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.
• • •
London, 1815
Maeve Langston's aversion to the opposite sex has...
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The next time Lucian saw her was about two weeks later, on the first day of May, at a garden party. He was there, once more, on behalf of Delawney and his search for a wife. It was a clear afternoon, and they were in a lovely estate one hour out of London. It was a small castle with very well-kept gardens, ornamented with fountains, benches, and even a beautiful hedge maze.
It felt good for Lucian to be out of the city. He had missed the fresh air, and he felt like he could finally breathe. Garden parties were some of the few mundane events he could enjoy. He felt more comfortable in the open. The noise was less omnipresent, and he could at any moment go for a walk, isolating himself. He had to admit he was enjoying this one in particular.
In two weeks of accompanying Delawney around, he had reconnected with old acquaintances. A few of them were here, and he appreciated talking to them and catching up with their lives. He was the subject of many questions regarding the war against the French Empire. He had been posted in Spain, in order to protect Portugal from the invaders, and he had many stories to recount.
Everything was going splendidly until she arrived.
Delawney was telling them of his misadventure with a malicious duck when someone from their group noticed the newcomers.
The Duke of Leeds and his family had graced the event with their presence. They were exiting the castle and were walking to join the crowd gathered on the grass. Everybody's attention in Lucian's little group was instantly drawn to them. The duke was walking ahead, with his wife at his arm. Behind them, Lady Maeve and Lady Ailia, then two younger children, and a much younger one, accompanied by a nanny.
He watched as the elegant family moved toward them. The duke must have been quite the heartbreaker back in his days, and his wife was lovely. In spite of all the pregnancies she'd been subjected to, she still had a graceful figure. The Swan Sisters were walking side by side, as elegant as ever, and the two younger ones were arguing about something.
The family passed them by, and the duke touched the edge of his hat to salute Lucian's group. All his friends did the same, but Lucian was too focused on the cold, haughty look Lady Maeve gave him. The group watched until the family was out of hearing distance.
"So," one of the men asked, "how much is it these days?"
Lucian frowned, not grasping what this was about. Understanding his confusion, Delawney filled him in. "When the Swan Sisters first came out, some gentlemen started to bet on various scenarios regarding the twins."
"Such as?" Lucian asked, dubious.
"Well, for each sister, there was a pool, and the first to kiss her would get ten percent of whatever it was. And... Well, the first one who would know her in the biblical way, if it occurred out of the wedding bounds, would get fifty percent. The one who would marry her would get the entirety of it," Delawney explained, having the decency to seem embarrassed about it.
