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T he next afternoon, Diana and her aunt joined her mother and her friends for tea.

She was exhausted from her mother’s dinner the previous evening.

It had run late into the night. Once she made it to the hotel, Sebastian visited her, but their lovemaking had been quick. A tenseness had emanated between them.

Sebastian had been upset that Tremont and her mother had monopolized her time.

She’d barely been able to speak with anyone, not just Sebastian.

She’d wanted to talk about it, but he’d been unwilling to share his thoughts.

The longer they stayed in Livorno, the more distant they seemed to become. Diana hated it.

A mad idea sprang up in her mind. Could she and Sebastian become more than an interlude? Would he ever want more with her? The idea was preposterous but how she wished it could be. The way he touched her, spoke to her, and cared for her made Diana want so much more.

“Diana?”

She flushed, horrified she had no clue what her mother’s friends were discussing. She glanced at the three ladies she barely knew, then her mother, and lastly her Aunt Winifred. Her aunt said, “Lady Beaumont asked if you enjoyed writing for the papers.”

Diana smiled at her aunt, grateful, before turning back to the other ladies. “I do. I’m not sure I have any interest after I return, but the success means the Historical Society for Female Curators will have the funding needed to grow.”

Lady Beaumont wrinkled her nose. “I heard about the club and that Lady Hawley created it to spite her husband because of an affair. Not that she should care who he is involved with, as she’s rather scandalous. She should be happy her husband is so private about his discretions. She is not.”

Diana gasped at the woman’s bluntness. Her mother and her friends tittered. Her aunt frowned in disapproval at the woman.

“I can assure you the club isn’t a game to Lady Hawley.”

The tone Diana used seemed to upset the women as they pinched their lips together.

Her mother said, “Come now, you don’t really expect us to take your club seriously.

Lady Hawley hasn’t behaved in an appropriate manner for at least a decade.

Your main patron is the owner of a scandalous gentlemen’s club with an unsavory heritage.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the two are involved in a more intimate fashion. ”

Her mother smirked as a scowl filled Diana’s face.

Diana had no doubt her remark was meant to wound her.

Her mother was a master at squirreling out secrets.

She likely suspected there was something between her and Sebastian.

Diana ignored her last point and said, “I can assure you they are both very dedicated to seeing the Historical Society for Female Curators succeed.”

Her mother’s friend Lady Hartley said, “My husband said it was a bunch of ladies playing at being scholars. The club would be lucky if it lasted a year.”

“I will bet you a hundred pounds the club will survive through next season,” Aunt Winifred said to the woman.

Lady Hartley gasped. “I can’t bet that much money.”

Her aunt turned to her sister. “How about you, Lisette?”

Diana’s mother’s eyes flashed with anger and maybe resentment that her sister had so much money. “No, I have no interest in your bet. It’s a waste of time.”

Aunt Winifred smirked, but Diana’s mother changed the subject before the discussion could go any further. “Ladies, I think we need to end our visit. I have some matters to discuss with my daughter.”

Her mother’s friends rose. Lady Beaumont beamed at Diana’s mother. “I hope to visit you in England soon, Your Grace.”

Her mother smiled demurely. Once her friends were gone, she frowned and took a sip of tea. “Diana, you shouldn’t be so supportive of that Devons man. Think of your future marriage and Robert.”

“I have only good things to say about Mr. Devons.”

Her mother studied her. Her lips twisted with distaste.

“Well, Lisette, it’s apparent even in Tuscany, you are still a cold, gossipy lady.”

“You shouldn’t speak to me that way,” her mother snipped.

Aunt Winifred lifted a brow. “Why, because you are a duchess?”

A scowl broke across her mother’s face. Her aunt said, “Be careful, sister. You are still trying to convince your daughter to help you return to England. Politeness goes a long way. I can only imagine the trouble you are hoping to cause.”

Her mother glared at her sister. “I would like to see my family, especially my son.”

“Mother, Clara is the only one who will decide that,” Diana interjected.

Her mother’s eyes swung to her. “She can’t keep my child from me.”

But Clara could. She wanted their brother to have nothing to do with her. Her aunt snorted. “What will you do in England? Aren’t your friends here?”

Her mother frowned. “Most of them left during all the fighting from the revolution.”

“Why didn’t you ask for help to leave then?” her aunt asked.

Her mother glared at her. “The duke was unwell.”

“So, kind of you to stay by your husband’s deathbed,” her aunt said, for once sounding sincere.

Her mother had regarded Diana and Clara as the means to further connections and wealth, but Diana did believe she cared for her father. He may be the only person her mother had true feelings for.

“I’m sorry you dealt with that alone,” Diana said.

She swallowed and took a deep breath. “Yes, it was difficult. Part of the reason I wish to return home is because everything here reminds me of him.”

Compassion for her mother coursed through Diana. Losing her father couldn’t have been easy for her. “If I agree, you promise not to meddle in my, Henry, or Clara’s life. You will retire to the country.”

Her mother nodded. “Of course.”

Diana glanced at her aunt, who was looking at her sister skeptically. Still, no matter what her mother had done to her, Diana couldn’t leave her in Livorno. “We can try it. I think it is best if you finish prepping and move next spring.”

Her mother’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. “I can’t. I have already packed my things and agreed to sell my house.”

“To whom?” Aunt Winifred asked.

“Lord Hartley.”

It was done then. Her mother would most definitely return with her. Frustration filled her even though she’d always known deep down that her mother’s return was inevitable.

Her aunt scowled. “You were certainly confident.”

Her mother ignored her comment. Instead, she said to Diana, “Tell me about Lord Tremont.”

Dread filled Diana. A flush appeared across her cheeks. “He is a friend.”

“He seems to want more and has exceptional family connections. An earl is a perfect option for you.”

Who Diana married or didn’t wouldn’t be navigated by her mother. She frowned. “I have not started considering marriage again.”

“It will be good that Lord Tremont is traveling back with us on the ship. I have seen the way Devons looks at you.”

Diana’s eyes met her aunt’s, but they both remained silent. Her mother continued, “I imagine the options for female companionship on the ship aren’t plentiful. How many ladies did you say were on the leisure cruise?”

“Ten,” Diana whispered.

“Yes, it’s very good that Tremont will be with us. I would hate for you to be seduced by such a rogue so he can satisfy his needs. The man can have anyone as his paramour. I wouldn’t want to see you hurt once he discards you back in London.”

“Lisette!” her aunt snapped.

Her mother stared back at her, unperturbed. “Yes?”

Aunt Winifred said nothing, not wanting to reveal anything else. Diana said, “You know nothing of Sebastian Devons’s character.”

Her mother sighed. “True, but he is a known rogue. I would hate to see you fooled by someone like him because he is bored, and there are no other ladies around. You, Diana, are not built to hold a man like Devons’s interest.”

“How—”

“It’s fine,” Diana said, interrupting Aunt Winifred. “Fortunately for me, there is nothing improper going on between us.”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t expect anything different from a proper lady like you,” her mother said.

Silence descended upon the room as they sipped their tea. Her mother’s words were always cruel, but her comments about Sebastian stoked her own fears. She wouldn’t dwell on it. It didn’t matter. It was just a tryst. Then why did her heart ache so much?

She glanced at her aunt, whose fury was evident.

Diana knew the carriage ride home would be filled with the many reasons she should leave her mother in Livorno.

Diana couldn’t. Her mother was here alone.

Regardless of how ridiculous it seemed, she felt obligated to make sure her mother was taken care of.

Maybe Clara had been right that she was too kindhearted.

Once in England, Diana hoped to see her mother infrequently. Her cruel streak had not gone away.

*

Sebastian silently crept down the hallway to Diana’s room. Earlier, she’d not been at dinner, sending word through Aunt Winifred to their group that she was feeling unwell. When he asked Lady Clark, she’d shaken her head and said she had a trying day with her mother.

Throughout the meal, he’d been unable to focus on anything but Diana. He hated that he couldn’t go to her immediately and was now sneaking about. He imagined her distress in a dozen different ways. Each worse than the other.

Then he’d been angry with himself because his overwhelming need to be with her made Sebastian realize he’d done the one damn thing he shouldn’t.

He’d fallen in love with her. Sebastian had been a fool to think he’d ever given his heart to Lilah because what he felt for Diana was so much more.

He knocked softly, and his stomach clenched as he heard Diana pad to the door.

She cracked it and gave him a small smile before stepping aside to let him in.

He frowned. She appeared pale, and there were shadows under her eyes.

“What is wrong? I was worried when your aunt said you wouldn’t join us for dinner.”

She pulled her wrap tighter around her. “It was a long day with my mother.”

Anger flared in Devons that the cold woman had driven her to feel so awful. “You should leave her here.”

Diana sighed. “My aunt said the same, but I can’t. She is all alone. I want nothing from her except to see her settled in the country in England.”

“You owe her nothing.”

Diana’s eyes flashed. “I know that, but she is still my mother.”

He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. “Don’t be upset with me. I’m only angry because I care for you.”

“You are a true friend.”

He flinched at her words. He fucking didn’t want to be her friend. Sebastian wanted so much more. He wanted to be the man that comforted her when she needed it. Unable to hold back, he tilted her chin up and studied her. “Let me court you.”

Her eyes widened in shock, and she pulled away, stumbling out of his arms. The piercing in his heart almost drove him to his knees. They stared at each other silently. Fear, concern, and perhaps excitement flickered across her face. “Why now?”

“I know I’m not a lord, and I’m asking a great deal of you to even consider me.”

“Don’t,” she said, holding up one of her hands.

He went silent. She wouldn’t even consider him at all. He tried to control the anger coursing through him. Sebastian looked away. When he turned back, she was frowning at him apprehensively. “Wait until we return to London.”

He took a deep breath, hoping he was misunderstanding her. “Why?”

She hugged herself and said, “I want you to think about it. This all may seem less wonderful when we return. We can talk about it on the ship.”

A bitter laugh escaped him. “In between your time with Tremont.”

She flinched. “I can’t control that he is returning with us.”

“We could tell him we are betrothed.”

Her eyes watered. “Be honest, Sebastian. Do you really want to marry me?”

He didn’t understand what she was saying or why she didn’t understand what he wanted. Maybe she was trying to turn him down delicately. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to. Am I not even worthy of a chance, Diana?”

“It isn’t that. How dare you insinuate I would think that way?”

He paced back and forth before facing her again. “Then explain to me why we need to wait.”

“Once in England, you may think differently. This trip has placed us in a situation where, of course, we would fall for each other. We are always together.”

Sebastian was a bloody fool. He’d fallen in love with a lady he could never truly have. Just like his mother with his father. “I have to leave.”

She grabbed his arm. “Sebastian, please, can we talk about this?”

“No.”

Sebastian pulled her to him, needing to taste her lips one last time. The kiss was brief but would be seared to his memory forever. She frowned at him. “I’m asking you to pause this and reexplore it in London.”

He couldn’t and it pained him that she was so unsure about what they had. He released her and walked to the door. She pleaded, “Please stay. Don’t leave like this.”

Sebastian didn’t stop or look back.