Page 105 of Highland Champion
“This morning.” His note had arrived shortly after she’d broken her fast. “He said he quite understands and wished me—us—well.” That had pleased Alasdair, too.
“Well then, I suppose there’s nothing left to be done except plan a wedding.” Anne gave her a sharp look. “You are going to have it in London, yes?”
“I am not sure.”
Her cousin drew her brows together. “What does that mean? You have always wanted a huge wedding. I remember you saying maybe even at St. Paul’s.” She paused. “You are not planning to return to Scotland, are you?”
“I am not sure,” she said again. “Alasdair told me it was my decision.” When Anne looked dumbfounded, she smiled. “That rather proves he is not a barbarian, does it not?”
“I suppose,” she said grudgingly. “But would you not miss all the excitement of London? And your children? Surely you want to raise them in Society?”
Children. She hadn’t thoughtquitethat far, although she was certainly looking forward to the begetting of them. She felt her cheeks warm. If this morning’s kisses had been any indication as to what bed sport would be like, she couldn’t wait to get started.
“That is something I need to discuss with Alasdair.”
Anne snorted. “What’s to discuss? Your sister is still the dowager Countess of Woodhaven and you are the daughter of a baron and niece of a viscount. Your children need to be brought up properly.”
She supposed her cousin had a point. Although Fiona and Alasdair’s brothers were educated, that was not the case with all the neighbors in Scotland. She would have to weigh that as part of her decision. “As I said—” She stopped as she heard footsteps running toward them. A moment later Fiona threw open the parlor door, her face flushed and her breathing hard. Lorelei jumped to her feet.
“What is it? What is wrong?”
“The duke…Oakley…” Fiona gasped for air.
“What about the duke?”
“He has called Alasdair out. At Battersea Fields.” She took a deep breath. “Tomorrow at dawn.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Sometime later, after Anne had gone, Lorelei still couldn’t believe that the Duke of Oakley had challenged Alasdair to a duel. And, worse, Randolph and Devon were being dragged into it as seconds. She looked at Fiona and Louisa sitting across from her in the same parlor.
“Why?” she asked for what was probably the umpteenth time. “Alasdair said things were settled between them.” He’d mentioned that the duke definitely had been angry, but he hadn’t said anything about aduel.
“That was probably before Melissa’s father heard the gossip about what transpired in Berkeley Square,” Louisa said. “I am sure he was planning to make it seem like Melissa was the one to cry off for some fictitious reason.”
“Yes.” Lorelei nodded vigorously. “Alasdair told me that he’d agreed to that. He told the duke he’d accept whatever reason they wanted to give.”
“But it is hard to do that when he was seen kissing you before such an announcement could be made.” Louisa gave her a sympathetic look. “There is no denying that Melissa has now been publicly humiliated.”
Why, why,whyhad neither one of them thought of that? She blamed herself, since she knew how judgmental Society’s rules were. She knew how scandalous her behavior had been. But she hadn’t cared at the moment. Hadn’t been aware of her surroundings. She hadn’t been thinking at all. She’d been reacting only to Alasdair. And she didn’t regret it. Recalling that reaction now made her breasts suddenly feel heavy, and a deep thrumming began between her thighs. She wanted to finish what they had started. She wanted to know what making love with Alasdair would be like. There wasn’t time to wait. Not with the duel in the morning that might injure or…No. She wouldn’t think about that. She couldn’t. But she could do this. Lorelei sat up abruptly from where she’d been slouched in her chair.
“I want to see Alasdair.”
“He is coming over this evening,” Fiona said.
“I want to see himnow.”
Fiona and Louisa both looked at her quizzically. “Is there some pressing reason?” Louisa asked.
Yes. A very pressing reason, she wanted to say, but revealing what she wanted to do might be too shocking even for her friends. “I just…need to see him alone.” When Louisa raised a brow, she quickly added, “Maybe I can talk him into calling off this duel if no one else is around.”
Fiona snorted. “Ye are asking a MacGregor nae to fight? If ye want to marry Alasdair ye need to ken he willna back down.”
“Especially since he was not the one to issue the challenge,” Louisa said, “although perhaps if my mother spoke to Melissa’s father—”
“There is no reason to involve your mother in this,” Lorelei said. “The fewer people who know about this, the better.”
Louisa looked thoughtful. “I suppose you are right. It would be easier to convince His Grace to call off the duel if the word did not get around, but someone should talk to him.”
