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“I heard about that. Although I was told it was a terrible accident.”

“Oh, shesaidit was, but I know Bridget too well. No one insults her friends and gets away with it. She would not stand for such impertinence.”

“I shall try to remember that the next time we meet,” he said thoughtfully.

The dessert had long been cleared away, yet he had no desire to leave the room.

Seth swirled his wine as he watched her through the dancing light of the candles. He much preferred looking at her, enjoying the brightness of her eyes.

I will ensure that the candles are always pushed to the side of the table from now on.

It was rare for him to feel light in his soul, as if the world were not against him, but in her presence, he did.

Seth sat in that dining room for longer than he ever had before. The candles burned down almost to their wick, the fire crackling quietly in the background as it slowly faded to embers.

He could not remember an occasion where he had enjoyed himself so much, or when the dark thoughts in his mind had been chased away for so long.

CHAPTER 15

The next day, Seth left early for a meeting in town, and Alicia took the opportunity to spend some time with her friends.

As she got ready for the day, her thoughts kept going back to the night before and the intensity of Seth’s gaze throughout the meal. The flickering candles and the hazy light all around them made the memory of that dinner all the more sensual.

His gaze had felt like a caress every time he looked at her.

When they had parted, she yearned for him to kiss her again, the need to beg him for his touch rising inside her. Part of her had wanted to forget all decorum and press against him, the feeling alarming and unexpected.

But the supper had ended with Seth bowing to her formally, as though they were mere acquaintances.

After everything they had shared, it had been a hollow moment and left her feeling all the more alone.

It is infuriating that despite all of that, I still want him. What would my friends say if they knew the truth?

She had arranged to meet Bridget and Katie in the tearooms in the local village, but he was not looking forward to the meeting.

Alicia was sure they would be disappointed in her progress and berate her for not having done enough to repel his advances.

I kissed him! That is hardly what we had intended.

It was not just the meeting that concerned her either. She did not knowhowshe was expected to get to the village.

She was still not accustomed to the wealth her husband possessed.

Her father had owned a grand carriage, as many gentlemen of the ton did, but he had never allowed her and Jane to travel in it alone. They usually walked to wherever they needed to be.

The Duke, by contrast, had an array of carriages at his disposal, including a town coach, which he had taken to London, as well as a barouche, a landau,anda phaeton.

Uncertain which she would be permitted to take, Alicia had elected to simply inform the housekeeper that she was going out and wait to see what would be brought around.

As she left the house, the sun was warm on her face, and she inhaled deeply, glad to be leaving the confines of their little haven and spending some time away from the prying eyes of the servants.

She looked down the drive at the crunch of approaching wheels, expecting to see one of the Duke’s carriages pull up beside her. Instead, something else rolled up the drive.

Coming toward her was the most beautiful carriage she had ever seen. The coachman was wearing the livery of the Radcliffe house, and a footman stood at the rear.

The carriage itself was elegant and streamlined, neat and feminine in its design in a way she had not often seen.

It was undoubtedly for the Duchess of the house and seemed brand new. The folding roof looked more like a bellows and had been left down for her drive into town, the seat plush and polished to a high shine, with fine red leather over the surface.