Page 20

A lexander groused as he strolled the walking paths in Hyde Park with Lydia at his side.

He hadn’t seen her for two days due to their respective commitments and schedules, but now he regretted asking her to go for a ride with him, for they’d once more taken Lewis’ open carriage and now as they were deep in the park, a steady rain had started.

A quick glance upward through the trees showed the overcast skies wouldn’t clear.

“Perhaps I should escort you back home, for we will both be drenched soon.”

She squeezed her fingers on his arm. “There are worse things, Lord Wexley. Being drenched does have its advantages if you think about it,” she said in a low, throaty voice that went straight to his stones.

Heat filled his chest. “Do you always do and say scandalous things, or has meeting me brought it out in you?”

A trill of laughter escaped her, and he rather liked the dulcet sound. “Isn’t my being female and practicing medicine scandal unto itself?”

“To be honest, if I’m in a bad state that requires a physician, it doesn’t matter to me who attends to my wounds.

” The prevailing idea that a woman didn’t have the intelligence to do such a thing boggled his own mind.

From what he’d seen of women recently—though his experience was somewhat limited —women were fully capable of doing fantastic things, but they only needed the chance to shine.

“I would like to hope that sentiment would transfer to society at large, but I fear we are years, perhaps decades, away from that.” She patted his arm.

“As for the rain, well, when does London not have a week without rain?” When she turned her head and met his gaze, humor lurked in the green depths of her eyes. “We won’t die from a few raindrops.”

As she spoke, the rain came down even harder, which prompted a laugh from them both.

“Well, since we’re so deep in the park and far from where my driver is waiting, we should probably find some sort of shelter,” Alexander mentioned as he hustled her along the pathway. “If the rain lets up, we’ll make our way back to the entrance arch.”

“There are worse people to spend the time with.” Then she left his side, and before he could question why, Lydia darted into a clearing, spread her arms wide, and twirled about with her face lifted to the sky.

In that moment, when her tinkling laugh tripped through the air and the joy on her face had the power to light the dreary overcast gloom, he lost a tiny piece of his heart to her.

Unexpected, that, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Seeing her twirl about despite the heavy rain without seemingly a care for the state of her clothing, her bonnet which had fallen backward to hang around her neck by its ribbons, or how society might judge her once they made their way back, he was suddenly envious of that unique kind of freedom.

“Come, Alexander, join me!”

Oh, what the hell? Where was the harm? Tossing his cares to the proverbial wind, he met her in the clearing, where she immediately took his gloved hands and urged him into an impromptu dance.

Rain fell on his face. It drummed on his top hat and quickly seeped through his jacket of sapphire superfine.

But there was something about cavorting about with this woman that allowed his soul to soar for a bit.

Only when he was completely soaked, and Lydia’s skirts were stuck to her lower limbs did he bring them to a halt. “You are quite unexpected,” he mentioned in a soft voice as he reeled her into his arms.

“That is a good thing, because why would anyone want dull and expected?”

“Indeed.” Then he kissed her because he could.

There was something free and easy about tasting her lips that were dotted with raindrops.

So far, the tentative dip into this courtship had been as unorthodox as their first meeting, but then he wasn’t a Stapleton for nothing.

And frankly, standing in the rain with their clothing plastered to their bodies, basically alone in the world just now was one of the most memorable moments in his life to date.

When he pulled away, he grinned like an idiot.

“Let’s find shelter. Playing in the rain is fine for a time, but I don’t wish to camp out in it. ”

“Perhaps you’re right. Already, this dress is uncomfortable.”

Nestled within the trees at the end of the footpath was a small stone structure that had a bit of a roof.

Built to resemble an old Roman temple, it was no doubt a folly for decoration or to perhaps allow people on foot a rest before walking back to the opposite side of the park or toward the Serpentine, but it would serve their purposes nicely.

“At least this will keep the rain off us for a while,” he said as he pulled her into the open-air structure.

A crumbling marble bench rested in the middle of the marble floor, and he showed her onto it while he chose to remain standing.

“I can’t remember the last time I actually had fun in the rain, so thank you for that. ”

“Well, just remember why you wear your father’s signet ring. Life is short, Alexander.” She held his gaze. “We shouldn’t go through it all clouds and grumble just because things aren’t going the way we want.”

“Now who is the one offering wise words?” In this way, she kept him grounded, and he needed that, perhaps now more than ever. With a sigh, he shoved his hands through his hair, leaving it in wet, furrowed rows. “If you have any insight for me regarding boxing, I wouldn’t mind hearing it.”

Lydia frowned. “Meaning what? Are you planning to retire from the sport? I thought you enjoyed it.”

“I do, but we both know I’m not a champion like my brothers or even my father, and I do need the coin winning bouts bring, but I suspect that I need to start thinking logically about my future.

” As he regarded her, his chest tightened.

“What will I do if I’m not actively boxing?

It is my father’s legacy.” Was it something he was willing to walk away from?

She paused in the act of pulling her wet skirting away from her legs. “Do you enjoy doing anything that has nothing to do with boxing? Or do you have skills and talents in a different area?”

“Well, I can’t sing or play an instrument or perform, if that’s what you’re asking.

” A chuckle left his throat. “And I suppose seeing me from your eyes, I’m quite useless as an earl’s son.

Isn’t that what you’ve told me?” When a blush sprang into her cheeks, he shrugged.

“It’s all right. For many years, I have been a bit reckless, though Duncan holds the title for that.

And I suppose I am a useless bachelor, for at the age of one and thirty, I haven’t made inroads into being anything other than that and a boxer. ”

God, I’m making it worse.

For long moments, Lydia regarded him with speculation in her expression. Then she plucked the pins from her hair, setting each one on the bench beside her. “When you wake in the morning, what is the first thing you immediately think of?”

“I…” When he truly ruminated on it, he sighed. “Boxing. I sometimes dream about each new technique I’ve learned, how I can move my feet faster, what I need to do in order to win.”

“Yet, from your own admission, you aren’t as skilled in it as your brothers.” It wasn’t a question.

“That is correct.” He shrugged.

“If you were to ask me the same question, my answer would be tending to patients, setting them at ease, helping them heal whatever is wrong.” She shook out her wet hair, ran her fingers through the fiery waterfall, and damn if she didn’t resemble a Scottish witch in that moment, surrounded by the wooded area, holding court in the marble structure.

“You and I, Alexander, we are creatures of deep purpose. We know where we should be in this life and why. What’s more, we won’t let circumstances or anyone stop us from reaching those goals. ”

“That doesn’t answer my question though.” It was fascinating to watch her plait her hair, and once the tresses were secured, she wound the length around the back of her head and secured it with the pins in a tidier look than she’d had before.

“I honestly don’t believe you can remove boxing from your life and continue to be happy.”

He nodded. “That is true, but I detest doing the salon’s books, which is where my brother seems to think I belong. If given half a chance, I’d be a good manager, but Lewis is controlling.”

“Then continue to work on him. Put a plan together of what you would like to accomplish or see happen if you should be given free reign over the salon. Appeal to his logical side regarding the business. Outline for him how a streamlined salon would turn a greater profit.” She shrugged. “What have you got to lose?”

How much did he appreciate her insight and seeing the problem from a different view? “You make me feel as if there is hope.”

“There is always that, Wexley.” Then she pulled a small, brass hand mirror from the reticule that matched the blue and ivory striped dress. “Speaking of the salon, you need something that might set it apart from the others in Mayfair.”

“Such as?”

After checking her face in the looking glass, Lydia replaced it into the bag. “Consider that it might be a good thing to have a doctor attached to the salon, to attend to the injuries that naturally occur there, or at the very least, to manage your clients’ vital signs.”

His eyebrows rose. “Meaning?” Excitement buzzed at the base of his spine, for he had an inkling that she was unconsciously trying to find ways to keep them together or aligned. Was she aware of that, or was this how she could justify a courtship in her own mind?

“Just this.” Mirth twinkled in her green eyes. “The other day I saw a space in the neighboring building for let. It would be ideal to set up a clinic or a discreet physician’s office there.”