Page 52 of The Earl and His Lady

“It might seem that way, I suppose. But in the time you’ve been part of my life, my world has changed for the better.”

Virginia had to raise her eyebrows at that, not quite believing him. She took her hand from his arm and started to walk down the path again, clasping her hands behind her. A tightness in her chest loosened as she created distance between them, a tension she hadn’t examined ebbed away.

“You don’t believe me?” he asked, a step behind her, matching her pace.

“It is difficult to do so, my lord. In what way can a widow and her two sons have made your life easier?”

He spoke from behind her and she resisted the desire to look back, to study his expression and match it to his words. “For a long time now, my life has been rather hollow. I’ve seen to my duties, for the most part, but the responsibilities of my position cannot keep me company. With you, Phillip, and Edward, the days are less empty.”

Here she stopped, the empty place in her heart echoing his words. Virginia knelt and picked a wildflower at her feet, more for something to do than a real desire to possess it. His words sounded much as she felt. After she saw to the boys at the end of each day, she had to avoid examining her feelings too closely. At first it had been her defense against the pain of Charles’s lost, but of late it had more to do with avoiding what she might find in place of that pain.

Lucas bent and began to gather flowers as well, and he continued speaking. “My life has changed. I prepare myself for the day knowing I will see you at breakfast, that I will be presented a new drawing from Edward, that Phillip might seek me out to ask questions about being a landowner.”

“Phillip? Really?” Virginia’s surprise couldn’t be concealed.

“You didn’t know?” Lucas asked.

“No. I thought he only saw you in passing, or during rides. He seeks you out?”

Lucas looked up at her, his gloved hands full of brightly colored flowers. “I thought you might’ve suggested it to him.” He stood slowly, his height emphasized by the tall black hat upon his head. “He knows my schedule better than I do. It always seems to be an accident when we meet, usually in a hallway. Phillip bows and I ask about his day. Then he asks after mine. If I tell him I was looking at accounts, he asks how to know when the accounts are right. He always has a question or two. I’ve been wondering, actually, if I might begin some instruction with him. He’s young, but he shows a real interest.”

Phillip was young. But he would be seven years old before the summer was out. Perhaps it was time for more lessons than a nurse could provide.

“I think that would be good for him. If it isn’t too much trouble.”

Lucas arranged the flowers into a smaller bouquet, picking off leaves and shortening a stem. “Phillip and Edward are never any trouble. Neither is their mother. I am completely at their disposal, and under your command.” The words were spoken softly, but with a feeling behind them Virginia could not name. Would not name. She told herself he was only being gallant. It was in his nature to be kind and even self-sacrificing.

He held the bouquet out to her, met her gaze again, and Virginia’s heart rose into her throat.

No. No, it is too soon.

She accepted the flowers and added her own to the mix, their bright colors contrasting against the black gloves she wore today. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“We had better return to the carriage.” He turned on the path and offered his arm to her again. She took it, grasping the flowers in her free hand. In the distance, she heard a rumble of thunder.

The day’s journey might be more difficult than she had anticipated.

Chapter Nineteen

The remainder of the trip to Heatherton Hall passed quietly. Lucas tried not to mind, allowing his thoughts to wander freely while he stared out the window. Virginia didn’t speak often, but he watched from the corner of his eye as she began to weave the stems of the flowers he’d given her, turning them into a small braided loop. Once that had been completed, she rested her hands in her lap and stared out the opposite window.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. He was grateful for that. He knew either of them might break it at any time, without anxiety for what might be said, but it had felt right to let it lie between them.

He’d said more than he intended on their walk that morning. But she’d been lovely, and sweet, and he’d wanted to reassure her of the place she held in his life.

Unwittingly, he’d nearly revealed to them both the place she, and the boys, now held in his heart.

“We are a mile from Heatherton Hall,” Virginia said, just before noon. She sat up straighter and looked out the window with eagerness.

He watched her, thinking of what it meant to return to her home. “How long has it been, Virginia?” he asked.

“I’ve not been here since last autumn. October.” She gave him a bittersweet smile, her eyes sad in the way they often were when she spoke of Charles Macon.

Lucas took himself in hand, putting off the examination of his feelings for another time. For now, he only reached out to her, offering his gloved hand. She put hers inside it, after a brief hesitation. He clasped it gently, giving her his support.

“It will be a good visit for you, to see everything still in place as you remember it.” Then he released her and reached across the carriage for his hat, which he had discarded again as soon as the carriage door had shut that morning. He settled it firmly on his head and looked through the window.

The trees lining their path were younger, perhaps only twenty or thirty years old, with bright green leaves and ash-colored bark. The land was green and damp. The clouds seemed to have followed them from the inn. When they turned down a lane, iron gates standing open on either side, Lucas leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the house.