With Love in Their Corner (The Boxers of Brook Street #1)

Chapter Eight

June 26, 1817

I t had been two days since Cecilia had watched Lewis go up against her former fiancé in an illegal boxing bout, and while he had been breathtaking in his element, she had also enjoyed sitting beside him in an open carriage, spending time with him in a capacity that had nothing to do with fisticuffs.

For once, the rain had stopped, and the sun made an appearance. The day was warm and finally summer-like. She turned her head and peered at the earl from around the shallow brim of her straw bonnet. “Thank you for doing this, Lewis. It has been an age since I have been escorted about in society.”

“It is, of course, my pleasure.” When he met her gaze, the bruises were evident on his face when the sun hit his skin. “You deserve to be treated like a princess.” When he offered a grin, flutters went through her lower belly. “That color, that lovely, ethereal light blue, on you makes you fairly glow.”

“Oh, what a lovely thing to say.” It had been a long time indeed since she’d been complimented by a man. But then, if she were speaking of her fiancé, after the first six months of the engagement, all those words had run false. “My father always makes sure that I have gowns and dresses for every occasion, but I rarely go anywhere to justify his expense.”

“Any man worth his salt who loves a woman will do his best to see her cared for regardless of the relationship.”

She nodded. Still, the dress of periwinkle lawn trimmed with dark blue ribbons made her feel quite feminine and let her pretend that she was tall and slim like the popular women currently in fashion within the ton . “He hopes I’ll make a good match. To be honest, I think he is worried about my future, but I can take of myself.”

“Let him worry. He is your father, and speaking from someone who has lost his father, you only have him in your life for a specific time.” Emotion graveled his voice. “Good or bad, let him be your father.”

It was the most personal tidbit she’d had from him since they’d begun their relationship as instructor and student. “Thank you for the reminder.”

He guided the pair of horses with a steady hand. Though the horses weren’t matched, they were still beautiful equines—one a bay mare and the other bay with white dappling throughout. Clearly, his skill with the ribbons meant the horses obeyed his veriest command.

Several moments went by as he guided the carriage through a spate of traffic as they approached Rotten Row which ran along the southern side of Hyde Park. The silence between them was of the companionable sort, and she didn’t mind it, for there was no tension there. Cecilia was perfectly content to remain beside him, watching the world go by while catching subtle whiffs of his shaving soap. And through it all, she couldn’t quite ignore the fact that her right shoulder brushed his left each time he moved, reminding him of the solid strength he carried.

Eventually, the earl stirred. “Mr. Ulstead is a real bounder,” he said as he kept his gaze focused on one of the horses. “He said you deserved everything you got, and for that reason alone, I wanted to beat the stuffing out of him during the bout. In that moment, the money didn’t matter.”

“Oh.” She was glad the man hadn’t seen her at the bout. Just knowing he was there had sent fear crashing down her spine. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you gave him your best. I wish I’d had the courage to fight back years ago, but I wasn’t strong enough.”

“You are working to reverse that, though.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I want to come face-to-face with that man again,” she said in a quiet voice. “Being with Mr. Ulstead was one of the worst experiences of my life.” Clenching her gloved fingers in her lap, she sighed and frowned at the horses. “While knowing him stole my trust and confidence in men, it also showed me exactly what I don’t want from a relationship. Yet…”

“Yet?”

Another sigh escaped. “How can I know a man is true when so many lie in the beginning to lull me into complacency?”

“The good ones have no need to lie.”

She snorted. “The ability to discern the difference between the good ones and the bad ones is quite difficult, and is a skill I apparently don’t have.”

As the earl navigated the vehicle onto Rotten Row, he glanced at her. “Sometimes, I think, you must trust what fate wishes to bring you.”

“Is that what you practice when it comes to matters of the heart?” Suddenly, she wanted to know everything about him, including how many women he’d been with in the past. Not that she had a claim to him or his time.

“I don’t know that my heart has been engaged by a woman before.” A muscle in his cheek ticced. “Had them in my bed? Yes, of course. I am not a monk, but to be honest with you, I haven’t been with a woman for at least six months.”

“Oh? Why?” She’d not thought of him as a rogue or a man who would go from bed to bed, but he was easy on the eyes and an earl, so surely, he would be much in demand.

When he shrugged, his shoulder brushed hers, but he winced, a clear indication that he was still in a bit of pain. “I suppose it didn’t appeal to me after realizing just what a mess my father had left me in with the properties and nearly empty title.”

“That is understandable, but it’s a bit sad as well. Aren’t you lonely?”

He snorted. “Are you?”

“Touche.” But the conversation tugged a grin from her. “Is falling in love and eventual marriage something that interests you?”

“According to my mother, I’m to marry or at least find myself engaged by the end of the year. Preferably to an heiress in order to do my duty to my title.” In his huffed out breath, she heard the frustration and strain he must labor under. “I rather think she doesn’t care if I’m in love or not, and honestly, I have to wonder how often titled men are afforded the luxury of love or even romance.”

“That is such a sad way of looking at the world.” A squeeze of sympathy went about her heart. If she harbored the hope that he might wish to indeed court her with marriage in mind, that was dashed, for she wasn’t an heiress even if her father had promised a sizable dowry. “Everyone should experience the feeling of falling in love at least once in their life.”

He glanced once more at her, and when their gazes connected, he said, “Even if the relationship doesn’t work or proves disappointing with heartbreak?”

Another point for him. “Yes, even still, because when we allow ourselves to feel everything, we know we’re alive. If we keep ourselves aloof from all that, what is the point of living?”

“Very true.” The earl nodded, but his gaze had dropped to her mouth, and his eyes were more green than brown in that moment. “You are wise, Lia. I appreciate that. Far too many women of my acquaintance simply parrot back my own views to me. That isn’t helpful.”

“I would imagine not.”

Another long stretch of silence was shared between them, broken by the rhythmic rumbling of the wheels on the road as well as the horses’ hooves striking pebbles in the dirt, various calls from some of Lewis’ acquaintances, and the general buzz of conversation and laughter the closer they came to the jam of carriages all vying for space on the thoroughfare. It was one of the most pleasant afternoons she’d passed in recent days.

Eventually, he broke the silence. “Where would you like to go now? An ice at Gunter’s? It’s a bit late to visit the British Museum, but I don’t mind going for a whirlwind visit.”

“Honestly, when I go there, I’d rather have time to look at all the exhibits. Perhaps you can drive me over to my father’s shipping office? I need to collect the most recent invoices and the ledger book so I can do some work at home. Papa doesn’t want me at the office by myself any longer.”

“I must agree with him. Until I know you can land a full-grown man on the ground with a well-timed punch, it’s best to keep you safe.”

“Ha!” She half-turned toward him and in the process, her knee crashed into his. Heated tingles went up her leg to lodge between her thighs. “I knocked you on your arse, didn’t I?”

His lips twitched with the beginnings of a grin. “You were lucky, and I was distracted.”

“Liar.” Be that as it may, it still counted. “I’ll practice much more diligently now.”

“I have no doubts.”

Cecilia kept her own counsel for the remainder of the drive over to the docks.