Page 36 of The Tempting of a Devilish Lord

He shook his head to himself. He could not get Lucy to respond to him, despite what he believed to be excellently worded letters, but it seemed her sister could not stay away.

She ducked out from behind the plant when she spotted him and gave a vigorous wave. He smiled at her boldness. He saw hints of such a girl in Lucy sometimes and wondered if this was what she had been like when she was Mary-Anne’s age.

Stepping into the warm building, he shut the door behind him. “What are you doing here, Mary-Anne?” He nodded toward the tree. “And why are you hiding? Quigley thought you were being a mischief-maker.”

“I only wanted to see you,” she protested. “But I did not think the gatekeeper would let me in alone.”

“You’re right.”

“I had to climb the wall,” she confessed, slightly breathless. “I nearly tore my skirt.”

“Your sister would not be impressed if she knew what you were up to.”

“My sister is precisely why I am here.”

His heart gave a little jump of excitement and he tried to quash the feeling. Here he was, a well-known rake, getting excited over the prospect of perhaps a mere word or a simple letter from a woman. What the bloody hell had happened to him?

“What’s the matter?” he asked. “She has not sickened after the well incident has she?”

“No, no, she’s quite well.” Mary-Anne gestured to the stone bench tucked at the back of the building that looked out toward the gardens. “Can we sit?”

“Of course.” He waited for Mary-Anne to perch on one end of the bench before joining her.

“Lucinda does not know I am here.”

He should have known Lucy had not sent her. He shoved aside the disappointment residing in his chest. “What can I do for you, Mary-Anne?”

She flashed a grin. “I rather hope I am going to do something for you.” She fixed him with a serious expression. “But first, did you really leave that woman with child?”

“You should not even be hearing of such matters.”

“I am quite old enough to understand how relationships between men and women work.” She thrust a finger at him. “So answer my question.”

“I take it Lucy knows about this.”

She nodded. “Mrs. Barker said you escaped to Cumbria, so you did not have to claim the child.”

“Well, that explains why she is ignoring my letters,” he murmured.

“No, I do not think it does.”

He frowned.

“Did you or did you not leave that woman in the family way, Alex?”

“No I most certainly did not.”

“Good.” She eyed him for a few moments. “I do not think Lucinda believes you did either.”

“So she is giving me the cut because?”

“She was nearly ruined once.”

Alex closed his eyes briefly. “Ah.”

“She thinks I do not know—I believe she thought she was protecting me—but our grandmama told me. As a warning or some such.”

“What happened?”

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