“I’ve got an idea about that.” Frederica nodded. “You let me deal with the important details. All you have to do is wait for me to tell you when you need to appear.”
Lucas wasn’t sure what to make of this. It felt like they were organising something more sinister. He stared at Dorothy’s friend, who looked very confident in her abilities.
“Are you sure this is going to work?” he asked. “What if it doesn’t, and she ends up marrying Burville anyway?”
“Then she’s more scared than I thought. You need to get those words out and tell her how you feel. No messing around and thinking she’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. You have to get them out in a frank way that Dorothy will understand.”
“And if she still rejects me after that?”
Frederica snorted.
“Then she’s a bigger fool than I thought. I know she’s scared of being hurt by you, and you’re perfectly capable of doing that.”
“What?” Lucas shot to his feet. “I would never hurt her!”
“You know what I mean when I say that. She knows you can break her into pieces because of how she opened herself up to you. While I don’t want that to happen, I don’t want her to head into her future with an unhappy marriage.” Frederica shook her head, her curls bouncing about her face. “While Gabriel Burville will look after her, he won’t ever make her happy. I want to see my friend sparkle. She can do that with you.”
Lucas really hoped that was the case. Frederica was good at getting people’s hopes up. He wanted that to be the case.
“I wish I had your confidence right now, Frederica.”
“You will have it. You just need to find those words you said to me and say them to her.”
“And you believe she’ll listen and accept me?”
“You have to try.”
Lucas felt a little deflated after that.
“That wasn’t the answer I wanted from you.”
“Well, have some more faith in yourself. Don’t rely on everyone else to give it to you.” Frederica gestured at his attire. “Now get yourself dressed properly. If Pierce comes in now and sees you like this, he’s going to wonder what we’ve been up to.”
Lucas snorted and headed towards the door.
“I’m sure you’ve been in more compromising positions with Pierce.”
He didn’t wait for Frederica’s response before he left the room. He was worn out and in desperate need of sleep. But Frederica’s words had fired him up. She was right; sitting around feeling morose about his situation wasn’t going to help anyone. If he really wanted Dorothy, he would not wait for her any longer.
He was going to come for her.
Chapter 21
“Dorothy, dear?”
Dorothy turned from the window to see her mother watching her curiously. She managed a small smile.
“I’m fine, Mother.”
“You don’t look fine.” Lady Bedford looked concerned. “You look … preoccupied. And you’re paler than before.”
“It’s just the room.” Dorothy gestured at the room. “It is rather warm in here.”
That was partly true. It was warm in the morning room, even with the sun not coming directly through the windows. The press of people was certainly building up the heat, making Dorothy light-headed.
“Why don’t you go outside for some air?” the countess suggested. “Nobody will mind if you slip out for a moment, and I don’t want you to faint.”
“I won’t faint,” Dorothy assured her mother. “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”