Did she?
She was sure the answer was no until the moment they all stood to say farewell. He held out his hand, and when she gave him hers, he bent to kiss it.
It was the gentlest brush of lips against skin, but it made her feel as if she had been struck by lightning. The shock that traveled through her body was so powerful that she froze where she stood.
What was this? Why was she reacting so intensely to this standard expression of farewell? She hadn’t evenlikedthe Duke. He had frustrated her immensely. Why should she be so affected by his touch?
She didn’t know. She only knew that she was.
He looked up at her, a small smile on his face, and she thought he looked as if he knew a secret. “Farewell, Miss Lydia,” he murmured. “I’ll see you again soon.”
I won’t be able to forget about this.
And then, he was gone, leaving her in a state of shock, wondering what had just happened and how she could have allowed it.
She didn’t want to like him. She didn’t trust him.
But the way he had smiled at her…
Maybe she had judged him too quickly. Maybe there was something here that was worth exploring.
There was only one thing she could say with certainty, and that was that she had enjoyed the touch of his lips on her skin. He had driven her mad with his behavior, but at the same time, she couldn’t forget her enjoyment of that touch. It had made her feel alive in a way that no other man had ever made her feel before, and she knew that she wanted to experience that feeling again as soon as she could.
CHAPTERFOUR
“What did you think of Edward?” Nancy asked keenly.
Lydia sipped her tea. Two days had passed since the Duke’s visit, and she had been unable to stop thinking about it. “I’m amazed you call him Edward,” she admitted.
“That’s his name,” Nancy pointed out.
“I know it is,” Lydia said. “But he’s so… imposing. I can’t imagine ever calling him by his first name. It’s difficult to picture his own mother doing that.”
“His mother died many years ago,” Nancy replied. “But I know that his stepmother calls him by his name. She doesn’t seem intimidated. And so does Colin, and so do I. He’s really not as bad as he seems the first time you meet him, I promise. He’s harmless.”
Lydia thought again about that kiss he’d given her on the back of her hand and wondered whether he could possibly be thought of asharmless. She didn’t think so. She thought he was dangerous.
“But did you like him?” Nancy pressed. “That’s what I really want to know, whether the two of you got along.”
“Well, he didn’t strike me as the sort of man who makes much of an effort toget alongwith people,” Lydia observed. “My impression of him was that he didn’t care what I thought.”
“I suppose that’s right,” Nancy said “Though he’s better once you get to know him. And I’m sure he’ll be perfectly lovely to you, Lydia. After all, you’re going to be his wife!”
Lydia groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“You don’t want to marry him?”
“Not like this,” Lydia argued. “Not with my father forcing me into it, never bothering to ask me what I want to do. It’s dreadful. I wanted something like what you had with Colin. I wanted to meet a gentleman at a party and discover that I had feelings for him. I wanted him to court me because he loved me, not because he had made an arrangement with my father. I wantlove, Nancy, not just a marriage of convenience. And with every passing day, it becomes clearer to me that I’ll never have something like that. My parents will never allow it.”
“Don’t give up,” Nancy urged. “I know Edward seems cold and standoffish, but he really does open up to people. I was frightened of him at first, and now, he’s a brother to me.”
“Do you mean he treats you warmly?”
“Well, maybe notwarmly. But he’s kind. Respectful. I know that he likes me. That has to count for something.”
“I suppose,” Lydia replied, but she was agreeing more out of a desire to be a good friend than because she actually thought Nancy was right.
It wasn’t enough to be respected. Not when you wanted to be loved.
