Serena

“Too late for that,” she returned and had the satisfaction of noting the look that came into his deep blues. He was not unaffected by her. She knew it in that moment.

He took up her gloved fingers and put them to his lips. “Serena …”

“Hush now,” she answered. “Do not say something you might regret.”

~ Thirteen ~

LORD DANIEL PENDLETON was besotted. He knew it and was tearing himself up over it. He was the worst kind of cad. She had told him, on parting the day before, do not say something you might regret. He had wanted to tell her then how he felt. Why didn’t he? Was he afraid of what it would mean?

He had not meant for his overwhelming attraction for Serena to go so far, but she had been willing, so willin

g, and he simply assumed she was not a maiden. Wrong—he had been devastatingly wrong. Did it make a difference? No, he would have wanted her regardless.

He knew he had not behaved properly afterwards. Some demon had been driving him. She had not declared herself. She had not told him she loved him, only him, and he found he wanted to hear those words from her lips. He had thought when he told her to let Freddy down, she would have just simply said, ‘of course’. He had wanted her to say, I love you, Daniel. She hadn’t. It had driven him insane during then night, for he wasn’t sure of her. She had wanted him, yes, but now he discovered he wanted more from her than that.

In addition to his heartthrob problems, Freddy had been driving him mad. Finally Freddy had made his escape with Mr. Tenor in tow right after breakfast, saying he was going to Moorely to see Serena.

His lordship had called after him, but Freddy had only laughed and said, “Uncle … you cannot keep me holed up here any longer. If the murdering blackguard wants me, then let them try. I am armed and ready to shoot them dead.”

His nephew was right.

He could not keep him in the inn much longer, and besides that, if he didn’t send him on his way to Oxford soon, he would not be accepted for this term. Personally, his lordship was unconcerned about that. Freddy needed some growing up, and life had a more thorough style of helping that along than did school. He had written just that the day before to his sister.

Should he follow Freddy to Moorely?

A day away from her was driving him insane. He was sure of two things: she was the most fascinating woman he had ever known, and he was completely and totally in love with her. There was a pure honesty about everything she said and did. Yet how could he reconcile that with the fact that she kept Freddy forever dangling after her?

He had come to know her, and it no longer made sense to him.

What should he do?

Town! He would go to town and keep himself occupied.

* * *

It was at that very moment that Serena, deep in thought, meandered down the main road in Lymington. Her gloved hand rested on the crook of Warren’s arm, as she had literally almost bumped into him. Warren had steadied her and then put her gloved fingers on his forearm to stroll with her.

Eustace called out with an accompany wave, “Hallo, you two!” He crossed the avenue and bent his head towards Serena. “Shopping, are we?”

“How nice to see you, Eustace,” Serena allowed with a smile.

Warren grinned wickedly. “Is it?”

Serena glared at him. “I was just on my way to the apothecary to pick up a package for Uncle, and Warren suggested I might enjoy a trip to the sweet shop afterwards to satisfy that dreadful tooth of mine.”

“Indeed, I would have thought Warren busy with Miss Parker? I saw her but two moments ago going into the dress shop.”

“Well, there you are, have no interest in dress shops,” Warren said glibly.

Serena laughed and looked up to find his lordship walking towards them. Everything around her ceased to exist. No traffic, no pedestrians, Eustace and Warren, gone, no sound but the flutter of his lordship’s cloak in the wind. His top hat was angled on his fine, handsome head. His blue eyes bright like sparkling gems glittered in her direction. His shoulders were so broad, and those muscular thighs … oh, what was she going to do? She was lost to him.

He ignored the two gentlemen surrounding her as he took up her gloved fingers and bent to place a kiss on her wrist, “Serena,” he said in a low, intimate tone. “I cannot believe my luck at finding you here. Poor Freddy is by now at Moorely being told you are out.”

She laughed. “Ah, have you released him from confinement?”

“No, he escaped, but at least he has a very fine militant with him, quite capable of keeping him safely out of the woods.”

Warren frowned and broke in on them. “What is that you say? You have Freddy confined? But why?”