That she felt more for him than she ought. Her jealousy had been because she did not want to share him at present. Not with anyone, not when he could give her so much satisfaction while she was a guest here.
But that was unfair to him and the lady who would eventually become his wife. She needed to be more immune to seeing him with others. After Albert married another, she would survive. Move forward and be happy in her life.
“I will,” she yelled aloud.
Victoria slowed her mount as she came close to the lodge. Smoke billowed out of the chimney, and she knew Albert was there. Wanting to see for herself if he were scribbling away in a book, she tied her horse to a tree a little away from the lodge and walked the rest of the distance.
Feeling like a thief in the night, she tiptoed up to the cottage, not wanting to make a sound. Albert did not come to the door, and she hoped that meant that he had not heard her. As slowly as she could, she peeked through the glass window and watched him for several minutes.
He was bent over his desk before the fire, his shirtsleeves rolled up, exposing his muscled forearms. His hand was indeed scribbling with a speed that told her he was far away in another world and telling of the tales there.
Her heart did a little flip that her Albert Kester, Marquess Melvin, had to be Elbert Retsek. Not that it mattered if he were not. But the page that she found and now this sneaking away at all times of the day and night to write seemed too much of a coincidence.
She bit her lip, wondering how she was going to bring up that conversation. She was a forthright person. Her best approach was probably direct and without delay.
He sat back, stretching, and she jumped back out of sight. She warred with herself to go inside, to break his concentration when he seemed so involved with his words.
But then she needed to speak to him, away from her mama and brother. Tell him that she had let him down last evening and that her slip in concentration would not happen again. That she would no longer throw women at his head unless he wanted an introduction. She was his friend and would be a help, not a hindrance, until the day she watched him marry.
Only, she could not make herself knock on the door. Instead, she stared at it for several minutes before slipping away. She would speak to him after the dance in Camberley. There was little point in doing it now when Albert was so close to moving forward with his life and without her in it to complicate matters further. Plus, he was busy with his work. All excuses she was willing to use if it meant postponing the inevitable.
Chapter 26
A few days later, the country dance at the local village was in full swing when their carriage rolled to a stop outside the hall's front door. Several other carriages lined the street. Other gentry of the area waiting for their turn to come to a stop before the double doors to the hall so they may disembark.
Her mama's attention was fixed outside the carriage window, watching the guests who strolled along the cobbled streets, mentioning the gowns and jewels, who had partners, and who walked with older chaperones. That several young ladies were wearing dresses from last year's belle assemble, which seemed to shock her mama so much so that she mentioned it several more times before it was their turn to alight.
"I'm sure if the young ladies had the opportunity, Mama, they would have ensured their dresses were up to London standard," Victoria drawled, one of the many things that vexed her when it came to the beau monde. How very vocal they were when one was so unfortunate to wear a dress from the previous season. "Do not forget we're in Hampshire. I'm sure they try to keep up with the latest fashions as best they can."
Albert, who was sitting beside Josh, grinned at her across the carriage. On the other hand, Josh looked less than pleased to have to wait their turn to exit.
"What is taking so long, do you think? Mayhap the hall is full, and they're turning people away."
"Unlikely," Albert said, adjusting his cravat and checking his hair. "The hall is one of the largest in the country."
Was the man nervous? It was his first time out in society since her lessons had commenced. And although they had covered several situations that his lordship may come across during courtship, mostly they had been unable to keep from slipping into each other's arms. A most peculiar situation that Victoria needed to handle with care.
She liked Lord Melvin very much, and to hurt him with her choice of future, one that did not involve a second husband, was the last thing she wished to do.
"I'm sure we shall arrive soon, and then we may meet the local populace, dance until our feet are bruised, and drink until we're merry."
"You shall do only two of those things, Victoria," her mother chided. "To drink until one is merry is not a pastime that you are ever to take part in."
Victoria chuckled just as the carriage lurched forward several yards, and it was their turn to roll to a stop before the doors. "How wonderful. We're here," she declared, not bothering to answer her mama, who sometimes thought all her children, even the married ones, not yet old enough to know their boundaries.
Two young men ran to the carriage door, one opening the door while the other quickly lay down the steps. She supposed the ducal crest
