Page 28 of Enslaved to the Seduction of a Lady
“You think it will be that easy?”
“It will not be easy,” Teresa said, clasping hold of Alison’s hand. “But the best things in life never are. Take my husband and me, for example.”
“You have a wonderful marriage. I can see how happy you are together just by the way you behave when in his company.”
“We do, it’s true.” Teresa smiled, clearly satisfied. “But it was not always so easy. We fought for our love. There were difficult times as well as happy ones. I have told you about many of them.”
“I intend to fight for my love,” Alison said with a sudden streak of determination. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists.
“As well you should,” Teresa said. “There will be a way, I promise.”
“All right,” Alison said, feeling her nerves calm a little. “I trust you when you say so.”
“Well, then,” Teresa said with a vague air of finality. “Tell me all about him. He is handsome, I presume?”
“Incredibly so,” Alison said, laughing. She looked away, picturing Luke. “He has the most beautiful sparkling brown eyes I have ever seen, and he has hair as black as night.”
“And being a groom, he is no doubt… in good physical health, shall we say?”
Alison chuckled at her innuendo, but she nodded fiercely at the same time.
“Very much so,” she said. “But it’s more than how he looks. He makes me laugh, Teresa. He makes me think. I feel so comfortable with him, as though we were built to be together. We fit. Does that make sense?”
“It makes perfect sense, my darling,” she said. “You have found the one you belong with, and that is one of the luckiest things in the world.”
“If only it wasn’t so difficult,” Alison said, her mood dropping. “I cannot imagine how Father will agree to this. Mother, perhaps—she has a soft heart. But Father will be all too concerned with titles and wealth and the family’s future.”
“No, as I said, it will not be easy,” Teresa said. “But Father wants your happiness, too. He would prefer that over anything else, I’m sure of it. The other stuff, we’ll find a way of overcoming them.”
“But how?” Alison pleaded.
“I don’t know,” Teresa said, chewing her lip as she looked away. “But I promise you, I will help you. Father is a product of his environment; he does what he does because he believes it to be right. We shall have to find a way of changing that.”
“Would you like to meet him?” Alison asked suddenly, her voice high pitched in excitement. She instantly forgot her woes in her desperation for her sister to meet the love of her life. She could see the surprise on Teresa’s face, but she pushed on regardless. “He will be in the stables now, I know it. And at this time of day, it’s normally quiet, no one else around.”
“Goodness,” Teresa said. “I hadn’t even thought of that.” She looked at Alison slyly then, a wry smile. “I’ll wager you know when all the quietest times in the stable are.”
Alison blushed and looked away, pressing her lips together in a suppressed smile. It was true, she knew everything there was to know about the stables, of who came and went at different times, of when she knew she would catch Luke on his own.
“Perhaps,” she said, finally looking at Teresa. “But please believe me when I say nothing improper has—” Teresa burst into giggles. “Why are you laughing?”
“My darling sister,” Teresa said, taking Alison’s hand in her own. “I know you quite well enough to know nothing improper has been going on. You really are the sweetest thing.”
“Father doesn’t even approve of my visiting the stables so often, and he doesn’t know anything about my friendship with Luke, let alone our love.”
“Forget Father for today,” Teresa said. “Let’s focus only on the happiness you have found. I think it’s time we took a little walk, don’t you?”
Alison grinned, happy to hear Teresa so keen to meet her love. She signaled to the maid who scampered over and quickly began clearing away their picnic.
“And please can you take baby Benjamin inside?”
“Yes, My Lady,” the nursemaid said, nodding her understanding.
“Come,” Alison said, climbing to her feet and beckoning to Teresa. “Let’s take a visit to the stables.”
