Prologue
London, Summer 1815
Four Years Ago
Her heart thudding in her chest, Diana tiptoed down the small cobblestone path as her dainty steps echoed through the night air. The moon shone overhead, casting its silvery light into the shadowy dark of the gardens, and from the terrace, the sounds of music and laughter reached her ears. The earl’s ball was still in full swing, and to Diana’s delight, it had been rather easy to escape her parents’ watchful eyes and sneak out into the night.
A part of Diana’s mind warned her, cautioned her that such a behaviour could have disastrous consequences. Her heart, however, was focused on one thing alone: the man she loved.
If she could only speak to him for a few moments and assure him that his pursuit was indeed most welcomed, he would surely speak to her father that very night and ask for her hand in marriage.
At the thought, the breath caught in her throat, and she stopped in her tracks. Drawing the fresh night air into her lungs, Diana sought to steady her nerves. When the slight dizziness that had seized her so unexpectedly finally subsided, she swallowed and then proceeded down the path.
In the dark, the tall-growing hedges and bushes looked ominous, and more than once, Diana drew back with a startled gasp because she feared she had stumbled upon someone lurking in the shadows, intent on doing her harm.
“Where is he?” she mumbled under her breath craning her neck, hoping to catch a glimpse of his tall, striking figure.
After he had asked her to follow him into the night−the gaze in his smoldering eyes saying more than a thousand words ever could−Diana had not hesitated. Ensuring that her parents were otherwise occupied, she had slipped out the terrace doors, following his silhouette until it had disappeared among the shadows.
As the chilled night air brushed over her heated cheeks, Diana’s feet carried her onward until at last she found the small pavilion as it stood like an island in the midst of a green ocean, its tall, white-washed pillars reaching into the sky.
His back to her, he stood motionless on the other side of the small space, sheltered under a canopy roof, his strong arms resting on the small rail, and stared out into the night.
At the very sight of him, Diana’s heart soared and a rush of emotions swept through her body. Her lips began to tingle at the mere thought of his mouth pressed to hers, and her palms grew moist with nervous anticipation.
Taking another deep breath, she stepped forward, her dainty steps all but silent as she approached him. His intoxicating scent mingled with the soft night smells as the jasmines began to bloom, and Diana thought for a moment she would faint on the spot as her heart raced in her chest.
Coming to stand behind him, she lifted her hands, desperate to be in his arms, and softly placed them on the top of his back, gently letting them slide down over his strong muscles.
The moment Diana touched him, he froze before drawing in a deep breath. “I’ve been waiting for you,” he whispered in that deep, raspy voice that made her breath catch in her throat every time it reached her ears.
A smile spread over her face, and joy filled her heart.
Like a feline, he suddenly spun around and pulled her into his arms, his hungry mouth seeking hers.
Locked in his tight embrace, Diana abandoned all thought as her body responded to his touch as though it recognized him from a previous life. Deep down, Diana had always known that he was her soul mate.
As his lips roamed hers, she held on to him, feeling her knees grow weak. A soft gasp escaped her as his hands travelled upward, and he suddenly drew back.
In the dim light of the moon, he gazed into her eyes, a slight frown curling his brows before he stepped back. “I apologise, Miss−”
“Diana!”
At the sound of her father’s enraged voice, Diana’s head spun around. Finding her parents standing by the tall-growing hedge that shielded the pavilion from passersby, she swallowed as their disbelieving eyes stared at them, shifting from her to the man by her side.
Turning to face her parents as they hurried toward them, their faces pale in the moonlight, Diana smiled. “Father, Mother, I can explain.”
“I most certainly hope so,” her father snapped, his sharp eyes travelling from her to her future husband. “Norwood, what is the meaning of this?”
Clearing his throat, Robert Dashwood stepped forward. “I apologise, sir. There has been some misunderstanding. I−”
“Whatever misunderstanding you thought has occurred, I expect the next words I hear to include a proposal considering the liberties you’ve just now taken with my daughter!”
With love in her heart and a smile on her face, Diana turned to the man by her side. Butterflies fluttered in her belly as she took a deep breath. This was it! The moment she had been waiting for her entire life.
“A proposal?” Laughing, her soul mate shook his head. “I’m afraid I have to disappoint you.”
Staring at him, Diana felt the blood rush from her cheeks as the world grew dim around her. “What?” she gasped, her knees suddenly weak as pudding as the butterflies in her belly died a slow death.
“I apologise,” he said, his eyes shifting from her father to her. “As I said, this was a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?” her father boomed as heart-wrenching sobs tore from Diana’s throat, and she sank into her mother’s arms. “You take advantage of a young girl and then you refuse to do the only decent thing there is left. What kind of a gentleman are you?”
Chuckling, Robert Dashwood leaned against the rail. “The worst kind, I assure you.”
“Social etiquette dictates that−”
“I don’t care about social etiquette−”
“You will be ruined. Your reputation−”
“My reputation will not suffer for all of London already knows the kind of man I am.” Standing up straight, the notorious viscount stepped forward, fixing her father with serious eyes. “Your daughter, on the other hand, has everything to lose. Therefore, I suggest you be reasonable.”
“You downright refuse to marry her?” her father huffed.
“Yes, sir,” he confirmed. “You will be well-adviced to return to the festivities before we are discovered. No harm has been done so far.”
Shaking his head, her father coughed, “No harm? You’ve compromised her.”
“Upon my honour−or what is left of it−it was only a kiss.”
Only a kiss? Diana’s head spun as she clung to her mother, her hopes crashing into a black abyss that was threatening to swallow her whole. What was happening? Did he not love her? Had he not told her so a million times? Had his loving gaze not spoken the words that his lips had confirmed a mere few minutes ago?
Glaring at the man she loved, her father returned to her side. “You are without honour, Norwood. I sincerely hope that one day you will reap what you sow.”
An amused smile on his face, Lord Norwood nodded to her father before his eyes dropped to hers. “All my best to you, Miss…Lawson, is it?” Then he turned and walked away, the shadows swallowing him whole as though he had never been there.
Supported by a parent on either side, Diana placed one step before the other, her mind tormented by the incomprehensibility of what had just happened and her heart aching with the love so unexpectedly ripped from her life.
“I can only hope that Norwood keeps quiet,” her father mumbled under his breath, anger still ringing in his sharp voice. “If anyone finds out what happened here tonight, your chances for a favourable match will be ruined.”
In that moment, Diana could not bring herself to care. After all, what value could her reputation possibly have when her heart had just been ripped into pieces?