then surely that would come. He really wasn’t unpleasant to look at and had nice manners—a bit like her aunt’s dog, Salty. Surely not a flattering comparison, but she’d drawn it nonetheless.
“Oh, indeed we are, Mr. Radcliff,” Mary replied.
“And you, Lady Abigail?”
“Indeed, it is a lovely evening for a boat ride, sir.”
What was it about this man that deterred her? He was pleasant and seemed affable, and yet…
Daniel.
She’d spent such little time in his company, and yet he had created so much feeling inside her. A yearning she’d never felt before.
He had changed the way she looked to the future. Where once her marriage had loomed as a convenience, now she wanted more. Could she find another man who made her feel as he did? Was this just a shock, as she’d never felt this way before? Abby hoped so. She almost wished she’d never met him. Never talked to him and had him hold her hand. Wished he’d never kissed her… almost wished it.
Chapter 20
Vauxhall Gardens was one of the few places Daniel would attend with his friends and family. The place intrigued him; there was always so much to see. Magicians, poets, and jugglers. Tonight would be no different. Although tonight he didn’t have the same excitement for the place he normally did.
Was Abby here?
“Hello, Daniel!”
Primrose and Benjamin Hetherington were just climbing out of a boat when he arrived. There were two ways into the gardens, water and, lately, road. Daniel had preferred to take the latter this evening.
“You had no wish to come in by boat then?” Primrose asked.
Daniel liked Primrose Hetherington. She was slightly eccentric and not afraid to speak her mind, but more importantly, she’d made Benjamin an extremely happy man.
“I have done that twice, so have no need of the experience again,” Daniel said. “I much prefer the trip over the bridge now that it’s open.”
“That idiot Mallard has brought his bloody boat up again. Huge lumbering thing. He only uses it to show off,” Ben muttered. “I doubt it’s ever been on the open seas.”
“You’re only miffed we weren’t invited on it,” Primrose said, shaking out her skirts.
She looked lovely in cream satin, her hair styled with small pearls. The look in her husband’s eyes told Daniel he’d also noticed. Would he ever feel that way about a woman that wasn’t Abby?
“I am not. I have no wish to get about in that thing. It’s all for show, and if you want my opinion, I’m not entirely sure it won’t hit something and sink with everyone on board,” Ben said.
“That’s a cheery thought.” Primrose took his arm.
Flaming torches threw out enough light for Daniel to see the boat. It was large, and even from such a distance he could hear the excited chatter of the people on board. Clearly, they were in high spirits. Daniel wandered down to the edge of the bank to watch it pass. He enjoyed studying anything that could carry people. It had always been a particular interest of his.
“One hopes it doesn’t sink, as there are many people on board,” Daniel said as Ben joined him.
“Yes, because many won’t be able to keep themselves afloat and will have been overindulging.”
He stood there as the Hetheringtons turned away. Something made him watch as the boat moved closer.
Abby.
He saw her at the railing. Even from here, he knew it was her. The sensation that she was close shivered through him. She saw him, because her hand lifted and then fell before she could wave. He wasn’t sure how long they stood there with eyes locked on each other. A minute or ten, and then she turned from the railing and disappeared.
Exhaling slowly, Daniel made himself walk away. He didn’t look back. This has to stop.
He walked the paths with other guests, ignoring the prickle of heat traversing his spine. She was watching him; he was sure of it.
Music greeted him as he moved to where his friends and family were congregating. He smiled, greeted everyone, and thought about Abby on that boat.
Moving around the table, he took the seat opposite Oliver and Thea so his brother didn’t question him again, as surely he would if the chance presented itself.
Most Dillingers could never let anything lie. If they wanted information, they used whatever means they had to secure it.
“Do the guests on that boat come here?” He had to ask.
“Some,” Will Ryder said. “But most will stay on board, as climbing down into the boats is not easy to navigate.”