"Radcliffe, eh?" Westfield commented, still eyeing the remaining tarts on the tea tray as well as the two that Marie had surreptitiously snuck off the plate when no one was looking. "Good man. You've known him long then, Hallstone?"
No surprise that the viscount knew the names and titles of any man even remotely interested in his daughter. Lachlan would do the same for his sisters when the time came. "Though he attended Eton while I was at Harrow, we met shortly after when I accompanied my father, Viscount Gladston, to London while he saw to unresolved estate business with his solicitor. Radcliffe and I hit it off, as I thought he was a good chap and, well, we've been friends ever since. Shortly after we met, we also realized that he knew my grandfather, the previous Marquess of Hallstone, rather well, as our country estates border each other. Spring House is a fine piece of property and it borders that of another of my friends, the Duke of Candlewood. Finer men I could not wish to know."
Lord Westfield nodded in agreement, a smile on his lips, clearly pleased that Lachlan seemed to be well regarded by men that the viscount himself also held in high esteem. Lachlan thought he might rather grow to like this man if given the chance. "Then I see no reason why my daughter should not go for a drive with you, Lord Hallstone, that is if she wishes. Do you, Wife?" From the way the question was asked, it was clear what the viscount expected the answer to be.
"No, I do not." Lady Westfield's response was stiff and utterly proper, and Lachlan could tell that it was costing her greatly to give her consent. Despite his title, she was still clinging to the hope of the duke, though given that she had not fought her husband overmuch, she might also be coming to the conclusion that a marquess in the family might not be so bad after all. Or at the very least, he was better than the other options that were certain to come sniffing around in the near future. "If Diana wishes to accompany Lord Hallstone, she should do so. They did waltz together at the Gravesend affair last evening."
"Did they now?" Lord Westfield obviously found this very interesting news given the way his attention was finally diverted completely away from the tea tray and the delicious-looking tarts. "Well then, I do believe a drive in the park is completely acceptable. No maid necessary since you will be in the open I assume?" That last comment was directed at Lachlan.
He offered Lord Westfield a little bow of respect. "Of course. I would not wish any harm to come to the lady's reputation. As I have said, I respect her far too much for that." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Diana bristling, most likely because they were discussing her as if she was not even present. From what he knew of her, he suspected she did not care for that sort of thing much at all.
"Be off with you then," Lord Westfield replied with a laugh. "But an hour or so and no more. Let us take this courtship slow, shall we?" Then he was gone, presumably back into his study. Lachlan had the distinct impression that the man was not nearly so oblivious to his surroundings - nor to the women in his life - as he might wish people to think. He certainly knew what his wife was about at any rate.
And he also knew that Lachlan wished to court Diana without the words ever having passed his lips.
After a few hasty arrangements, including the procuring of Diana's pelisse, Lachlan assisted Diana into his carriage and took the reins from his groom who then settled in the back.
"Do not even think about them," Lachlan assured Diana after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. He also tossed the other men a quick grin. "These men are loyal to me and will not utter a word about what we discuss. Unless, of course, you do not wish to speak with me. Then there will be nothing to report in any case."
She pursed her lips for a moment and then finally spoke. "Why are you here, my lord?"
"Lachlan," he corrected gently, wishing he was not so anxious to hear his name on her lips. "When we are alone, I would very much like it if you called me by my Christian name. After what we shared last evening, surely you can see that formalities are unnecessary."
"You have a valid point," Diana admitted grudgingly. "But that still does not answer my question. Why are you here?"
He frowned at that. What was unclear about his presence in her family's drawing room? "Did I not express my desire to court you last evening? I believe I did, even though some of the evening's events are a bit muddled." He slowed the carriage a bit so they would not reach the park too quickly, the pair of spirited matched bays that pulled the conveyance clearly ready to run. "In fact, I am rather certain that I did."
"I...Well, I may have forgotten that part," she admitted, the blush that had been present on her cheeks when he had first arrived reappearing and giving her a charming dash of color. "There are a great many things I remember about last night, however." She said the last part softly, as if she was embarrassed. "And much that I enjoyed." There was no sense in lying to the man, and she had the impression that he would not like it if she did so.
"Diana," he said - and she did not protest or correct him for free use of her Christian name, for what was the point - with a roguish grin, "if you forget that a man asks to court you, then perhaps you have not been associating with the right sort of gentlemen."
"On that we would agree," she tossed back, some of her earlier fire returning. He was happy to note that once she was away from her mother, she became more like the minx he remembered from Radcliffe's library. "Especially as I have not been courted by any gentlemen as of late."
Given her mother's behavior just now, he could well believe that. He was lucky the viscountess had not met him at the door herself with a shotgun. "Yes, well that has now changed." He could feel Diana studying him for a moment out of the corner of her eye, as if gathering the courage to ask him a question. "Out with it, lass. Whatever you wish to ask, I will answer you if I can."
She pleated the fabric of her dress carefully, as if she was trying not to pry. "Lachlan," she began, testing his name on her tongue and finding that she rather liked it, "I am given to understand that your stepmother is not precisely willing to give up the title of countess when your father passes. There are rumors that she will do anything to cling to the title she so cherishes. If that is true, doesn't this pretend courtship complicate matters for you?"
That was enough to make Lachlan bring the carriage to a sharp halt, nearly dislodging both his groom and tiger who were not anticipating the quick stop. "Where in God's name did you hear that, lass?" He didn't think anyone outside of the Highlands knew of Claire's desire to wed him once her husband passed. "I was not lying when I said that my family was complicated, but that bit is not common knowledge!"
"So it is not a rumor then?" Diana pressed, wanting to understand a bit more about this complex man that fascinated her so, and, after last night especially, made her blood run hot with feelings and needs she did not understand.
With a sigh, Lachlan sat back in his seat. "No. It is not a rumor. But still, how do you know this? Who told you?"
"Lady Eliza."
"Deaver's daughter?" Lachlan nearly blanched. If the chit knew that particular McKenna family secret, who else did?
Diana shrugged as if that last bit of information was simply par for the course of things. "Yes. Eliza. Miss Deaver. She knows a great many things she should not. I do not know how she acquires her information and I do not ask. It is for the best, I think."
"Indeed." Lachlan raised an eyebrow. "She is nearly equal to Candlewood in her knowledge of things that are none of her business."
Another shrug. "I have often wondered if she might be a spy as well. It is rumored that the duke is."
"He is not." Lachlan frowned. "At least I do not believe that he is, and, as he is my friend, I should think I would know. But back to the matter at hand. My stepmother, Claire, is a rather devious woman. She married my father knowing that he was ill and dying. She said that she did it out of love for my sisters and at first, I believed her."
"Now you no longer do." Diana was not asking a question.
He shook his head. There was no reason not to tell her
the whole ugly truth. Diana knew enough, and he believed he could trust her. "Again, no. The night before she was to wed my father, she came to my chambers and offered herself to me, suggested that I bed her in the hopes of getting her with child so that after my father passed, she would bear my child but pass it off as my father's spare. Then, when my father died, my son - for she was convinced any child we conceived would be a boy - would be next in line for the title. Both titles." He snorted with thinly veiled disgust. "Because what is better than one title, but two?" Then he squeezed his eyes shut. "And I cannot believe I am telling you this."
"I cannot believe that you are either," Diana replied gently, "but I am happy that you did. Last night, you led me to think that all you would receive from this courtship with me was a few stolen kisses, but it's more than that, isn't it? If your father dies, it will appear to all as if you are truly courting me and cannot possibly marry your stepmother after the mourning period ends. Everyone will believe that your heart is engaged elsewhere."
"Clever girl," Lachlan said with a smile, fully appreciating Diana's quick mind. "And that is a side benefit. I shan't deny it, nor would I. I have only known you a few days but I respect you far too much for that." Then his eyes darkened as his gaze came to rest on her lips again. "But I was not lying when I said that I would take this as my payment as well. I find that I cannot resist you, Diana, even though I know that I should."
"Why should you resist, Lachlan? Especially when it is what we both want, is it not?" She looked at him with those gorgeous eyes, so full of curiosity that it was all he could do not to take her where she sat and damn the scandal.
"Because I am not in town for that purpose. As I'm sure you know by now, whether through gossip or through Miss Deaver's little spy network, I am here to settle my father's messy affairs. I had thought that if I met a biddable young lady in the process, I might well marry her. Now that I am the marquess, I do need a bride and an heir, or will eventually. So I thought that a woman that I did not desire, one that would allow me to keep sharp with my family while doing her duty by me and creating a home would be all I required in a lass. For I cannot allow the sins of the past to repeat themselves and, in my case, I am occasionally distracted by a woman to the point where I cannot think. It would be preferable if I did not truly desire my potential wife. And then I met you in Radcliffe's library, and I knew with one look that you were not the sort of female I should desire. Or want as my wife."
Diana swallowed hard, a little fearful of what Lachlan might reveal next. His words were sometimes so ambiguous, however, that she needed to know the truth, certain that if she asked, he would answer her. "I am not pretty enough for you, then? I was once, though. And given the way you kissed me last night, I rather thought that you were attracted to me."
"Gads, no!" Lachlan swallowed hard, clasping her hand in his. "You are beautiful, Diana. More so than any woman has a right to be. You are also kind, charming, and intelligent, and any man would be a fool not to desire you. Or wed you if given the chance." Then he gave her a wry look. "But you are far from biddable. You must know that. And I do desire you to distraction. After the kiss we shared you cannot doubt that for a moment."
This time when Diana looked at him, there was laughter in her eyes and not the faint tinge of hurt that had been present a moment ago. "You are right, Lachlan. I am not particularly biddable. I tend to speak before I think and often act before I think as well. But I am also a generally happy person and will do what I can for my friends. I am not a simpering society miss, however. I do have a brain and I tend to use it, probably more often than is socially wise." She refused to address his comments about desiring her, but he allowed it to pass. He should not have said those words, but he wanted her to know that he did desire her, even after so short of a time.
"I know. I know all of that and more about you, lass." Lachlan slid his hand behind her neck and Diana knew he was about to kiss her again. "That is one of the things that I like so very much about you. You are not a typical English miss, afraid of her own shadow. But that is also the reason you are so very dangerous to me. For I fear that I could easily lose myself in you, and given all that I have left to deal with in regards to my family, it would not do at all to lose my head over a lady, not matter how much I desire her."
"You do desire me? Truly?" Lachlan could hear the surprise in Diana's voice.
"Ach, lass. Aye, I desire you. More than I should. More than is wise. I said before that I did, and there is one thing you must know about me. I do not lie. So when I say that I desire you, my beautiful Diana, you would do well to believe me." With each word, his accent deepened, his brogue returning, unbidden. "And even though I know it would be a disaster to lose my head over you, I fear I cannot help myself. Which is why I want to court you. To see where this leads and to see if maybe, just maybe mind you, there is a better future for me than one without passion and desire. If you are willing, that is, for I'd not be fool enough to pursue you if you did not wish it."
He did not mention love, which was the only thing Diana sought for herself, but in that moment, with Lachlan's lips so close to hers, his breath caressing her face, she did not care. Instead she pressed forward in invitation, using her body to convey all that she could not say, and he kissed her again, but not as he had last night in the darkness as passion had swelled between them unchecked. This was more of a light, teasing kiss, one filled with promise and the hint of darker, more wicked things to come later.
Diana's mind was whirling with thoughts. She should pushed him away. She should not have practically begged him to kiss her. She should respect Lachlan's quandary. He was attempting to help her and himself, but without getting truly entangled in her life and she in his. She should let him go and allow him to seek out this mythical woman who was the prefect wife and mother, yet not sensual enough for him to desire.
Except that she could not. After so many years of being ignored by the duke, of being eyed from a distance but never approached by other men, she was tired of wondering what passion and desire felt like. She wanted to know what they felt like.
From the moment she had met Lachlan, something had sparked inside of her. Something new and different that made her blood hum and raw need snake through her until it had wrapped itself around her very bones. Whatever this was between them, it was something she could not ignore, even if she did not quite understand it.
This was her chance. Now. With Lachlan. She could either reach out and take it or she could back away and always wonder.
Decision made, she reached out to place her hand on his thigh, unable to help her secret delight in the hard muscle she found there. Until Lachlan, she had never really touched a man. Dancing did not count, nor did the times she had planted her brother a facer, which, in her younger days, was more often that she liked to admit. She had always had something of a wild streak in her, after all.
Now, in this precise moment, Diana wanted more than a kiss. She wanted it all. All of him. Naked above her. Introducing her to passion and to the way a man's body mated with a woman's Lachlan. And her. Even if there was no love, he could show her what was possible between a man and a woman. If he did not introduce her to those things, it was unlikely that anyone would.
In her heart, she knew she would be his - in his bed and in his life. For however long he wanted her, even if it was only temporary. He might not give her love, but he could give her memories to take with her when she was old and alone. That would be enough. All he had to do was ask. Lachlan McKenna was Diana's chance at a different sort of life - at least for a time. She would be a fool to refuse him, and Diana was no man's fool.
"If you wish to pursue me, Lachlan, you do not need to ask permission. I suspect you already know what my answer would be."
Chapter Seven
"A night out at the theater! How positively thrilling!" If Phoebe had been a bit younger, it would not have surprised Diana in the least if the young woman had started to jump up and down on the well-sprung car
riage's squabs. "I cannot believe that Lord Hathaway has requested to escort me once we arrive at the theater! This is simply marvelous! Wait until all of my friends back home hear that I have been seen in the company of an actual duke!"
In truth, Diana could not believe Phoebe's luck either. However the proof - in the form of Miss Banbrook herself - had been waiting in Diana's family's drawing room when she returned from her drive with Lachlan. Who by sheer coincidence had also requested that Diana attend the opening performance of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing that evening where they were to be guests in the private box of Lord and Lady Radcliffe. The very same performance that Phoebe was attending with Lord Hathaway. The girl practically squealed the delightful - to Phoebe anyway - news in Diana's ear when she hopped about the Westfield drawing room like a rabbit on springs.
Phoebe had both received and accepted the invitation when she had been out driving in Hyde Park with the duke, something else that had surprised Diana. The silly chit had also insisted to Hathaway that, as Diana was helping Phoebe to enter society properly, she would be more than willing to act as chaperone. After all, it wasn't as if Hathaway and Diana were a potential match any longer, at least according to the indomitable and very silly Miss Banbrook. It was clear, however, based on the expression on Ursula Saintwood's face that she was not pleased one bit by this announcement and did not expect Diana to be either.
Phoebe also wanted to travel to the theater with Diana in the Saintwood family's coach, as it was, according to her, ever so comfortable. More so than even the Banbrook's, even though to Diana's way of thinking that was not possible. She sincerely doubted that the Earl of Hollinworth purchased poor quality carriages. And since, according to Phoebe, they were going to travel to Drury Lane together, why not dress together as well? In the younger woman's mind, it would be such fun, almost like when she had village girls back home sleep over at her father's house.
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