Dorothy snorted.
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“That’s not the point! I wasn’t trying to seduce you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Clearly.” Lucas tried to get his thoughts in order. “Do you seriously think I would do that to you?”
“You’ve done it for all the other women. Why should it be any different?” Dorothy swallowed and stepped away from him, avoiding his gaze. “This is our last night. We’re heading home tomorrow, so it will be a good idea that we part ways properly. Interactions between us seem to get out of control, and that’s not a good idea.”
“Dorothy …”
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Lord Dashwood. Now, if you’ll excuse me?”
Lucas watched her go, wondering what on earth had just happened. One second, Dorothy was eager and pliant in his arms, and the next, she was practically running away from him. Given how he had treated her before they physically met, Lucas could understand her discomfort somewhat.
But she had kissed him. She seemed just as aware of what was between them as he was. And Dorothy kept leaving him.
Lucas had a feeling he knew how she felt after he walked away from their arranged engagement. That was his fault, and he admitted it.
Now he was regretting it even more because Lucas didn’t feel ready to let her go properly.
Chapter 13
“Thank goodness we’re finally here!” Frederica declared as the carriage pulled to a stop. “It feels like we’ve been travelling for days.”
“I’m not going to argue with that.” Dorothy yawned and sat up, pushing her cloak off. “At least it’s still daytime. I don’t fancy travelling in the dark.”
“Thank you again for letting me stay with you for a while. It’s better than going back to an empty house.”
“It’s no trouble at all. You know my parents will be happy with you being here for a while.”
And, if Dorothy were being honest, she was glad of some company. Frederica could easily keep the questions deflected about whether or not she had found a potential husband while she was on holiday in the Peak District. Dorothy wasn’t ready for any of that right now.
She felt a bit flat about it all if truth be told. Especially after the way she walked away from Dashwood after their kiss. Dorothy had expected it to be empowering, and she would feel better for turning him down like he turned her down, but instead, she had felt a little empty and lost. And cold.
What was that all about? Dorothy didn’t really know anymore.
“At least you had a good journey,” Frederica commented with a laugh as she got out of the carriage. “You were asleep for most of it.”
“I don’t know why. I thought I got enough sleep last night.”
“You’re such a liar. You were snoring really loudly.”
“I was not!”
“When you snore loudly, it means you’re really tired. I think that’s a good indication.”
Dorothy scowled.
“How on earth do you know that I snore?”
“We used to sleep in the same room when we were little during our visits, remember? I heard you.”
Dorothy was too tired to argue with her about that. She was still thinking about her encounter with Dashwood during the night and how it was invading her thoughts. It was frustrating, and it made her overthink things. Dorothy didn’t know what to do anymore.
Dashwood was clearly trying to seduce her just so he could claim her as another conquest, and she had reacted as if she didn’t care about it, either. It was the only thing she could think of when he was that close.