Chapter Eight #2
‘Enough of such talk for now,’ Miss Granger cut in. ‘While we journey, please tell me everything there is to know about Hyde Park. It sounds absolutely beautiful, but of course I have never been. I imagine you have though, Lord Worthing.’
He did not miss the small squeeze she gave Miss Hastings’s hand. It seemed that he was not the only one who didn’t care for the other woman’s line of questioning.
Lucas decided to lean into Miss Granger’s well-intended distraction and tell them everything he knew about the park.
‘It is vast,’ he began. ‘Almost four hundred acres of land, I believe, originally part of Westminster Abbey before Henry VIII seized it after dissolving one of the monasteries in the sixteenth century. Many a fine duel has occurred there, I am sure, and if you travel along the wrong path you might very well be robbed…again.’
To his disappointment, Miss Granger did not take the bait at his jest. He continued. ‘Now is a very fashionable hour about the park to be seen, which you must know, otherwise this would not be part of your plan. This is a part of your plan, is it not?’ He tilted his head awaiting her answer.
‘Yes, it is, my lord. I am nothing if not resourceful, as you well know. I asked the Duke and Duchess about the best time and place for your reintroduction to society. This was one of their recommendations. I seized upon it and have others scheduled.’
He shifted against the squabs at the word scheduled. ‘Dare I ask exactly how many upcoming events you have scheduled for me?’
‘Ten so far,’ Miss Hastings added with a wry smile before Miss Granger could utter a reply.
‘Ten?’ he spluttered out. ‘You must be joking. That is surely excessive.’
‘Truly?’ Miss Granger asked, her blond ringlets bouncing in time with the force of her reply to him.
‘Yes,’ he said simply. ‘Who needs ten opportunities to secure a wife?’
She scoffed. ‘Most people need quite a few more than a mere ten,’ she said, shaking her head.
‘And if no one agrees to speak with me during this reintroduction to Society of yours?’
‘Why are you so doubtful of people’s interest in you, my lord? I have read many an old broadsheet that suggests otherwise.’
‘I am merely a Viscount not a Duke. There is a vast difference to the ton.’
‘Do not fret. Miss Hastings and I will be with you, and it shall be a beautiful day. We might also have gone about orchestrating some casual interactions with the Duke of Wimberley, Lady Buchanan and the Duchess.’
‘Ah, I see. Just so I understand,’ he began.
‘We are going for a walk at Hyde Park, so we can be observed interacting with people that you have staged to be there for the ton to see?’ He tilted his head and studied her.
Despite his misgivings, he was quite intrigued by the way Miss Granger’s mind worked.
She thought about it a moment, and then nodded in agreement. ‘Yes, that is exactly what I have done.’
‘And if no one sees this exchange of yours? Where will we be then?’
‘As you have just remarked, people are quite entranced by those of the upper echelon of society, such as the Duke of Wimberley. Someone will be there who will take note, most likely someone who writes for the gossip sheets themselves, or someone who cannot wait to tell the gossip sheets what they have seen. It is a fashionable hour to be seen, as you’ve said, even if it is not still part of the Season. ’
Unable to counter her argument further, he sighed and settled back into the squabs accepting his fate. After all, he was the one who had set this plan in motion. He literally had no one to blame but himself.
Their arrival at the park happened far too soon and well before he was ready, but Lucas stepped out of the carriage and onto the fine path that would loop about the park.
His body was on high alert, every muscle tense with nerves and his heart picked up speed as he scanned the area.
He felt like he was on a battlefield, albeit a far different one, and he wasn’t sure if this was scarier than the skirmishes he had faced in the Americas or not.
His throat dried when he commanded himself to hold his ground. It was simply a park.
Steady.
He wiggled his toes in his boots and rolled his shoulders, allowing his body to settle into being out of doors when it wasn’t a Wednesday and was somewhere he hadn’t been to for years. It felt like a lifetime ago.
The crisp smell of autumn was in the air. The leaves were turning and shimmered burnt orange and yellow gold against the bright blue sky. His heart clenched, and suddenly he was thrust back to the last time he was in this park, with Rebecca as his betrothed, before he’d left for the Americas.
‘You know it shall not be long before I am home again, Becca,’ he murmured risking a kiss to the nape of her neck while no one was in eyesight.
‘Any time is too long away from you, Luke. Come here.’ She dared to kiss him back, full on the lips, in the light of day. Her urging had sent a surge of lust and longing through him, and he tugged her closer.
The playful lilt of her sweet voice echoed in his ear, and when she turned to look up at him, he felt like the most powerful man in the world because he had her love.
Her bright green eyes and glossy red hair were vibrant, and he gazed at every detail of her face, from her pert chin and high cheekbones to the slight slope on the tip of her nose that he loved to kiss.
The future was theirs for the taking, and every moment was going to be perfect.
‘My lord?’
The words snatched him back to the present and Lucas looked around.
The distant memory made him feel foggy and somewhat removed from himself.
Could that have been his life? If he hadn’t gone to war, would he be married now with a son as his mother had predicted?
Had he been the one to throw his life off course for pride?
If he hadn’t felt so damned determined to prove himself to a father that didn’t care and who had died years before, would he be… happy?
The answer greeting him was the same as it always was when he thought upon the question.
Yes.
Yes, that could have been his life. And yes, he had thrown it away for pride. A new wave of self-hatred flooded him, and his chest tightened to the point that he struggled to draw breath.
‘Can you hear me, my lord? Lord Worthing?’
Lucas blinked and Miss Granger’s face transformed from a fuzzy distortion back to the fine petite features he had become accustomed to. Her brow furrowed, concern etched there. Her mouth parted as if she was about to begin to say something else, but he interrupted.
‘I am fine,’ he replied sharply. ‘Simply ready for this ridiculous charade to begin.’ He crammed his hat forcefully on his head and fell into step beside Miss Granger, with Miss Hastings several paces behind. Perhaps the sooner they began, the sooner it would all be over.
Even though his gut told him that was a bigger lie than the one he had just told Miss Granger. He was anything but fine and this walk was a long way from being over.
Thankfully, they began their walk in silence and only a few people graced the path at a great distance ahead of them.
But he knew far better. It was only the beginning.
The path would soon be filled with pedestrians, riders and open carriages full of the members of the ton wishing to see and be seen.
He was neither, but that didn’t matter, did it?
‘You are doing well, my lord.’ Miss Granger’s encouragement irritated him, but he said nothing.
Lucas glanced at her, noting they were heading toward a throng of people. Somehow, they had covered quite a bit of ground while he had been lost in his own displeasure.
‘Now, if you will simply smile, I believe you might turn a lady’s head,’ she teased, winking at him.
He almost smiled back, but he was hell-bent on not enjoying himself.
Although he had to admit the warm sun on his face and the stretching of his limbs amongst such glorious trees and surroundings felt…
good. Better than he’d expected. There was a time when he’d loved being seen at this hour with Rebecca on his arm and chatting with friends, sharing his glorious future.
A future that had crumbled before his eyes.
He had been set on a certain future that had not worked out. He would be far more careful this time. He would plan but not thrust his entire hopes into it coming to fruition. He would not survive a disappointment of such magnitude again.
As they closed in on the group of colourfully and beautifully dressed people surrounding a rather handsome couple he could only see in profile, he was sure it was the Duke and Duchess of Wimberley. His body tightened again. Miss Granger leaned a touch closer to him.
‘Here is your opening to rewrite the script, Lord Worthing. I do hope you are ready.’
Before he could utter a word, she waved to her friends.
‘Your Grace!’ Miss Granger called, causing the group to cease their chatter and look up at them as they approached. Lucas felt the heat of their glances. ‘What a pleasant surprise to see you and your wife out for a walk this afternoon. Beautiful weather, is it not?’
And in the blink of an eye, Lucas’s years of hiding were over. He faltered and almost stopped completely. To his surprise, Miss Hastings came to his rescue.
‘Oh, I do find this terrain quite challenging,’ she said forlornly. She nudged his arm. ‘Would you mind helping me, my lord?’ She ghosted a wink at him and extended her arm.
She was offering him a steady arm rather than the way it appeared and in a strange way he was grateful. It was a kindness he would not have expected from her up until now. He wasn’t sure the woman had liked him at all.
‘I am equally terrified of strangers, my lord,’ she murmured.
‘I am well versed in the signs of mild panic, and you’re exhibiting them all.
It is a good thing that I love Ophelia so, and I’m willing to put up with you so that this business venture of hers is entirely successful.
I also expect that you will do your best to help her succeed as well.
Will you not, my lord?’ Her stern gaze, and her ability to look down at him even though he was far superior in height reminded him of his late grandmother.
She could silence any tongue with a look.
He simply nodded and offered his arm, which she accepted.
Together they ambled up to the rest of the group including the Duke and Duchess. Miss Hastings let go of his arm, and the sea of introductions began.
The Sutherlands were exchanging pleasantries with the Donovans, who Lucas had always found quite droll, so he made a brief, noncommittal quip about the weather. Another cluster of people slowed as they began to pass by.
‘Is that him?’ he heard one woman say under the guise of adjusting her parasol.
‘It appears so. Just wait until we tell Marjorie. She simply will not believe it,’ her friend answered.
The blatant staring at his scars also didn’t help. This was why he did not go out and this was why he did not enjoy the ton. They were piranhas and once they smelled blood they attacked, latching onto the flesh of their victims until nothing was left.
‘My, Lord Worthing, you are simply the last person I would have expected to see during my walk today. What brings you out and about after so long a hiatus?’ a woman called behind him. He turned.
Mrs Overton and Miss Priscilla Overton.
Mother and daughter stood staring back at him.
This was bad, very bad.
If there was a head piranha, she was it, with her daughter not far behind.
‘Merely out for a bit of fresh air,’ he answered coolly. He even tipped his hat to show he was not offended by the suggestion he was out of Society.
‘Yes, we were enjoying our conversation,’ His Grace added as he emerged from behind Miss Hastings. ‘We have a great deal in common,’ he said. ‘We both enjoy owning hound dogs to chase off those who should not be trespassing.’
Lucas steeled his expression. The Duke had just landed his first blow. Lucas couldn’t help but be impressed, despite feeling a bit bent out of shape by having a man come to his defense. Although, the Duke’s words worked like a charm.
‘Then, we shall let you continue with your conversation, Your Grace,’ Mrs Overton said with an ingratiating smile, before nodding to them both and setting off with her daughter in tow.
Once they were out of earshot, Lucas smiled. ‘I do not think I have ever seen her come to such a screeching halt in her inquiries, Your Grace.’
‘She has undercut me before and is not to be trusted. I was eager to be rid of her. How are you faring on your first outing?’ the Duke asked, his gaze scanning the horizon as if preparing for attack.
Perhaps he was. The man had endured his fair share of reputation-damaging stories. His remark about them having a great deal in common might not be as far off the mark as Lucas had thought.
‘Better than I’d expected although it is terrifying to be out in public, on display along such a social thoroughfare.’ He shifted on his feet and slid the brim of his hat down to provide some added shade to his face and to attempt to mask what he could. ‘I feel quite exposed.’
‘I do not believe there is any other way to feel, my lord,’ the Duchess said sympathetically.
‘Thank you for being part of this charade,’ Lucas replied.
‘Miss Granger, Miss Hastings and my wife are a force to be reckoned with. Saying no was simply not an option.’ The Duke cast a loving glance at his wife, who ran her hand over her expanding belly protectively.
Lucas’s heart shifted. He missed having someone to hold in such affection. ‘When are you expecting?’
The Duke beamed. ‘Late spring at best guess. We believe it will be a boy. And this is our daughter, who you did not meet the other evening when we dined.’ He pointed at the girl with brown hair and a sweet cherubic face who swung her mother’s hand. ‘Millie.’
‘Pleasure to meet you, Lady Millie.’ Lucas’s heart twisted in regret at the sight of the happy family. This was the life he had once longed for and dreamt of. It was a life he still wanted but had feared he could never have.
‘A beautiful family, Your Grace.’
‘Please, do call me William. All of these “Your Graces” will make me puff up like a peacock.’
Lucas laughed, and Miss Granger turned and smiled at him. ‘Is that the sound of you enjoying yourself, my lord?’
He flattened his smile into a smirk. ‘Nothing of the sort, Miss Granger. Nothing of the sort.’