Despite the unshakable attraction between them, Maeve and Lucian are uninterested in love and marriage; especially since they hate one another and couldn't think of a worse match.
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London, 1815
Maeve Langston's aversion to the opposite sex has...
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Lucian was trying to occupy his mind as best as he could, to get over the fact she wasn't coming this afternoon.
Since their first night, almost three weeks had passed, and he had managed to see her almost every day. However, for the fourth day in a row, they hadn't been able to meet. She had family visiting, an aunt, and both rooms on each side of hers were taken. They had decided not to take unnecessary risks, so he hadn't sneaked into her bed. She had proposed to try to come this afternoon, but he had received a note this morning, informing him she couldn't get out of the house.
Four days. It had only been four days, and he was already going mad. Lucian went to his study and fetched the small wooden box that rested in the middle. He opened it and gazed at the ring inside. It was a large diamond with a cushion-cut that had been in the family for several generations.
Although the ring had been quite simple at first, every lord had added a little to it, and the ring was now intricate with a row of tiny diamonds surrounding the main stone. The gold band had sophisticated designs on each side of the stone, with more diamonds embedded. He hoped Maeve would like it. She sometimes wore heavy, luxurious necklaces, but mostly she stuck to a delicate one with a thin chain and a small diamond pendant. Also, she always wore a very simple pair of earrings, made of three small diamonds. He wasn't sure she would enjoy the extravaganza of the ring, but he was positive diamond was the right stone for her. If she found it to be too much, he could always have it simplified by a jeweler.
In the note he had sent his mother, upon his return to London, he had asked her for the family's engagement ring, without giving any details regarding whom he intended to give it to. His mother had sent it, along with a very enthusiastic letter, where she tried to intimidate him into revealing a name. Since the women in his family couldn't keep secrets from each other, he had then received several letters from each of his four sisters, also demanding a name. Luckily for him, Harriet and her family were gone to their country house for the summer, or she would have undoubtedly dropped by to get answers, torturing them out of him if necessary.
Yes, he was going to ask Maeve to marry him. He was tired of the secrecy, tired of not being able to tell anyone. At thirty-one, he was too old for this. Enough with the clandestineness. He wanted her, by his side, every day of the week. He wanted them to be able to share a bed without the fear of being discovered. He wanted to wake up next to her, at any hour of the morning, and not have to rush out.
But mostly, he wanted the world to know.
He already knew she was his, but now, the others needed to know too.
His only problem was Delawney. How would his friend take the news? John had made it clear he wanted to marry Maeve, but Lucian knew it was the idea of her that he wanted, rather than the woman herself. Still, he didn't doubt it would cause some issues.
Someone knocked at the front door, and Lucian shoved the small box in his pocket, before going to see who it was.
Thursday was the personnel's day off, which was why he had told Maeve to come on Thursdays. He didn't have many people working for him here, as he enjoyed the privacy. Today, however, the cook, the maid, and the valet were out enjoying their family or friends.
