Chapter 13 #3
As they stepped back into the parlor, the Duke kept his hand right where it lay.
Daisy’s breath sped up rapidly. When she turned to search his expression, he appeared to be unaffected, and that knowledge only made her heart thrum wildly.
She did not understand how that small touch was making her feel as if she was losing her mind.
I have to talk to Lydia. She’ll know what to do.
Two days later, Daisy invited Lydia to her house for tea. Spending all this time with the Duke, she’d come to know him better and had come to understand that there was a lot more to him than his dry, distant persona would suggest.
While serving the tea, Daisy cataloged what she knew of the Duke of Blackvale.
He is a passionate kisser.
She shook her head vehemently. Even though weeks had elapsed, Daisy hadn’t managed to get the memory of that kiss from her mind.
She tried again.
The Duke is also thoughtful, highly intelligent, and attentive.
“So, how are things with the competition?” Lydia asked as Daisy handed her a cup of tea.
Daisy smiled. “I cannot complain. The Duke and I are doing quite well. It’s quite likely we’ll win.”
Lydia’s face lit up. “Is that so? What a relief.”
Daisy nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“So…your plans haven’t changed?”
“Plans?”
“To leave after you get the money. You still wish to find work and build a life elsewhere. Or perhaps you will seek to marry someone else. Is that still what you want?”
Daisy hesitated, thinking about the wonderful time she’d been having.
It was a matter of supreme irony to her that now, when she’d finally felt as if she had found somewhere to belong, she would have to leave it all.
It was her own fault for making too much of an arrangement that was never meant to be real.
Now, she would be responsible for breaking her own heart, and there was nothing she could do about it.
She shook her head. “My plans remain unchanged.”
Lydia gave her a keen look. “Are you sure?”
Daisy sighed. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, from all reports, you and the Duke are getting close. Do you feel like you might give your relationship a real chance?”
Daisy laughed. “Of course, the Duke would never actually marry the likes of me. Don’t be silly.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” She gestured at herself. “I am a mere bad word away from disgrace, and he is a respectable, extremely well-off member of Society.”
Lydia sighed. “You are wrong if you think he would care about such trivial things.”
“Trivial things?” Daisy repeated in disbelief.
“Yes. No one cares about the difference in your circumstances, except you. And if you’re being quite pragmatic about it, then consider this: he’s a Duke. He can survive any kind of scandal, with enough time and care. Whatever happens to you, he can handle it.”
“It’s not that simple,” Daisy replied.
It was one thing to say that the Duke could weather any storm, but why should he?
That would be ridiculous.
Still, she couldn’t help feeling a bit wistful about it all.
“It would be nice to think this could all end with the Duke feeling some sort of affection for me, but I must not live with my head in the clouds.”
“Oh, Daisy,” Lydia sighed. “The clouds are so lovely this time of year. Could you not linger in your daydreams a bit longer?”
She shared a mournful smile with her friend, then agreed. “I shall live in this moment and enjoy my time with the Duke for as long as it lasts.”
It had been days since he had seen Daisy, and Edmund was beginning to understand how thoroughly she had woven herself into his routine.
Not that she was ever part of it.
Rather, she had become the measure against which the day was judged. A conversation was more amusing if she was present. A gathering was deemed less tedious if she was standing by his side. Even his own thoughts seemed less inclined to brood when she was nearby.
The discovery was deeply inconvenient. Edmund had never made a habit of needing people. Yet somehow Daisy had become someone he looked for in the crowd and sought to have with him always.
A week after the second round of blind man’s bluff and the subsequent treasure hunt, Aunt Regina issued an invitation for all the couples and other guests to join her for the weekend at her country home. It was not far from London and boasted one of the most beautiful gardens in the city environs.
Edmund was not looking particularly forward to it, but what he did look forward to the most was the chance to see Daisy again.
Naturally.
He arrived early, wanting to get Harry settled in before the other guests turned up, so he was in the parlor, partaking of refreshments when Daisy arrived.
He stared at her unabashedly. He recognized the fabric of her gown. It was a pale green hue with a series of thin white stripes threaded throughout the muslin. He’d purchased it for her. He was quite surprised at the possessive surge of emotion that overtook him when she came into his sightline.
Their eyes met across the room, and Edmund held her gaze for a moment before nodding in greeting.
She bowed her head in answer and then turned away to speak with her friend, Miss Kerwood. Edmund’s eyes narrowed.
He was disappointed. Even though he had no right to expect it, he still wanted her to come to him, to have wanted to see him as badly as he wanted to see her. The slight stung. But Edmund persevered.
I will speak to Daisy soon enough and then…then…
He was not sure precisely what he wanted to say, but Edmund understood that being near Daisy was the goal and that would be accomplished without delay.