Ever since she was told about Rose Charpentier, she had become withdrawn and quiet, choosing to stay in her room. It was as if Bridgette Bordeaux had come back into her life all over again. Henry had not seemed affected by her as the other men had been. That was why she had never seen it coming. What if Luke were the same? He may appear unaffected, but a marriage might suddenly happen, and then Alice did not know where that would leave her emotionally. However, her sister needn't worry about her lack of communication. This was just her way to overcome her feelings for Luke.
Now, as she walked with her sister, Gregory and Mrs Jersey, Alice was struck by how many couples there seemed to be. There appeared to be an abundance of courting or married couples and it unnerved her. Would it be too late to turn back and return home?
"Violet, I am feeling unwell. I think that it is best I return home and rest for a while. I shall go with the carriage, and it will return to fetch you when you are ready."
“Oh, do not worry about the carriage, Alice,” said Gregory. “I shall take Mrs Jersey and Violet home in my own carriage. It is just as well that I decided to meet you all here at the park today.”
“That is kind of you, Gregory. I am sure that you will bring them home safely.”
“But Alice, are you sure that you are unwell?” her sister asked. “Perhaps you need to sit in the shade.”
“No, Vi. It is better that I return home. I shall see you later.”
Alice returned to their carriage alone and, after giving the driver instructions to return home, she settled into the seat to rest. She had just about dozed off when a hard bump jolted her body, nearly throwing her off balance.
“My goodness! What has happened?” she muttered.
The carriage came to an abrupt stop, jerking her forward. What was going on? Had the driver gone mad or perhaps they had hit something in the road? Alice stuck her head out of the window, calling out to the driver.
“Peter, is everything all right?”
Peter was crouched by a wheel that looked as though it had come undone. He looked up, his missing tooth showing through his open mouth. "Miss Campbell, I need to fix the wheel before we can go any further. I tried to avoid holes in the road, but I missed one, and now the wheel has become loose."
“Can you fix it?”
“Yes, Miss. But I need some time to do so.”
“Very well. Take the time that you need.”
She sat back in her seat, biting her lower lip. It looked as though she would be spending some time alone, which was perfect. She could fall asleep right there while Peter fixed the wheel. It would give her an opportunity to catch up on some sleep. Alice had not been sleeping as well as she would have liked to. It seemed that if she did not think of Luke during the day, then he invaded her dreams nearly every night.
It was hardly fair that she should think of him so much when he hardly paid her any attention. Violet was wrong if she though he liked her, because Alice was sure that he did not.
A horse and rider passed them, but she paid them no mind until she heard hooves approach the carriage and stop. Curious, Alice peeked out of the window, her eyes coming into contact with grey ones that she knew well. She felt her heart flip over before it settled painfully in her chest.
“Luke?”
“Hello, Alice. I thought I recognised the carriage. What has happened?”
“Oh, uh, the wheel has come loose, but Peter is fixing it – you needn't worry.”
“Really? Let me see if I can help.”
“NO!”
Luke looked at her quizzically. “No? Why?”
“Well, uh, I mean that it is unnecessary, that is all. I am certain that Peter has it all under control.”
“It will not take me long to see if I can be of assistance, Alice.”
There was simply no way that she could have him stay a moment longer around her. What if they start talking and she was reminded of why her feelings had grown for him?
“Luke, I am sure that you have somewhere else to be. You were riding somewhere, am I right?”
He frowned at her. “I was only taking a ride to clear my head. But if you do not wish for me to help you, then I shall be on my way.”
Alice saw the hurt and confused look in his eyes before he turned away. She found herself calling him back before she had time to really think about it. “Luke, wait.”
He stilled his horse but did not turn around. "Yes?"
“Thank you for offering to help me, I truly appreciate it.”
“But you will not take it, why?”
She paused. What could she say to him? That being near him brought her both pain and joy? That she was worried she might begin to love him? That he would eventually hurt her just as Henry had if she spent any more time with him? No, she could not say any of those things.
“I do not wish to bother you, that is all. You are a busy man and must be in demand from everyone. It would not be right for me to take up your time with a trivial matter such as a loose wheel.”
She watched as he turned his horse around, a small grin playing about his lips. “There is no one I would rather help right now than you, Alice,” he said. “I mean, you are the most interesting person I have ever met, and we are very much alike, no?”
Alice was captured by his eyes. She could not look away. What was this web he wove with just a mere look?
“Miss Campbell, I have fixed the wheel,” said Peter. “We may continue.”
Alice blinked, not looking away from Luke. “Oh, oh, good, Peter. Let us return home. Luke, thank you.”
She saw a glimpse of what looked like disappointment in his eyes, but he quickly covered it with polite interest. “There is nothing to thank me for, I did nothing.”
The words 'you would not let me' hung unsaid in the air.
Luke did not move when the carriage started, instead remaining stationary on his horse, his eyes on her. Alice tried to smile, but she could not move the muscles in her face to do so. Finally, she looked away and brought her head back inside the carriage, trying to find a comfortable position on the seat when all she really wanted to do was poke her head out of the window to see if he was still looking. There was something momentous about it, a yearning that she could not explain using words. Alice wanted to see him, it was as simple or as complicated as that.
She counted thirty seconds before rushing to the window to look back. There, standing in the dust of the carriage, was Luke. Unmoving, he merely stared after her, his strong hands upon the reins of the horse. Alice's hand went to her chest as she moved back inside. Her heart was beating uncontrollably fast, and her face felt warm. She felt as though she had run a distance!
The need to look back again was great, but she dug her nails into her palms to stop herself from doing so. Better this pain that fades than the other kind that he would bring her. That pain sat on you like a black veil that clung to every part of your skin. Alice's nose burned with unshed tears. Despite her efforts, one single tear pooled at the corner of her eye, waiting just a fraction of a second before trailing down her cheek. Alice let it dry on her face, unwilling to acknowledge proof of her distress.
***
The dust settled about him. The carriage had since disappeared into the distance, but he had been unable to move. It was the image in his mind that kept him still, the radiant image of the woman with the chartreuse eyes. They had held a secret that he wished to unlock, and he had the feeling that he held the key. Luke had been all but ready to gallop away after she had refused his help. So when she had called him back, it had spoken volumes to him.
She wanted him to go but did not wish to appear rude or hurtful. There was a push and pull within her that mimicked the one in him. Could she feel the same way?
The slightly flushed velvety soft skin, the dark halo of curls that framed her face, the eyes that could not decide if they wished to be gold or green, these were all stuck fast in his head, and it did not look like they would leave him any time soon. Sighing, he guided h
is horse homeward, confident that his father had left. Their row had not been something he was proud of, but neither could he have remained quiet while his father dictated the events of his life. Marriage was not something one should take lightly, and yet he treated it as a business deal. What had he been thinking by accepting Lord Campbell's proposition?
He had been thinking about himself. It did not matter to Luke how many times his father might say that he did it for him, it still did not make the situation any better.
Luke arrived home only to find his father's carriage still parked in front of his home.
“Why had he not left?”
He jumped off his horse, allowing his stable-hand to take his horse before entering his house. Luke had a feeling that his father was still in his study, perhaps even drinking the wine that he collected. Removing his riding gloves, he entered the room to find his father sitting in a chair by the window, a cup of tea in his hand.
“I see that you have not left.”
His father appeared startled as he turned sharply to look at him. Visibly gathering himself, he placed his teacup on the table beside him. “I was hoping that you would come back.”
Luke folded his arms. "This is my house. Of course I would come back."
“I shall not quarrel with you, Luke. I only wish to speak with you.”
“If it is about the marriage –”
“No, it is about your mother. Please, would you sit down?”
It was shock that had him sitting down opposite his father. In all the years since his mother had left, his father had refused to discuss her. What had changed?
“I am listening.”
"It still causes me some pain to speak about your mother, but you deserve to know the truth, Luke. You see, I truly loved her from the moment I saw her. Perhaps it was infatuation at first, but it quickly grew to love. I do not know what I loved about her to this day, but I suppose that it was partly her beauty that captivated me so. There are no pictures of her in the house, I had them removed soon after she left us, so you could not have known what she looked like. Georgette had curls that could only be described as Titian red. She would walk into the room, and everyone would stop what they were doing and stare at her."
Luke saw the wistful look in his father's eyes, as though he had travelled back in time.
“Titian red curls and grey eyes, a stunning combination. I have grey eyes as well, but hers were like the stormy sea on a dark night. They drew you in and made you feel as though you were sinking. In fact, your eyes are very much like hers, Luke. I suppose it was one of the reasons why I avoided you soon after she went away.”
Luke remembered those years. His father had never exactly been a hands-on father, but he had been around. When his mother disappeared from their lives, it seemed that his father disappeared as well. It had been a double blow for him, one he had continued to feel throughout his life.
“It was not right for me to do so, I know that, but I could not handle any sort of reminder of her – it hurt too much. I was obsessed with her, not stopping my pursuit of her until I made her my wife. But, although she was mine, she was not mine, do you understand?”
Luke nodded. His father chuckled, a bitter sound that filled the room with his old pain.
“I did everything I could to please her, to make her happy, but she was miserable. Georgette always seemed to be looking for something else, something that I obviously could not provide for her. Perhaps my love was not a love at all, but an obsession to possess such an exquisite creature. After all these years, I suppose I can understand why she left us. Once she had given me my son, she believed her duty done and just disappeared.” He sighed deeply. “I do not condone what she did – you were just a child – but sometimes I think we were better off without her. I only had her for a season, and it was enough. Son, we were never meant to be, and I know that we could never have made each other happy.”
“So you married Suzannah instead.”
"Yes. You needed a mother, and I needed a wife. This time, I did not allow emotions to get the better of me, I thought practically about it. She seemed a good fit, but when I saw that she would not accept you as her own, I was too afraid to admit that I had failed again, so I ignored it. Not only did my first marriage fail, but I failed you as a father as well."
Luke could see the remorse that ate away at his father. He had never before seen this side of him, and it moved him. “Father, I would not go so far as to say that. You did the best that you could do at the time.”
"I wish I could say that was true, Luke. I have made mistakes in my life, ones that will stay with me for the rest of my life. But you can still be happy."
“As long as you do not meddle in my life.”
“Yes, yes, but hear what I have to say, please.”
“All right.”
“Anyone can see that you care about this girl, she must mean something to you for you to defend her so passionately. Why not marry her? I honestly believe that you both can be happy together. I may have made many mistakes in my life, but I do not think that this plan to have you married is one of them. This time, I am sure that I am right." He stood up. "Think on it, Son."
Luke nodded as his father patted his shoulder on the way out. His father had given him food for thought, and as the sun continued to set, he began to truly decide the course that his life would take.
Chapter 10
It was not an easy thing to maintain your youthful looks, something Rose knew all too well. Her beauty was her currency. As long as she had it, she would still have admirers. She looked into her mirror, satisfied to see not a blemish or a wrinkle on her smooth face. Yes, she had been blessed with perfect skin that many women were envious of – courtesy of her mother, her father would always say. The only problem with beauty was that it never lasted as long as one needed it to. She was yet one and twenty, but what would happen once she reached the age of thirty? Would she be married with children by then? Of course she would! There were many men who wished to marry her.
But there was only one who would do for her, and he was playing hard to get. It had been her luck that Alice Campbell had not attended any of the balls held in the past few weeks, but that did not mean that the lady was no competition. Luke still refused to speak with her for longer than he needed to, often finding an excuse to leave her presence. It was frustrating, to say the least, but she was not about to give up. There was nothing that Alice had that she did not have in greater abundance, of that she was sure. And yet the marquess still appeared to carry a torch for her. What was it about her that had captivated him so? He did not say that he felt for another, but she could see it from the way he rejected her.
Frederick had not yet been able to find anything on either Luke or Alice to use against them. She would dismiss him if she did not need him, so she kept him. Rose may have admirers, but she had no friends. Frederick had become a friend to her, asking for nothing in return but to be near her. She found him odd but strangely endearing at the same time. He was nothing to look at, but his sharp mind and utter devotion to her made him an acceptable presence in her life.
He had never overstepped his boundaries with her, something another man would have done had he been in Frederick's shoes.
He was something of an older brother to her, one who looked after her and would likely continue to do so throughout her life. Rose knew without a doubt that Frederick would always be by her side, he would never leave her. It was comforting to know that, for Rose had fears about being alone, fears that she was loathe to divulge. No one needed to know where her weakness lay, it was for her to know their weaknesses.
She continued to study her reflection in the mirror, making different faces to deduce which one would have the most effect on the male population. Everything she did was calculated and thought out. She was not one to leave things to chance. Rose preferred to be in charge, planning everything to the last detail. It was the only way she felt in control of her life, a necessity for her peace of mind. S
he looked at all the creams and perfumes on her table, seeing their futility in years to come. Rose needed to get married, and it had to happen soon.
The Way to Capture a Marquess's Heart: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 16
