Page 25 of The Notorious Lord Sin
She would not have him then. She would think he had been a liar, a cad who played her a second time to gain the money she inherited.
Not that he knew for sure that she was a wealthy widow, but there had been talk that Lord Hervey left her a sizable sum to keep her well for the remainder of her life.
"My sisters Lady Anwen and Lady Kate are twins, if you do not recall. At eighteen, you can understand that they're both very opinionated, and those opinions usually mean that everyone else is wrong and they are right." He laughed. "But in all honestly, they are the best of friends, and I adore them. I hope they both find love."
Paris sighed at his side, staring ahead as if lost to her own world. For a moment, he thought she might not have been listening. "You sound as if you've become a romantic, my lord. Do not say it is so," she teased.
"There is no shame in being a romantic. Why even now, I cannot believe how fortuitous I am to be here with you, have your company once again. I have missed you," he admitted.
She rolled her eyes, but a pretty pink blush stole across her cheeks. "You always had a way with words."
"I only have a way with words when what I say is true." They came to a corner, and he slowed the carriage, turning with little trouble.
"This place we're to picnic. Have you been here before?" she asked.
"Several times. Sometimes during the heat of summer, when we were in town for the Season, we would come up here to swim. This property abuts Richmond Park, but is on private land."
"Oh, there's a river? How wonderful. I shall like to dip my toes."
He glanced at the sky, the sun getting higher each minute. "Well, it is certainly warm enough for such enjoyment today," he said.
They traveled for several more minutes before he pulled the horses beneath a copse of large trees that offered ample shade. He watched as Paris moved toward the river while he unhitched the horses and tied them to nearby trees before grabbing the picnic basket and joining her.
"What a delightful place. However did you find it?" she asked him.
"This land is owned by an acquaintance of mine, the Duke of Renford. I sent a missive to him yesterday telling him I would be here today. He does not mind so long as he's told," he explained. Not that he had told Renford that he was bringing Paris here, but even if he had, he was sure his friend would not have minded.
They set the picnic rug and basket under a small tree beside the river. The tinkling of the water was a nice escape from the bustling traffic of London during the height of the Season.
"And you swam here during your school years, you said?" she asked him.
He nodded, opening the picnic basket and taking out a bottle of lemonade his cook had packaged. He watched Paris, knowing that everything he had brought for them today was her favorite from when he had courted her five years before.
Her smile of delight warmed his soul, and he passed her a glass, relishing her taking a sizable sip.
"This is delicious, Dominic." She took another sip and sighed. "Your cook made this, did she not? She is the only one who makes lemonade taste like springtime."
"I will tell her you offer her compliments," he said.
She glanced into the basket, her eyes widening at what she saw there. "Little cheesecakes, oh my, just divine." Paris picked one up and plopped it in her mouth. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste.
Dominic joined her, wanting to give her all he could, even if today's fare had cost him more than he had to spare. He pushed the dampening thought aside of his dwindling funds and instead focused on making their day marvelous.
"I will have to call on you and speak to your cook. Mine is not the best with French pastries, but yours always seemed to master them perfectly, no matter that she is more English than either of us."
"That is very true." He pulled out some summertime fruits and placed them on a plate to share. "Thank you for coming with me today, Paris. I know I wronged you, and you are not obligated to give me any portion of your time."
She watched him, and he hated the shadow that passed over her pretty features whenever he brought up the past. But he needed her to know that he had changed. That he was not the same youthful fool he had been.
"I've never been in a curricle before. How could I pass up such an opportunity?" she teased, picking up another cheesecake and slipping it between her lips.
Dominic forced down the desire that rose at the sight of her merely doing anything near him. "You are very generous," he said.
"I was happy with Lord Hervey, Dominic," she said. She’d used his given name several times today. The knowledge gave him hope.
"He saved me, and I will forever be grateful to him and the love he gave my children."
Dominic rubbed his jaw, hating that another was intimate with the woman he had coveted, the one woman he had adored above all else, no matter her common, simple heritage.
