Constance relaxed somewhat.
“Mondvale has not asked your brother’s permission to pay address to you. Nor I. When he does, and we have ascertained his good intentions toward you, there will of course be no objections. We will not oppose your walk in the park with the duke and Charlotte of course, since you have already consented.”
“Edward!”
A speaking glance silenced her mother. To remove the sting from it, he reached over and clasped her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles. He gave Constance a quick wink, and warmth unfurled inside of her. She returned the wink. He had been in her life for ten years, a constant father figure. He had treated her like a cherished daughter, and Constance now understood why he had spoiled her. It could not have been easy for him to suffer her coldness over the past few months. Not when they had been so close. And not once had he berated her, or tried to force his perspective on her. He had simply been there in the background, giving her the space she needed. A pang went through her heart. I love you, she mouthed, and she almost laughed as he caught it as he always did and stuffed it in his pocket.
She was content with not partaking in the light conversation between her father and mother. As she watched them, she fancied she could see the invisible strings of love and companionship that bound them together. One day she would love to hear from her mother, in full, their journey. But she knew that time was not yet, and she accepted that. Her brother Anthony had been right. He had told her when they had first found out of their illegitimacy, that what mattered was that they were a family that loved one another, albeit a complicated one.
And that was what she now saw and felt. Family, love, and companionship. And Constance felt more determined than ever to claim a similar future for herself. She would not marry unless it was for love. While she was interested in the Duke of Mondvale she would guard her heart closely until he revealed his intentions. He was, after all, the Lord of Sin, and based on rumors, he was firmly adverse to marriage. More than one young lady had learned that lesson in the most painful of manners when they sought to entrap him. Constance would not be so foolish to make the same mistake simply because he was the first gentleman to show her interest in months.
Chapter Six
After the encounter with her mother, Constance had wasted no time preparing herself, dressing in a dark red flounced carriage dress with matching hat and slippers. Lucan had collected her promptly at noon and assisted her and Charlotte into the carriage and bounded away to Hyde Park. The carriage ride had been achieved with a short conversation between her and Constance. The duke had looked on, the memory of their embrace clear in his silver gaze.
The equipage rolled to a stop and the door was opened by a footman. Lucan aided her and Charlotte’s descent. Constance breathed in deeply. She fancied she could feel the sunshine filling her lungs. Hyde Park seemed empty for such a glorious day. A few parties reposed on blankets and she could see two couples walking, chaperones discreetly trailing behind them. Her party walked to a spot by the lake and the footman spread the blanket near the edge of the waters, opening the basket and arranging the food—chocolate truffles, cold ham slices, chicken slices, sweet bread, a cake, apples, and a bottle of wine for their consumption. Mrs. Pritchard had outdone herself. No doubt the entire staff was abuzz with the news that Constance had a gentleman caller—and a duke, no less. The wine bottle was uncorked, the wine poured, and then the footman melted away.
Lucan glanced toward Charlotte who was some distance away on her own blanket, reading. “Will Lady Ralston not join us?”
Constance shook her head. “She means to give us privacy. I am in her sight so I am properly chaperoned. She also ate before we departed so as not to interrupt our time together.” Let him think on that. If he wanted to make his intentions clear, she just gave him the perfect opportunity to refute that they needed privacy.
“Ah.”
She stretched out her feet, and leaned back on her arms, tilting her face to the sun. A light breeze stirred, and the smell of the Serpentine Lake and the newly mown grass filled her nostrils. Fresh, crisp, and clean.
“You are enjoying being outside,” he observed.
She turned her head and met his gaze. Her heart jolted at the quiet intensity in his regard.
“I am. I have spent most of my days indoors. When I saw how glorious the day was, I really wanted to be out. Your invitation was timely, Lucan. It is a welcomed relief to be outside with someone who is not a family member.”
He leaned back on the large oak tree and drew up one of his legs. “I was told by your butler this morning that your mother had gone out riding. Why did you not ride with her?”