Page 58 of Unmasking the Diamond
Without looking up, she unfolded the newssheets. “Is it too much to ask that we dine in silence?”
Alistair shifted and, with a long-suffering sigh, turned to Luca. “You must excuse Charlotte. She is not at her best until she has had her morning chocolate.”
“Duly noted,” Luca replied.
Charlotte snapped the newssheets open, hiding her face behind them. If she could not banish Luca with words, she would at least shield herself with print.
But the silence did not last long.
A footman stepped forward and placed a plate of eggs and toast before her, the scent wafting up, though Charlotte’s appetite had already fled.
“May I ask what your favorite flower is?” Luca inquired.
Her eyes flicked up to him over the edge of the newssheets. “If you must know, I don’t have one,” she replied. “I enjoy all flowers equally.”
Luca’s eyes sparkled with amusement, his lips curving. “Then I am glad I bought out the store. I wouldn’t have wanted to disappoint you.”
Heat crept up her neck. He was baiting her, as always. “Just you being here is disappointing me,” she retorted, snapping the newssheets closed.
“And yet, I am here for our carriage ride,” he said, grin growing. “The one you promised me yesterday.”
She exhaled sharply and set the newssheets aside. “I suppose we can go now.”
“I can wait until you’ve finished breakfast,” he offered with mock gallantry.
“My appetite is gone,” she said flatly.
Luca shoved back his chair with a scrape and rose, coming around the table. “Then let us adjourn to the carriage.”
Charlotte rose, too, not waiting for his assistance. She refused to give him the satisfaction.
They walked side by side through the hall, and Malone opened the main door for them. Once outside, Charlotte allowed Luca to help her into the open-air carriage and settled on the bench, her back rigid. The vehicle lurched forward, wheels crunching on the loose gravel.
Luca, seated across from her, studied her face with unsettling intensity. “I want to apologize for yesterday.”
That was the last thing she wanted to discuss. She waved her hand dismissively. “There is no need?—”
He shifted suddenly, moving to sit beside her, close enough that she could feel the warmth of him even through the layers of fabric. “There is a need,” he said, speaking over her. His voice lost its teasing edge. “I would marry you today, tomorrow, or thenext day—not because I am being forced to, but because I care about you.”
Charlotte’s chest tightened. “You hardly know me.”
“I know enough,” he said, holding her gaze steady. “You keep pushing me away, but I know you, Charlotte. I know the type of person you truly are. You may hide it, but it still shines through.”
“I won’t have you be forced to marry me,” she asserted.
He reached for her hand. “You’re so afraid of being hurt that you close off your heart. But I won’t hurt you. Ever.”
She yanked her hand back, more abruptly than she meant to. “You can’t promise that, nor should you.”
A small, rueful smile tugged at his mouth. “My favorite time to look at you is when you aren’t paying attention. Because then you’re not trying, you’re just being you, and to me, that is when you’re most beautiful.”
Her heart lurched painfully at his words. For one treacherous moment she wanted to believe him, to lean into the warmth of what he offered. But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. Men left. Promises broke. Even her own father’s affection had proven conditional. Why would she think Luca would be different? Better to shutter her heart now than to risk it splintering later.
“Let me in, Charlotte. Trust me,” he said.
“I do trust you, at least somewhat,” she replied, forcing herself to look away. “After all, I am in a carriage with you right now.”
“That is not the trust I’m talking about.”
