carelessly, apparently deciding that it was better to humor him.
“I thought that when we reach the park, you might care for a gallop. Aversley will attend on Lady Harriet.”
“Perhaps I can stay with Lady Harriet and you might gallop off with Lord Aversley.” Lucy’s tone was sickly-sweet, but Aubrey ignored it.
“I remember how you used to ride at Wakefield, racing across the fields, your hair streaming out behind you. You loved to race your horse.”
Lucilla felt his words as a blow to the pit of her stomach. Her face stiffened and she stared straight ahead as she replied, “Perhaps at one time I was careless with my mount, but I have learned to pick more carefully. I am much more sedate now and not willing to take risky chances anymore.” She turned her face towards him. “Those days are long gone. I do not remember them any longer.”
Aubrey did not betray the clenching in his gut that her words caused, but gave a slight nod, acknowledging that he understood the meaning behind her speech. “You were never careless, Lucy, but perhaps it was I that was irresponsible and certainly reckless. You can inspire a man to that. But I never meant for things to end the way that they did. Believe me when I say that I was duped in a most cruel way, otherwise I would never have left you.”
Lucy’s face paled even more and she tensed in her saddle. “It matters naught anymore, and never did. A harmless flirtation between two young people was all it was.” She bit her lip and looked away.
“No, Lucy, it was never a flirtation, and certainly not harmless. I believe that I did great harm and I’d like to make recompense.”
Two bright spots appeared on Lucilla’s cheeks and she swallowed, trying to regain her composure. Her eyes grew bright and she blinked, trying to stop tears from falling.
“Lucy, I…” Aubrey wanted to pull her over onto the saddle in front of him and hold her, but they were nearing the entrance to the park.
“It is nothing, my lord.” Lucy straightened her back even more, her shoulders set and head tilted away from him. She longed to break into a gallop and fly away, but instead bit her lower lip and regained her composure. Aubrey eyed her carefully and sighed, knowing he could say no more. There were too many other people around and he could not be any more indiscreet that he already had been.
They had to stop at the entrance to the park as more riders and carriages jostled to enter the gates. Aubrey shook his head impatiently. How did anyone expect to get in a good ride? This was not even the busy time as that was later in the day. He longed for Lovell Abbey, the open fields around his home and the clear, fresh air of the north. It had been a long time that he had been home, since the day that he had left Lucy and gone to Italy. He abruptly missed it with a pang that nearly took his breathe away. He wanted, he needed to go home, clear out of the city and its crowds and its dirty air. But he would not go until he could take Lucy with him.
He followed George and Harriet into the park and it did open up a little. He glanced over at Lucy, silent and composed on her mare, the little red hat that matched her habit perched fetchingly atop her chestnut curls. Their progress was slow. Carriages clogged the drive and groups of people strode the pathways. This is what a sunny morning in London drove people to. And George and Lady Harriet knew so many people that they must constantly stop to greet friends and acquaintances.
It seemed like they would never proceed, Lucy thought. She longed to move on, away from the gossip and stares of the members of the Ton, but they had paused again, to chat with another group of people who had been walking nearby. Lucy gritted her teeth as Harriet and George dismounted the better to speak with them. The groom took the leads of their horses while they strolled a little apart. Lovell was still on his horse, talking to three men who had ridden up to greet him.
“I thought that when we reach the park, you might care for a gallop. Aversley will attend on Lady Harriet.”
“Perhaps I can stay with Lady Harriet and you might gallop off with Lord Aversley.” Lucy’s tone was sickly-sweet, but Aubrey ignored it.
“I remember how you used to ride at Wakefield, racing across the fields, your hair streaming out behind you. You loved to race your horse.”
Lucilla felt his words as a blow to the pit of her stomach. Her face stiffened and she stared straight ahead as she replied, “Perhaps at one time I was careless with my mount, but I have learned to pick more carefully. I am much more sedate now and not willing to take risky chances anymore.” She turned her face towards him. “Those days are long gone. I do not remember them any longer.”
Aubrey did not betray the clenching in his gut that her words caused, but gave a slight nod, acknowledging that he understood the meaning behind her speech. “You were never careless, Lucy, but perhaps it was I that was irresponsible and certainly reckless. You can inspire a man to that. But I never meant for things to end the way that they did. Believe me when I say that I was duped in a most cruel way, otherwise I would never have left you.”
Lucy’s face paled even more and she tensed in her saddle. “It matters naught anymore, and never did. A harmless flirtation between two young people was all it was.” She bit her lip and looked away.
“No, Lucy, it was never a flirtation, and certainly not harmless. I believe that I did great harm and I’d like to make recompense.”
Two bright spots appeared on Lucilla’s cheeks and she swallowed, trying to regain her composure. Her eyes grew bright and she blinked, trying to stop tears from falling.
“Lucy, I…” Aubrey wanted to pull her over onto the saddle in front of him and hold her, but they were nearing the entrance to the park.
“It is nothing, my lord.” Lucy straightened her back even more, her shoulders set and head tilted away from him. She longed to break into a gallop and fly away, but instead bit her lower lip and regained her composure. Aubrey eyed her carefully and sighed, knowing he could say no more. There were too many other people around and he could not be any more indiscreet that he already had been.
They had to stop at the entrance to the park as more riders and carriages jostled to enter the gates. Aubrey shook his head impatiently. How did anyone expect to get in a good ride? This was not even the busy time as that was later in the day. He longed for Lovell Abbey, the open fields around his home and the clear, fresh air of the north. It had been a long time that he had been home, since the day that he had left Lucy and gone to Italy. He abruptly missed it with a pang that nearly took his breathe away. He wanted, he needed to go home, clear out of the city and its crowds and its dirty air. But he would not go until he could take Lucy with him.
He followed George and Harriet into the park and it did open up a little. He glanced over at Lucy, silent and composed on her mare, the little red hat that matched her habit perched fetchingly atop her chestnut curls. Their progress was slow. Carriages clogged the drive and groups of people strode the pathways. This is what a sunny morning in London drove people to. And George and Lady Harriet knew so many people that they must constantly stop to greet friends and acquaintances.
It seemed like they would never proceed, Lucy thought. She longed to move on, away from the gossip and stares of the members of the Ton, but they had paused again, to chat with another group of people who had been walking nearby. Lucy gritted her teeth as Harriet and George dismounted the better to speak with them. The groom took the leads of their horses while they strolled a little apart. Lovell was still on his horse, talking to three men who had ridden up to greet him.
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