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The next day, Lucas waited with impatience in the foyer for Abigail. He had declined to wait in the parlor when the Forresters’ butler informed him she would be along soon. He wanted to watch her glide down the stairs in one of her new creations. After staring at her during tea yesterday, he admired how the new gowns hugged her form and displayed her womanly attributes. While he didn’t care for any other gentleman gazing upon her, he wouldn’t deny how they enhanced her beauty, showcasing her newfound confidence.
He heard footsteps and hurried to the stairs with a welcoming smile. However, when his uncle came into view instead, he grew disappointed. With a frown, he stepped back and took up his stance against the wall.
Ramsay cackled. “Not who ye were expecting?”
“Nay.”
“If I were to slip on me kilt, could I tempt ye then?” Ramsay waggled his eyebrows.
Lucas bit back a smile at his uncle’s quirky humor. “You are not quite my type.”
“I have the same shade of hair.”
Lucas nodded. “That you do. But still not my type.”
“Ahh. I understand. Me kisses cannot compare to the lass’s kisses,” Ramsay answered with a devilish smirk.
Lucas laughed. “No, they would not.”
Ramsay walked past Lucas, snickering his delight, and threw open the door. He peered outside and nodded his approval. “Plenty of room.”
Lucas frowned. “For what, exactly?”
“For me and the missus to join your visit to the conservatory.”
Lucas shook his head. “Oh, no.”
Ramsay nodded. “Oh, yes.”
Lucas continued shaking his head in denial. If his aunt and uncle joined them this afternoon, then he wouldn’t get to have an openhearted conversation with Abigail. As much as she kept him from apologizing, they must talk, so they could move forward. While he enjoyed the flirtatious game they carried on, he wanted more. He needed to explain his deceit and declare his love to her.
“No!” Lucas tried one last time.
“No, what?” Aunt Susanna spoke from behind them.
“The boy was just telling me we cannot j—”
Lucas glared at his uncle, unhappy with how Ramsay was forcing his hand to accept their company. “I only told Uncle Ramsay that we cannot leave you ladies at the conservatory on your own and wait for you at our club playing cards. ‘Tis not the act of a gentleman.”
Susanna bussed his cheek. “I can always rely on you to keep the gentlemen in this family in line. You are so dependable.”
Lucas smirked at Ramsay. “I only try to ensure your happiness.”
Susanna glared at her husband. “Perhaps your nephew can teach you a few lessons.”
Ramsay scoffed. “Lessons. I’ll teach the boy a few lessons,” he muttered after Susanna wandered over to the stairs.
Susanna turned. “I will check on Abigail. You gentlemen can wait in the carriage. We will join you shortly.”
The gentlemen followed Aunt Susanna’s instructions. However, after Lucas sat down, Ramsay sat next to him. He frowned and moved over to the opposite seat, only for his uncle to follow.
“Do you not wish to sit next to your wife?” Lucas asked.
“I would have, if you had not thrown me into the fire,” Ramsay growled.
“You were about to tarnish my actions.”
Ramsay shrugged. “I only tried to help you.”
“By informing Aunt Susanna I didn’t wish for you to tag along on my outing with Abigail?”
Ramsay sighed. “No. By making you see reason. Abigail cannot be seen without a chaperone, no matter what her status is in this family. She is still an unwed ward of your father’s. There is already speculation surrounding her standing in society. If you would see reason, ye will realize I am here to steal my wife away for you to have time with Abigail alone.”
Lucas closed his eyes once he realized how he had reacted first without seeing the full picture. “Oh.”
Ramsay folded his arms across his chest. “Exactly.”
Lucas noticed the ladies walking down the sidewalk toward the carriage and tried to bargain with his uncle. “What do you require of me to convince you to sit in the opposite seat?”
Ramsay twisted his lips, taking his time to contemplate his answer. “Anything?”
Lucas watched the ladies drawing nearer. A few more steps and they would reach the footmen waiting to assist them inside. “Anything.”
Ramsay listed off his bribe. “A box of your father’s finest cigars, a bottle of his rarest whiskey, and two dozen of your cook’s chocolate biscuits.”
Lucas narrowed his gaze, and Ramsay answered him with a quirk of his eyebrow. He glanced back out the window and saw the footman assisting his aunt up the step. “Fine,” he growled.
Ramsay chuckled, moving across from him. “Ah, it is always a pleasure negotiating with you and your father.”
“Swindling Scot,” Lucas muttered under his breath.
“Pushover Englishman.”
Susanna stepped inside the carriage, noting how her husband and Lucas sat on opposite benches. While one wore a scowl, the other wore a mischievous grin. Ramsay’s smile only meant one thing. He had been up to his usual antics of causing trouble, and poor Lucas was the latest victim.
“Are you irritating my nephew?” Susanna whispered in Ramsay’s ear.
“No, my love. Only negotiating.”
“Mmm.”
Abigail stepped into the carriage, and Lucas’s frown disappeared. He reached for Abigail’s hand and assisted her onto the bench. She smiled at him in gratitude. Whatever had disturbed Lucas no longer bothered him at the sight of the red-haired beauty. Susanna admired the couple from across the carriage. She found happiness that they had overcome their differences. They made a stunning sight and would have the most remarkable babies. Her brother-in-law would reprimand her for jinxing their union with the mere mention of babies, but Susanna couldn’t help herself. The entire family waited on pins and needles for them to announce their engagement.
“Thank you for suggesting this outing, Lucas,” Susanna said.
Lucas smiled. “My pleasure.”
“I promised Lady Mitchel I would visit the exhibit. Her prized chrysanthemum is on display. At her musical the other evening, she bragged about the compliments she has received on the flower.”
“Yes. She mentioned to me the unique color. I cannot wait to see it,” Abigail added.
When he suggested the outing to Abigail, it had been his intention to find a spot for them to be alone. Now, with Susanna and Ramsay chaperoning, his plans were in shambles. He didn’t find fault with his aunt for ruining his agenda when she only held Abigail’s best interest at heart. However, he didn’t enjoy his uncle smirking at him across the carriage.
Abigail kept offering him smiles in between her conversation with his aunt, and he soon forgot his irritation with his uncle. If she kept up her adoration, he would double his uncle’s request.
“Thank you for inviting me today,” Abigail whispered.
Lucas glanced across the carriage to see his relatives were deep in their own conversation. He focused on Abigail, taking in the warm blush across her cheeks. “It is my pleasure.” Lucas’s voice deepened.
Abigail twisted her hands in her lap, suddenly nervous at Lucas’s bold stare. She glanced at the Forresters and saw they paid them no mind. They were too caught up with one another. “I am sorry for the additional guests.”
Lucas traced his finger along the side of her gloved hand. “It is for the best.”
Warmth flooded Abigail at his slight touch. “Oh. Why is that?” She raised her head, her gaze locking with his.
He leaned close, whispering only for her ears to hear. “Because if they did not join us, my actions would destroy every honorable code I hold. And for you to understand clearly, so you don’t have to wonder, I would devour your sweet lips while my hands slid up your skirts and stroked your desire to a height where you would only find satisfaction from my touch alone. We would never have made it to the flower exhibit.”
Abigail’s pink blush soon turned to a dark red. Her eyes widened at his bold statement. She gulped, unable to form a coherent thought. She looked away, too flustered to meet his eyes. If she did, she couldn’t hold back from what she most desired. Heaven forbid if she acted on her impulses. Her scandalous thoughts would cause the occupants of the carriage a shock they would never recover from.
Thankfully, their arrival saved her from any awkward moments. The carriage pulled to a stop at Lord Daborne’s home. Since a line of carriages waited to disembark, the gentlemen exited first to help the ladies to the ground. Ramsay assisted Susanna, and they walked away, not even waiting for Lucas and Abigail to join them. When Lucas helped Abigail down, his hands lingered on her waist and he only pulled away with reluctance.
His attentions ruffled Abigail’s composure. She tried to hurry after the Forresters, but Lucas pulled her behind some columns, blocking them from the other guests’ view.
“I believe they are allowing us some time to ourselves,” Lucas whispered in her ear.
Abigail stood on her tiptoes to look over Lucas’s shoulder, but she lost sight of the Forresters in the crowd. She didn’t know what to think of their abandonment. Nor did she understand her newfound nervousness with Lucas. The past few days, she had felt a boldness toward him with her wanton flirtation. Now she was once again sweet Abigail, unsure of where they stood. She didn’t understand what had shifted. Perhaps it was how his gaze undressed her, the confidence in his swagger, and the deep undertone when he seduced her with his comments.
Lucas watched indecision cloud Abigail’s gaze. No longer was she the tempting minx telling him of her desires and seducing him with the sway of her hips in her alluring clothing. Instead, she stood before him, indecisive about being alone with him. He took in her dress and noticed she once again wore the modest clothing she had before she arrived in London. Why does she change the style of her clothing again?
He stepped back from her a respectable distance, so as not to draw attention to them. “What has troubled you?”
Abigail frowned. “Nothing.”
“May I ask a question regarding your attire?”
Abigail glanced at her dress, smoothing her hand along the skirt. “Is it not respectable enough? I am not embarrassing you, am I?”
Lucas appeared offended. “I have never held embarrassment over you. I only wish to ask, why you are not wearing one of your new dresses?”
Abigail folded her hands in front of her. “Because you appear to dislike them and I did not want to cause any whispers about my attire.”
His foolish display of jealousy had caused Abigail to doubt herself. When would he ever learn how much of an impact his opinion had on her? Even if the thought of another man admiring Abigail drove him insane. He never meant to make her feel inadequate. He needed to reassure her otherwise.
Lucas tugged Abigail’s hand, leading her deeper in between the columns. Once he felt they were secure enough away from any prying eyes, he drew her into his embrace. “My love. I never meant for you to doubt yourself. My bloody jealousy of the attention garnered your way drove me mad. You must wear whatever you desire. I adore you in rags and hold pride when you dress like a church matron. You hold my admiration when you dress to the hilt. But most important of all, I desire you in anything you drape across your luscious curves.”
“Even if every gentleman strives for my attention?”
“Most especially if you are the belle of the ball. Because in the end, I know I am the one who holds your heart. Do I not?”
Abigail nodded. She wrapped her hands behind his neck and pulled his head down to hers. “You do,” she whispered before kissing him.
Lucas moaned, falling under her spell. There was so much he needed to say to her, but every time their lips met, she entranced him, making him forget himself. He swung Abigail around and pressed her into the column. His desire ruled his every action. He pressed his hard cock into her core, enlightening a heavenly moan from her lips.
“Will you steal away with me tonight after everyone is in bed?” Lucas asked.
Abigail bit her bottom lip, unsure of his request. She wrestled with her conscience on the proper decorum she should display while a guest with the Forresters. But if she refused his request, she would miss out on an adventure. She no longer wanted to watch happiness surround her from afar. She wanted the whirlwind of life to catch her and embrace her with its unpredictability.
“Yes.”
Lucas released a breath he didn’t realize he held and swung Abigail in a circle in joy at her answer. He would make it a night for her to remember.
Abigail threw back her head and laughed, holding onto Lucas’s shoulder. “You must put me down before I pass out.”
Lucas slid Abigail along his body and pressed his forehead against hers. “Tonight,” he whispered.
“Tonight,” Abigail promised.
Lucas smiled, drawing Abigail’s arm through his. He slipped them amongst the crowd, with no one catching them alone. They spent the afternoon admiring the blooming flowers. Once they caught up with the Forresters, they agreed that Lady Mitchel’s flower was, in fact, quite spectacular. Lucas then treated them to flavored ices in Mayfair. It was quite an amazing afternoon.
Lucas thought his aunt and uncle would become a hindrance. Instead, they made themselves scarce as promised. Also, he had secured himself an interlude with Abigail for later this evening.
Today was a promising day. Hopefully, this evening would hold the same promise.