Lucas didn’t need to think about it. He nodded.
“Of course I do. I love her.”
“Then why didn’t you start with that? Why didn’t you actually tell her that you love her?”
“I …” Lucas swallowed. He felt like he was being scolded by his mother. “I just couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come out.”
“And, as a result, you lost her.” Frederica shook her head as she stood up and paced away. “No wonder Dorothy is miserable. You treated her like an obligation instead of what she wanted.”
“I got it wrong; I understand that. But how can I make it right? Dorothy won’t let me anywhere near her, and Burville always seems to be in the way.”
“Well, you have to actively work to keep them apart.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
Frederica put her hands on her hips.
“Do you always speak in such a defeatist manner?”
“Do you always talk in such a way to other people?”
“Because I’ve seen how sad my friend has been over the last couple of weeks. While Burville might be the better option when it comes to reputation, respectability, and all that, he’s not going to make her happy.”
Lucas glowered at her.
“My reputation is only bad because of the lies he and Marcia had been spreading around. If they keep going, it’s not going to stop anytime soon.”
“You need to get that into Dorothy’s head. Show her that these rumours are false.”
“She should know they are. I’ve not been with any women this season. All I can think of is her.” Lucas swung his legs over to put his feet on the floor. He put his head in his hands. “I want her in my life. I want her as my wife, but if she won’t be in the same room as me, I don’t know how I’m going to do that.”
“You let me worry about that.”
“What?” Lucas lifted his head. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll make sure you’re both in the same place together so you can plead your case.” Frederica looked confident about it. “If we leave it any longer, Dorothy will become Lady Burville.”
Lucas felt his stomach drop.
“What? She’s planning on getting married to him?”
“That’s not what she said, but I overheard Lord and Lady Bedford talking yesterday. They’re pleased that Dorothy has chosen well and expect Gabriel to propose anytime now. Dorothy will be married before they head to London in the autumn if they have their way.”
Lucas felt like he was now stuck in a nightmare. The thought of Dorothy marrying anyone who wasn’t him turned his stomach.
“I can’t let that happen,” he murmured.
“Well, if you don’t want it to happen, you need to work for it. Sitting here feeling pity for yourself isn’t going to help anyone, is it?”
“Are you always this bossy?”
Frederica pointed at herself.
“I like to think of myself as straightforward. I keep telling Dorothy to have some confidence in herself, and then everything will fall into place for her. She’s been doing that quite a bit lately, especially around you.” She turned the pointing finger onto him. “Now you’ve got to find that confidence. Giving up because she refuses to see you shouldn’t be an obstacle for you.”
She was right. Lucas had never had any problems with confidence before. He should be drawing on that to find Dorothy and get her back. But having the woman he loved turning her back on him in such a manner … that was enough to harm anyone’s faith in themselves.
“What do you propose we do, then? How will I get to talk to Dorothy if she refuses to see me?”