Bittersweet. It was such a bittersweet victory, getting her to say yes to him for the first time. On one hand, he wanted to lift her off the ground and twirl her around as he celebrated the first success of their relationship, but on the other hand, he wanted to let himself be run down by her carriage. This was it. He was going to get married. Suddenly the latter seemed to weigh more than the former. 

“I cannot imagine you wanting your space after I’m done with you,” he said, grinning at her. There was no reason to show his crushed and disappointed side. He had most of his life to practice masquerading with people of every standing. He found ladies were the easiest prey, because – well – most were disarmed by his charm and good looks. Not that he thought Ms. Abbott was the same as most ladies, he already admitted that she was not, but all the same she was a woman with a woman’s mind and emotions. He just hoped she would keep out of his way, because there was a lot of work to do.

“However, Ms. Abbott,” Nicholas continued. “Much as I would like to spend more time with you, I believe you need to go back to your estate. Lord Abbott might miss you and somehow find our inappropriate meeting here at the park an excuse to make this hard for the two of us.” Not that he could do anything worse than this. “I shall send a note announcing my intent to visit you. Until then…” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

************

 Nicholas stayed behind hours after Claire left the park. He rode his horse around the over 100 hectares observing the coming and going of pale faced ladies and the well-dressed gentlemen. But his purpose didn’t happen until the sky was tinted with orange and dark blue. It wasn’t dark yet, but perhaps that was the point, because many suspected the dark, but transactions done in daylight were, more often than not, overlooked.

A gentleman and his horse came trotting by the lake. He surveyed the area and then dismounted. Nicholas had done the same a few minutes before and was sitting on a bench, reading a book, while his horse nibbled on grass not too far away. He was across the lake from the other gentleman and his horse. Tall, blonde and slight in form, Mr. Brown was a promising your associate of Lord Edwards of the House of Lords. Mr. Brown was perhaps a year or two older than Nick. 

After a few minutes of pretending to read under poor lighting conditions, another person approached blonde Mr. Brown. Nicholas closed his book and yawned. He stretched his legs before getting up on his feet and approaching his horse. The two gentlemen across the lake from him were conversing. He climbed up his horse and casually galloped around the lake while assuming an aura of relaxed curiosity. The goal of the afternoon was to see the face of the other gentleman – just that.