The next morning, Lucy was greeted by a rather subdued Lady Mary. “Good morn, Lady Lucy. It appears your family are all early risers.”
Confused by Lady Mary’s comment, Lucy replied, “A very good morning to you, Lady Mary. Have you seen my brother already?”
“No, I rose early to go for a ride to clear my mind. I overheard the stable master grumbling at the fact that Lord Harrington and Lord Devonton had taken up the habit of riding out before dawn. He was none too pleased since on occasion they had tried to attend to the horses themselves.”
Lucy’s frown disappeared. Matthew never stood on ceremony and could do without the assistance in the stables; he was an accomplished horseman. But he wasn’t one to rise early unless required to. Why were he and Blake out riding before anyone was about? Where did they venture to?
Lady Mary stiffened.
“What was plaguing you that caused you to go out riding before dawn?” Lucy noticed Lord Waterford had entered and he was making his way to join them.
“Nothing of importance. I just needed some time alone and fresh air to rid myself of…” Lady Mary stopped midsentence as Lord Waterford appeared but then quickly asked, “Lady Lucy, would you care to join me for a stroll in the gardens?”
Without waiting for Lucy’s reply, Lady Mary rose and left. Ignoring Waterford’s scowl, Lucy rushed to follow her friend out the terrace doors. Why had Lady Mary given Waterford the cut direct?
As she fell into step next to Lady Mary, she caught a glimpse of her friend’s features. She could clearly see Lady Mary was not in the mood to converse. Lucy let her thoughts wander as they walked through the garden. Why had Matthew and Blake ridden out early this morn? What were the pair up to?
When she and Lady Mary had returned from the gardens, Lucy kept an eye on the stables from the drawing room, where all the ladies were taking tea. As soon as she spied Matthew, she made her way to the stables. “Matthew, where did you and Lord Devonton ride to this morn?”
“We were out taking advantage of Redburn’s excellent stables before being subjected to the blitherings of marriage-minded mamas.” Matthew’s answer did not appease her.
She let him go but kept an eye on him as he made his way back to the house. He could never get anything past her if she persisted. Lucy decided to take a different approach to the matter. She turned and approached the stables. She peeked into one of the stalls, where Blake was rubbing down his horse. He had his coat off and his shirtsleeves rolled up to expose his forearms. His shirt was tight across his broad chest, and her eyes continued to take in the ripple of his muscles. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from him.
Blake caught her staring, turned, and devilishly gave her a wink. “Lucy, how are you today? Your brother and I just returned before the weather came in.” To her disappointment, he rolled his sleeves down and shrugged back into his coat.
Ignoring the question, she asked, “Where did the two of you go?”
Blake offered his arm and answered, “Oh, we just went out for some exercise with no particular destination in mind.”
Lucy’s brow furrowed. It was telling how similar his response was to her brother’s… as if it were a coordinated lie.
She placed her hand on Blake’s forearm, and he led her out of the stables. She didn’t want to return to the house and the other guests. What she wanted was to spend more time with Blake.
As if reading her mind, he said, “I was just heading to the lake. Would you care to join me?”
“Yes, I’d much prefer to stay out of doors if you think the weather will hold.”
Following him to the lake would provide her an opportunity to question him further. What was his motive for drawing her away from the house party? Had his thoughts strayed to their interlude in the library as hers had?
While they walked toward the lake in silence, Lucy attempted to refocus her thoughts back to the question of what activities her brother and Blake could have been engaged in this morn. But she was distracted by the warmth of his hand as he placed it over hers. It was an intimate gesture, one which she found both comforting and electrifying at the same time. As they approached the water, Blake took off his coat and laid it out for them to sit on under a tree. They were far enough away from the house that they had complete privacy.
Blake’s thoughts were focused on what had occurred the night before in the library. Lucy had seen his sketch of her. Did she wonder what had prompted him to sketch Lady Mary and herself? It was a question he was trying to decipher himself. His attraction to Lucy was undeniable. She had responded to his kisses but gave no indication she would be open to the proposal of marriage. He needed a wife. While Lady Mary did not evoke the same responses within him as Lucy did, she was a smart, eligible lady of the ton.
He lowered himself to the ground and leaned against the tree, waiting for Lucy to sit. Looking up at her, he patted space next to him. “Are you going to join me?”
She hesitated another moment before lowering herself to the ground. As she tucked her legs under her skirts, Blake caught a glimpse of her pale pink stockings. Pink, not white? His hand itched to feel the silk against his palms. He put his hands around her waist and pulled her back to lean against him. It was highly inappropriate, but it felt right.
Lucy relaxed into his embrace. Neither said anything but gazed out on the lake for a while, their breathing slowly becoming in sync. Eventually, Lucy closed her eyes and breathed.
Blake reached over, picked a white daisy, and gave it to her. She proceeded to pluck the petals one by one. He remembered her skipping through Halestone Hall when she was a girl, chanting, He loves me, he loves me not.
Ultimately, Lucy pulled off the last petal. “He loves me.”
When she glanced up at him, there was a teasing sparkle in her eyes. He bent his head down to give her a kiss. It was a slow, seductive kiss, so dissimilar from the one the night before—light touches and the barest of pressure.
Lucy broke the kiss and turned her gaze to the lake. He wasn’t finished tasting her, so he continued to nibble at her ear and down her neck.
“Lord Devonton…”
“Lucy, after last night, please call me Blake—or at the very least, Devonton.”
Her brow furrowed, then arched and finally came to rest naturally as she said, “If you wish. Blake… do you have any family?”
He smiled and gave her the serious answer she was looking for. “None living. My parents married unconventionally young, especially my papa at the age of one and twenty, and my mama was five years his junior. I was not blessed with any siblings, and my mama and papa passed in a carriage accident when I was sixteen.” He kept his voice totally devoid of emotion. “I’ve been on my own for many years now. I was sure my title and lands would either go to a distant relative since I wasn’t entirely sure I’d return from the Continent.”
It was a good thing she was facing the lake and not him. Otherwise, he was certain he would have seen pity in her gaze. He waited for the typical response, “I’m sorry for your loss,” but it never came.
“Having Matthew as a twin, I’ve always felt like half a person when he was not around. I know it is selfish, but I was glad he did not venture off like you. I find it odd that you were on the Continent during the war unless you were there to help with the fight. With no family, why did you decide to go?”
Her reply totally took Blake by surprise. To lighten the conversation, he said. “I wouldn’t call traipsing across the Continent and mapping cities and routes as fighting.”
“I would. Superior information would give the British the upper hand to defeat Bonaparte.” She turned to look into his eyes. “But you didn’t answer my question.” She continued to search his features as if trying to see into his soul, and soon he leaned down to kiss her. But she pulled away and shook her head.
“I too have an excellent memory, and I will not let my question go unanswered. Before the house party is over, you will tell me.” She flashed a wicked smile as she was learning how to wield the power she now held over him.
Since it was apparent there was to be no kissing, he said, “Hmm… if you and Harrington are a whole, you are by far the better half for company.” He nibbled and sucked on her earlobe, trying to elicit a moan from her.
“Blake, you are like a puzzle to me. Matthew has mentioned you over the years, but I feel like I only have some of the pieces… the corner pieces, but with some of the border missing. I’d love for you to give me the rest to make the picture whole, but I’m not sure you are willing to share. Are you?”
“Lady Lucy, I’m not some mysterious rake or scandalous rogue. I’m an open book. Just ask, and I’ll tell you.”
“Really?” Seeing the twinkle in her eyes, he suspected her questions were going to be rather tricky. “Are you enjoying the house party?”
Best he only reply either in the affirmative or negative. “Yes.”
“Do you currently have a mistress?”
Blake didn’t flinch before stating quite adamantly, “No.”
“Have you ever had a mistress?”
He pondered why Lucy was asking such bold, intimate questions but promptly answered, “No.”
“Why?”
He couldn’t stick to the one-word answers for this question. Honesty would serve him best. “I’ve never been in one place long enough to maintain a mistress.”
“Are you a virgin?”
He tried not to laugh. “No.”
As if on to his scheme, Lady Lucy changed her line of questions. “What is your favorite color?”
“I don’t have one.”
“What hobbies do you enjoy?”
Should he give her the gentlemanly answer or the one that would make her blush? He remembered she was Harrington’s sister and modified his answer. “Well, I do enjoy sketching…”
“Why did you do a sketch of Lady Mary?”
“It was a sketch of the two of you, not just Lady Mary. And whatever the two of you were discussing made for interesting conversation, for everyone else in the room could see there was a true connection of like minds. I was trying to capture the moment. If I am to be completely honest, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that type of camaraderie with anyone.”
The smile Lucy gave him told him he had revealed a lot more than he intended. It was getting late; they needed to return to the house and change for dinner.
“Will you be joining in the festivities this evening?” Lucy asked.
Had she noticed he often disappeared after dinner? He had thought she would assume he and her brother had retired to the card room or to play billiards. Perhaps they had not been as clever at hiding their activities as they believed.
“My skills at charades are awful. I prefer to avoid the game and hide in the billiards room. Let’s meet out here again tomorrow, and you can finish your inquisition.”
Lucy gave a slight nod of agreement. Would she look forward to spending time alone together as much as he did?