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Abigail followed Oakes along the dark hallway. Only the glow from the candlestick he held lit their way. An empty table met her when she arrived for dinner. Oakes had informed her the duke was taking his dinner in his bedchamber for an early evening. Abigail had tried to check on the duke, but Oakes assured her Colebourne was well. Then he’d told her to follow him. Once they reached the small parlor, Oakes wished her a good evening and took himself off.
Abigail stepped into her comforting sanctuary to find it aglow with a dozen lit candles. Lucas stood near a small table, holding a single red rose. Since their guests never arrived, Abigail had chosen not to change her clothing. And to her relief, neither had Lucas. He had even discarded his suit coat and cravat.
Lucas stepped forward and handed Abigail the rose. She drew it to her face and breathed in the heavenly fragrance. Her fingers stroked over the soft petals and she smiled at Lucas’s kind gesture. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” He guided her to the table and pulled out a chair.
Abigail laid the rose on the table. “Why are we dining in here?”
Lucas settled across from Abigail. “I am still redeeming myself. Since Father was not joining us, I did not want to sit across from you at the enormous dining table. I thought you would enjoy eating our dinner in your favorite room.”
“What a wonderful idea. I know it is silly, but I find such comfort in this parlor.”
“It is not silly. My mother found the same comfort. I remember her and Father enjoying many meals together in here.” Lucas smiled fondly at Abigail.
Abigail reached out and squeezed his hand. She heard the sorrow of missing his mother. “They were a lovely couple. I remember the first time I met your mother. Gemma’s parents allowed me to come along with my mother while they visited Colebourne Manor.”
Her gaze traveled across the room, landing on the chair in the corner. “We were playing hide and seek and I snuck in here to hide behind that chair.” She pointed at the chair. “Before I knew it, your mother came into the parlor and started reading. I don’t remember how much time passed, but it felt like forever. I started to cry from the fear of getting my mother in trouble. Your mother heard me and coaxed me out of my hiding spot. Then she gathered me on her lap and read to me. In between reading, she asked me silly questions to calm me down. After that occasion, your mother would always seek me out to talk.”
Lucas stared at her in surprise. “I never knew that.”
“Why would you? You were a playful little boy who always terrorized us with your mischief,” Abigail teased.
“You make me out to have been a holy terror.”
Abigail arched an eyebrow. “Were you not?”
Lucas laughed. “I was. However, in my defense, I grew out of my boyish need for trouble.”
A solemn expression settled on Abigail’s face. “Yes, you have. You are now the ever proper gentleman who abides by the rules and structures of society. Quite the opposite boy from your youth.”
“There is nothing wrong with leading a structured life. It gives one a sense of purpose to achieve the goals they set forth for themselves,” Lucas attempted to defend himself, but even he fell flat with his argument.
“You are very correct. Now what has Cook prepared for us to dine on this evening?” Abigail lifted the cover on her plate.
Lucas frowned for a brief second. He sensed Abigail was deflecting an argument. Did she find him lacking because he disagreed with his family’s improper behavior of late? His family needed someone sensible to look after their affairs with their unstableness.
He lifted his own cover to see it full of cherry-filled biscuits. Abigail giggled at the sight, and he had to chuckle along. It appeared Cook forgave him. “I guess I am enjoying a dinner filled with sugar.”
“If you promise me a walk in the garden after dinner, it might help to persuade me to share my meal with you.”
Lucas looked at the platter filled with enough food to feed two people. “Only if you share mine too.”
Abigail held out her hand. “Deal.”
Lucas shook her hand. He wanted to keep holding it and soak up her warmth. However, he didn’t wish to make her uncomfortable. The dinner he planned for this evening was only the start of repairing their friendship. And perhaps the start of a seduction.
Abigail rose and slid her chair closer to his and set the plate between them while Lucas poured them each a glass of wine. Throughout the meal, they settled back into the comfortable friendship they had earlier in the library. It was as if the past year had never happened. Every single conceited argument Lucas had subjected Abigail to vanished into thin air.
After eating another round of biscuits, Lucas leaned back in his chair, moaning. “I fear I will never look longingly at another cherry biscuit again.”
Abigail moaned too and rubbed her stomach. “Hopefully that was the last of them.”
Lucas rose, holding out his hand. “Come, my dear. Let us enjoy a stroll through the garden before the evening grows much later.”
“I will need to gather my shawl.”
“Nonsense. You can wear my suit coat to ward off the chill.” Lucas held out his coat.
“But you will freeze,” Abigail argued.
As long as he was anywhere near Abigail, freezing wasn’t an option. Her very nearness set his soul on fire. “I will survive.”
Abigail accepted the coat as Lucas settled it over her shoulders. “If you insist.”
“I do.” He guided her outside.
At his request, Oakes had lit lanterns throughout the garden for them. He hoped he had slid back into the servants’ good graces again. Because he didn’t know how to survive if they turned on him, too. Over the past year, he had angered his cousins by his treatment of Abigail. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t accept his reasoning. He only tried to keep Abigail from getting hurt.
Abigail didn’t know what to make of this evening or the day, for that matter. Lucas continued to make amends with his thoughtful gestures. Even now, he guided her along the path, keeping her out of harm’s way in the darkness. The glow from the lanterns only allowed so much light to escape. While it gave them a sense of security, it also highlighted the secrecy kept hidden in the shadows.
They stopped near Abigail’s favorite tree in the garden. The weeping willow’s branches rustled in the soft breeze. While the tree always appeared sad, this evening it danced with a lightness that Abigail felt herself. Lucas grabbed a branch and tickled the leaves against her arm. She smiled at his teasing gesture. There still lurked a mischievous boy who defied all the odds against him hidden under his proper exterior. Perhaps they had a chance if she could draw him out to play once again.
Abigail tipped her head to gaze at the sky. It was a clear night, and the stars twinkled above her, daring her to make a bold gesture. As much as she goaded Lucas on acting as the proper gentleman, she was no different. Because of her standing in society, Abigail walked the fine line of proper decorum. She never wanted to give Colebourne any reason to find fault in her character.
A star shot across the sky and started free-falling. Abigail grabbed Lucas’s arm, pointing at the sky. “Hurry, now it is your turn to make a wish.”
Lucas glanced up at the shooting star. He closed his eyes and reopened them to see the hopeful expression on Abigail’s face. He needed no other encouragement. Lucas deliberately backed Abigail up against the tree.
“Lucas?”
He placed his finger against her soft lips. “Shh.”
“What did you wish for?” Abigail whispered.
“I wished for . . .” Lucas lowered his head.
If ever a girl wished for her first kiss to be in a romantic setting with the knight of her dreams, then Abigail became that girl on this magical night. Her first kiss was everything she imagined it to be and more.
Lucas brushed his mouth slowly across her lips. Once. Twice. On the third pass, his tongue stroked her mouth to open. Abigail gasped at the bold caress, and he captured the sound with a kiss, declaring his desire. He pulled her into his embrace and ravished her mouth with a need only Abigail understood. What started out as a sweet kiss swiftly turned into something Abigail had only ever read about.
With each sweep of his tongue across hers, Abigail fell deeper in love with Lucas. He dominated her senses with his need. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, his jacket slipping from her shoulders and falling to the ground. Their sighs whispered in the night air, singing the passion that flared between them.
Lucas had tasted no lips sweeter than Abigail’s. The kiss was more perfect than he ever imagined it to be. No fantasy could compare to drowning in her kiss in this moment. He stroked his tongue inside her mouth, savoring the flavor of cherries. He brought his hands up to cup her face, trying to get himself under control. Lucas drew his lips away with much reluctance and pressed his forehead against hers, drawing in a ragged breath.
“Wishes really do come true,” she whispered in awe.
Lucas traced his thumb across her lips. “Yes, they do,” he whispered in return.
Abigail gasped once she realized what she had confessed. She pulled out of his grasp and hurried away. She stopped a few feet away and turned slightly. “Thank you for a magical evening. I hope your wish comes true like mine did.” Then she rushed toward the house.
Lucas watched Abigail dash away and wondered if she left because he had overstepped his bounds or because the attraction simmering between them had unleashed itself. He hoped he didn’t scare her away. If so, he would have to start fresh again tomorrow. They only had a couple of days left to themselves before his family descended on them. A short amount of time to convince Abigail how he felt about her.
He bent to retrieve his coat and held it to his face. Lucas breathed in her flowery scent and wondered if his valet wouldn’t think it too strange for him to keep it from getting cleaned. With a spring to his step, he followed Abigail back to the manor. Before he stepped inside, he glanced at the sky. The stars winked their approval of his kiss down at him.
He spoke to the surrounding silence. “It more than came true, Abigail. You granted my wish with your whisper-soft sighs and the sweetness of your kiss.”