Page 140 of From Rakes to Riches

“Thank you for understanding.” She moved closer, aligning her mouth with his.

“There are things I haven’t told you either,” he murmured as he drew her closer. “One thing in particular.”

“Really?” She whispered. “What is it?”

He unraveled the sheets she’d bundled around her body and wrapped her in his arms instead.

“Why don’t I show you?” he said, as he lowered her to the mattress, skin to skin, heart to heart.

Theodore awoketo the sound of thunder. Easing from beneath the covers so he wouldn’t disturb Lola, he pulled on his trousers and went to the hearth where he poked at the embers and stirred the fire into a heartier blaze. The clock on the mantel read half two.

Restless with his thoughts, he paced to the window and looked out at the moonless sky. Fremont’s killer was still free. The Duke of Leinster went about his business with none the wiser. And yet, Lola had left her family and home behind for the sake of protecting an abused horse. A sense of protectiveness, fierce and indomitable, settled inside him.

Somehow, he would make this right.

He glanced to the bed where Lola slept, her hair like silk ribbons strewn across the white bedlinens. He hadn’t told her how he felt,that he loved her, the evening already fraught with too many fragile emotions.

And yet he’d shown her. The way they’d made love after she’d confided in him couldn’t be described as anything other than a joining of souls.

Still, there could be no future for them until her past was resolved and that wouldn’t be an easy task. He’d likely already made an enemy of the Duke of Leinster when he’d outbid His Grace for the Arabian at Tattersall’s.

What a tangled knot it had all become.

Another rumble of thunder shook the window glass, quickly followed by a sharp strike of lightning. There was nothing he could do to solve any of these problems now and he wasn’t certain Lola wanted him to intercede. She’d deliberatelyconcealed the information and hadn’t asked for his help in any way.

Walking to his desk in the adjoined sitting room, he put on his spectacles and reached for the pile of correspondence he’d neglected. The first letter was from Margaret, inviting him to supper at Fremont House. She wanted him to meet Viscount Sidmouth as they’d previously discussed. Theodore would accept the invitation and bring Lola with him. It would be beneficial for everyone to spend time together. Margaret needed to realize he intended to keep Lola in his life as long as possible.

No.

He intended to keep Lola in his life. Period.

Together they would find a way to resolve the Duke of Leinster’s charges. The matter would have to be handled delicately, but Theodore would accept no other outcome than dismissal of the case brought forward by the duke. Lola deserved to live freely without fear after all she’d experienced.

Frustrated with his lack of solutions, he removed his spectacles and returned to the bedchamber. Lola was sitting up in bed. She looked deliciously mussed amid the pillows and covers, though as he stepped closer, he noticed her frown.

“What’s the matter? Did the storm wake you?” He unbuttoned his trousers and removed them before he climbed beneath the counterpane.

“Yes, but when I reached for you, you weren’t there,” she said, curling up beside him once he was settled.

“I was tending the fire and reading through some mail,” he said as he gathered her closer. “We’ve been invited to dine at Fremont House. Margaret would like me to meet her intended groom and has asked us to join her for a quiet dinner at home.”

“She invited me?” Lola asked with skepticism.

“She invited me and my choice of guest,” he said, amused by her cautious tone. “Which means you’re invited because I choose you.”

“Just the four of us?” she asked with that same note of doubt.

“Lola, we’re together, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” she said, falling quiet right after.

He slanted a look to where she rested beside him trying to gauge her reaction. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want you to be criticized or judged for having me on your arm,” she said, the words coming out in a rush. “I wouldn’t ever want you to be the subject of a scandal.”

“As far as I’m concerned, anyone who chooses to ridicule a person without knowing them properly reveals more of their own personality than whatever gossip they choose to pass along.”

“But—”

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