Page 153 of A Devious Secret

She felt a thrill of excitement course through her at the thought of seeing him. “I am. Please send him in,” she said as she attempted to keep the eagerness out of her voice.

The butler nodded his head and departed from the room.

Dinah reached for her cup of tea and brought it to her lips. She made a face and placed it back onto the tray. “Well, I now get to add tea to the list of things that smell revolting while I’m increasing.”

“You poor thing,” her aunt cooed. “I promise it will get better.”

Dinah didn’t look convinced. “We shall see.”

Stephen stepped into the room and smiled at her, causing her heart to skip a beat. She wished she could explain how every time she was with him she felt so complete.

He bowed. “My ladies,” he greeted politely.

Gemma rose from her seat and dropped into a curtsy. “Mr. Wycomb,” she said. “What a pleasure it is to see you this morning.”

“I hope I did not call too early,” Stephen said.

“Not at all.”

Stephen held her gaze and she could see an intensity inside his eyes that she hadn’t seen before. “Would you care to take a turn around the gardens with me?” he asked.

Gemma bobbed her head. “That sounds delightful.”

He stepped closer and offered his arm. “Shall we?”

As he led her towards the rear of the townhouse, neither of them spoke and she found herself growing increasingly nervous. Which was ridiculous. She had no reason to be nervous around Stephen. She loved him. What pained her the most was that she didn’t know if he loved her in return.

A footman opened the door for them and then followed them onto the veranda.

They started walking down the path in the gardens and Gemma withdrew her hand. She clasped her hands in front of her to keep them from fidgeting.

Stephen cleared his throat. “Your father visited me at the club this morning,” he shared.

“I’m sorry,” Gemma said. “I can’t imagine that was pleasant for you.”

“It wasn’t as terrible as I perceived it to be.”

Gemma gave him a curious look. “How can that be?” she asked. “My father has been nothing but cruel to you.”

“True, but it was different today.”

“How so?”

Stephen grew quiet. “He wants to speak to you about making amends.”

Gemma stopped on the path and turned to face him. “You cannot be in earnest,” she said, her voice rising. “I want nothing to do with my father.”

“Then so be it.”

Gemma let out a disbelieving huff. “I can’t believe my father would stoop so low as to try to recruit you to help him.”

“He seemed sincere.”

“He is a good actor,” Gemma said.

Stephen offered her an encouraging smile. “You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do.”

“Thank you.” Gemma turned to start walking down the path but stopped short. “My father is unbelievable!” she remarked. “He has some nerve to even approach you and ask for your help.”