Page 84 of Forget Me Not

“I had only just returned from a year in Europe,” Lucas said. “I could not be away from the estate any longer.”

“A year in Europe?” Her face lit. “What a delight. I have not been on the Continent since my own wedding journey.”

“It was lovely, indeed,” he said. “I found myself both anxious to return home and quite sad to be ending my adventures.”

“Travel is good for the soul, is it not?” The duchess was quickly showing herself to be a fellow explorer.

“Where do your favorite adventures take you, Your Grace?”

“Throughout Britain,” she said. “Though I would enjoy a jaunt to the Continent, I find I enjoy our own kingdom enough to be vastly satisfied seeing more and more of it. I grow eager to be moving about after only a few weeks in any one place.”

The duke slipped into their little grouping as his wife was speaking. He eyed her with brow drawn. “You are anxious to leave again?”

She set a hand on his arm. The gesture was somehow not as affectionate as it ought to have been. “Not yet. I am enjoying the ball and gathering.”

“You will, of course, remain for Christmas.” It was posed as half question, half statement.

“Joseph,” the duchess said softly. “We can discuss our family arrangements another time, surely.”

He offered a tight smile. “Forgive me,” he said to them. “We are still uncertain of our family plans come Christmastime. I fear I allowed my enthusiasm to overcome my manners.”

“Our duke does enjoy being at home,” Her Grace said. “He is never happier than when he is at Falstone Castle. Our son, I fear, takes after his father. Both share a decided preference for being at home.”

“And you do not?” Julia asked.

The duchess shook her head, her smile not slipping. “There is so much of the world to experience, and my heart is at its most jubilant when I am seeing new or wonderful corners of it.”

“One feels inarguably alive while traveling,” Lucas said. “The joy of it is difficult to put into words, but it is so very real.”

“Do you, Lord Jonquil, ever feel as though you are suffocating when you have not journeyed in some time?”

“Indeed. Though I have found that feeling eases when I have a future journey to anticipate.”

“Do you?” Julia asked.

“Yes, I feel much better with travel to look forward to.”

She shook her head. “I meant, do you have a future journey already planned?”

“I do.” Excitement bubbled on the instant. This journey was an important one, a vital one. He looked to their hosts, knowing the duchess in particular would appreciate his coming travels. “A group of gentlemen, friends of long standing who enjoy seeing the world, will be making a trek to Portugal in the spring. It was not included in the tour I only just completed, as we all wished to make the trip together. We have spoken of doing so for years, and it is happening at last.”

“How exciting,” the duchess said. “I have very nearly convinced my friends to include the Continent in our future destinations.”

“A trip abroad will keep you away even longer than usual,” the duke said. “Surely, you do not wish to be away that long, not when Adam is still so young and misses you so dearly.”

“I always return, Joseph. Always. He knows that. You know that. Please do not berate me for a passion you knew of before we married.”

“What would it take for you to have a passion for your family?” he asked through a tight jaw.

This was quickly growing both personal and uncomfortable. Lucas wasn’t certain how to maneuver an escape without embarrassing either of Their Graces. They couldn’t simply walk away.

“Lucas, darling, would I be terribly uncivil if I requested a glass of ratafia?” Julia asked. “I’ve been thirsty since we finished the allemande.”

She had managed the thing perfectly.

“Of course, sweetheart.” He took her hand in his, then looked back to the duke and duchess. “Please forgive us for slipping away. I do not wish my wife to linger in her thirst any longer.”

“No offense taken,” the duchess insisted.

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