Page 65 of Stealing the Rake's Heart
She turned, already seeing Diana lean close to Alexander, on the cusp of asking the same question Lord Donovan had for her.
“Lord Alexander,” Abigail said, hating that she had to ask in front of everyone, but seeing no other option, “Would you mind taking me out on the lake?”
There was silence.
Abigail had never considered herself an expert on social graces, but she knew the basics.
One fundamental rule was that ladies did not ask for anything. They waited to be asked. Whether it was a cup of tea or a dance, they had to wait to be asked or offered.
Another rule was that ladies did not press themselves on the notice of gentlemen, not in public. If a particular man did not choose to speak to a lady or offer to escort her anywhere, she did not ask. Diana was speaking in a whisper, no doubt dropping hints, but Abigail had asked loudly and in public.
Abigail had neatly broken both rules at once, and the shock had rippled around the gathered picnickers. Diana looked as though she wanted to tear Abigail’s eyes out of her head.
Alexander cleared his throat, getting to his feet. Diana was left alone on their corner of the blanket, with two untouched glasses of wine in her hands.
“I should love to, Miss Atwater,” he said firmly. “I was about to ask you myself.”
Under the eyes of the shocked company, he offered her his arm, and they headed towards the edge of the lake.
Chapter Twenty-One
“I’m sorry about that,” Abigail said, once they were clear of the other picnickers. “I just saw Lady Lockwell trying to make you drink that wine when you clearly didn’t want to, and it annoyed me.”
Alexander glanced sharply at her. It had seemed like a miracle, Miss Atwater asking him to take her onto the lake just when his resolve was weakening, but now he saw that it wasn’t a miracle at all. Abigail had been watching, alert to the discomfort that nobody else seemed to see.
“Please, don’t apologise,” he said at last. “I’m unspeakably glad you did. That woman… ahem. She can be rather forward. And since this is my mother’s party, I’m obliged to be on my best behaviour, and can’t exactly scuttle away like a coward.”
They reached the pier, and Alex chose a small, green-painted boat at the end of the queue. Behind them, it seemed that the guests had shaken off their horror at Abigail’s forwardness, and were pairing up into twos, following them to the lake. Abigail glanced over her shoulder, and hastily looked away. Alexander saw that Lady Caldecott was staring at them, and it was fairly clear she was not pleased. She was trying to get ungracefully to her feet, and there was a good chance she would come stamping down to the lakeside to drag Abigail away on some trumped-up excuse.
He suspected that he would get a talking-to sooner or later, and probably Abigail would, too.
He helped Abigail into the boat then climbed in himself, hastily pushing off the side before Lady Caldecott could start off towards them.
The lake was smooth and clear, with hardly a ripple on its surface. That would change once the others joined, so he made a point of enjoying the view now.
For a few long moments, he and Abigail sat in silence. He rowed, of course, propelling them strongly away from the shoreline, out to where the water was deep.
“It’s so peaceful on the water,” Abigail said at last. “I’ve never been on a boat in a lake before.”
Alexander blinked. “Really? Not ever?”
She shrugged lightly. “I’ve been to a few outings where people paired off into boats like this and rowed around, but I was generally the odd one out. I would have rowed myself, but Mama always said no.”
“Oh. I see. Well, I hope I can make this first experience a good one. I’ll do my best not to capsize us.”
She laughed at that. “Don’t worry. I can swim.”
“Yes, but can you swim in all those layers of petticoats? I’m fairly sure my boots would fill with water and drag me down. These ones are famously heavy.”
They filled the next few minutes with idle chat, and the conversation flowed much more easily than Alexander had hoped. He couldn’t help but notice the change in Abigail Atwater since he had first met her. She was still reserved, of course, although he’d seen a different side of her last night during charades. She seemed… stronger now, somehow. More confident. She spoke more easily and seemed to be worrying less about the people around her.
“Is Lord Grey still ill?” she asked, after a pause. “People seem to be talking about himwithoutmentioning him, if you know what I mean. He did seem ill last night.”
Alexander bit his lip. “He was deep in his cups. Too deep. He’ll recover, but if he continues drinking so much, I dread to think of how he’ll end up.”
Or me,he added mentally.
Abigail nodded. “Well, he was always kind to me whenever our paths crossed. I liked him. I do hope he recovers soon.”
