were passing your estate. I thought I might be able to come by and see Lady Dorothy for a moment or two if that is all well with you, Lady Bedford?”
It felt like his confidence had gone in front of this woman. Especially when Dorothy was also looking at him like he might have something wrong with his head. On the other hand, Frederica looked very pleased, almost beaming at Pierce. Lucas didn’t look over at his friend, focusing on the countess as she made her decision.
“Well, this is not exactly conventional,” Lady Bedford finally said, adjusting her hold on to her parasol as she put her teacup down. “You should have a calling card and arrange an appointment.”
“I know, but I thought we could break the rules for once.” Lucas turned on his charm, giving her a warmer smile. “I just missed your daughter and wanted to spend just a few minutes with her.”
“Oh, really?”
Lady Bedford didn’t look convinced. Maybe his charm was fading if it wasn’t working on her. Dorothy seemed to make up her mind for her mother, getting to her feet and moving away from the tea setup.
“We won’t go far, Mother,” she said as she strode to Lucas’ side. “We’ll just walk to the end of the garden and back again.”
Her mother frowned in disapproval.
“I haven’t made my decision, Dorothy.”
“But I have.” Dorothy took Lucas’ arm. “We’ll keep in sight at all times. You don’t even need to leave your chair.”
“But …”
“Frederica, would you keep Mr Cowper entertained while I speak to Lord Dashwood?”
“Of course.” Beaming, Frederica gestured at Pierce. “Come and sit down. Tell Lady Bedford what we were discussing yesterday. She would be fascinated.”
Lucas glanced at Pierce, who gave him a knowing smile before taking the seat vacated by Dorothy. Then before he could watch what his friend and beau were up to, Dorothy was tugging him away. They went onto the grass, and it was there that Dorothy let out a sigh of relief.
“You have no idea how relieved I was to see you arrive,” she said quietly. “I’m really at the end of my tether with Mother.”
“What’s happened? Have you two had a fight?”
“Mother seems to think that while they have given me permission to have freedom to choose a suitor, she needs to give it a nudge.” Dorothy was frowning as she shook her head. “She gave Gabriel permission to pursue me. Something about keeping my options open, I think it was.”
Lucas stared.
“I thought she was happy that we were courting now. Why would she do that?”
“Well, when you have a reputation, it’s something to be concerned about.”
“What reputation?”
“About sleeping with multiple women.” Dorothy stopped and turned to him. “Including many married women. You’re apparently quite the charmer, and it doesn’t matter what the woman’s marital status is. It’s just another conquest for you.”
For a moment, Lucas didn’t know what to say. Multiple women? Married women? He felt like he had missed something.
