Page 17 of Lady Farah Creates a Scandal (The Season of Secrets #2)

I t was a solemn carriage ride back to Dublin.

Caitria looked as if she’d been crying, and Lucien looked like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Rockwell had barely spoken to her since breakfast. She’d woken alone in her bed as she knew she would.

He’d already broken his fast when she came down and excused himself to ready their carriage to return to Dublin.

How could he put what they shared behind him so easily?

She glanced across the carriage at him, but he was looking out the window.

After last night, Rockwell could tear her open and own her heart.

Even now, her body hummed with the longing to be held in his arms once again.

But it probably wasn’t as special for him.

He’d done that with many women and more…

He was adamant they could share passion, and love was not a requirement.

Perhaps it was a requirement for her. She looked at Lucien. While he was a stunningly handsome man, she couldn’t imagine wanting to share her body with him. What did that mean?

Just then, Ava-Marie, who’d been sleeping on Caitria’s lap, awoke. “Are we there yet?”

Caitria murmured, “Not much longer. You’ve been such a good girl.”

The little girl sat up and squeezed herself onto the seat between the two ladies. She started swinging her legs, banging her heels against the wood seatback. She laughed up at Farah. “I’m going on a ship, with Daid and Auntie Caitria. Isn’t it exciting?”

“It is. I’m going, too. It’s Lord Ware’s ship.”

That made her little legs stop and her eyes widen. She looked up at Rockwell. “Is it really your ship?” she asked him.

He turned to smile down at Ava-Marie and stole Farah’s breath. Oh, to have him look at her like that every day. “It is. My ship’s name is the Doreen .”

“That’s a girl’s name.”

“Sailors often name their ships after women. They like the idea that a mother figure is looking out for them and guiding them home.”

“My Mama is looking after me from heaven.” She stood, rocking with the carriage’s movement. “Where will I sleep on the ship?”

“You’ll have a cabin with a bunk to sleep on.”

“Will Daid have a cabin, too?”

“Yes, we all will,” Rockwell explained.

Ava-Marie asked to climb on Lucien’s lap. He lifted her with ease and cuddled her tightly. She sat playing with his fob watch before she once more fell asleep.

Farah turned to Caitria. She hadn’t really had time to talk with the young woman.

The Irish woman was dark-haired, with blue eyes and was very beautiful.

She noted that the woman had spent most of the journey peering at Lucien.

Farah couldn’t make out what that meant.

Was she in love with Lucien? Farah could understand why.

He was as handsome as sin. Lucien could definitely give Rockwell a run in the handsome stakes.

Caitria had also been staring at Rockwell, too.

Was she comparing Lucien’s clothing and seeing it lacking?

Farah noted Caitria’s gown. It was going to stand out in the wrong way when they got to London.

“If you need anything, please let me know. It’s going to be a tremendous change moving to England. If you’d let me, I’d like to be your friend. And help guide you.” Although the young woman may want to keep clear of Farah once her scandal broke. She’d be persona non grata.

In her heavy Irish accent, Caitria said, “Thank you. I’m not too nervous. I’ll be happy becoming Ava-Marie’s nanny. I’ll fade into the background. Lucien might not remember, but I understand how society works. One must know one’s place.”

“But your place in life has changed. You have a powerful protector in Lord Furoe.”

Those words didn’t make her happy. “He’s out of my reach.”

So, Caitria was in love with Lucien. The poor girl. It would only end in heartache. She glanced at Rockwell, who was once more staring out the window. Farah thought the same thing applied to her, too. Rockwell would sail away and forget her.

She knew now, after sharing passion with Rockwell, that even if her brother demanded they wed, she could not. Not unless he could love her back. She’d rather run away and use her funds to find a small cottage in Cornwall.

She took Caitria’s hand in hers. “You must resent our intrusion into your lives.”

She shook her head. “No. He has a family who must be missing him. But it’s going to be hard on them when they find he doesn’t remember them.”

She nodded. Hard on more than his family. Courtney kept flashing through her mind. To halt her worries, Farah asked, “Tell me about your life in Cork. Are you going to miss your family?”

Caitria stilled beside her and bit her lip. “Not really. I wanted to leave and Lucien’s letter came at the right time. There is nothing left for me in Cork.”

Farah got the impression that she wasn’t happy discussing her previous life, so instead she said, “Well, you have a new family now. Lord Furoe’s sisters, Lauren and Madeline, will welcome you like a sister. They’ll be so happy to have their brother home and a little niece, too.”

“I’m most nervous about meeting them. I’m just a country girl from Ireland and they are English ladies. What if they don’t like me?”

“I like you and they are very kind. They will love you because you helped their brother and his little girl. You are important to him, so they will want to help you, too.” She squeezed her hand.

“Lucien is going to need you. He’s forgotten the world he’s returning to.

You’ll be the only person he can remember. So, he’ll need you close by.”

Caitria’s eyes softened. “I’ll be there as long as he and Ava-Marie need me.” She looked at Farah shyly. “How is it you happen to be traveling with Lord Ware?” she whispered, but not soft enough.

She saw Lucien’s gaze turn her way, and he frowned. He, too, must be thinking about her presence. “It’s a long and silly story. Needless to say, I ended up on Lord Ware’s ship by mistake.”

“Isn’t it likely to be…that is…you are not married?”

Rockwell stirred from his thoughts. “I’ve told everyone she is my sister, Ashley.

And I’m hoping the news of Lord Furoe’s return from the dead may distract the ton from discussing Lady Farah’s absence.

Her brother is the Duke of Blackstone and he is a stickler for propriety.

Hopefully, no one will learn she has been with me all this time. ”

“And if they learn?” Lucien asked in a gravelly voice, his eyes piercing hers.

“Then we will be married.” Rockwell’s words dared her to disagree. She certainly wasn’t about to do that with an audience. “It is the gentlemanly thing to do. Blackstone will demand it.”

Lucien kept staring at her, as if sensing her reluctance. “As the son of an earl, I assume I’ll have to marry and produce an heir.”

Rockwell nodded. “Yes. Besides, your family could use a large dowry.” He looked at Farah, but she shook her head, telling him not to mention Courtney just yet. Lucien had enough to take in with his family.

Lucien stretched out his legs, and he touched her foot. He looked at her with such intensity; she wondered if she had offended him. Was he judging her?

“It’s funny. I have pieces of information that I never understood how I knew them.

It all makes perfect sense now. I have no memory about my past life, people or places, but I seem to remember exactly what society is like.

I fully understand how to behave like a gentleman and do what is expected of me.

I can even picture the inside of the House of Lords. I must have visited there.”

She leaned forward. “That’s exciting to hear, because it means your memories might not be gone but merely trapped somewhere. Perhaps they might come back.”

“Highly unlikely. It’s been five years,” Rockwell interjected.

Lucien smiled kindly at her. “Never say never. I never thought I’d be anything other than an honest farmer. But look at me. Overnight, I’ve become a peer of the realm.”

Farah couldn’t let that comment go. “You’ve always been a peer. You are returning to your rightful place. To a place you belong.”

“I guess that remains to be seen,” Lucien said, sinking back in the seat and looking out the window.

She flashed a look at Rockwell, but he too seemed to infer Lucien was right. Would he fit back into his old life? And what would he do if he didn’t…or couldn’t?

She chewed her bottom lip. For once on this trip, she wasn’t concerned about what awaited her when they arrived in London. She was more worried about Lucien and how society would react to his return from the dead.

*

Early evening, the group arriving in Dublin at the Twin Heads Inn garnered a bit of attention. Rockwell procured rooms for Lucien and Caitria, with Ava-Marie sleeping with her. Farah and Rockwell still had their private suite, and that was where everyone gathered for dinner.

“Look, my new gowns have arrived.” Farah looked at Rockwell. “Do I have time to get some gowns made for Caitria?”

“No. We sail tomorrow.”

Her face fell, but she understood Rockwell needed to get her home as soon as possible.

She didn’t want Caitria arriving in London and being judged.

Her clothes were clean and respectable but not fit for society.

She pulled Caitria into her bedchamber and held a dress up to her.

“We’re about the same size. Why don’t you try a couple?

I’m sure I can send word to Orla to send a girl to make alterations tonight. ”

Tears welled in Caitria’s eyes as she held the two gowns. “Thank you for being so kind.”

Farah hugged her. “Well, when I get back to London, society may make my life very difficult. I’ll need friends. It’s nice to make a new one.”

“You may count me as a dear friend, and I’ll always treat you as such.”