The Unexpected Duchess (Playful Brides #1)(60)

She turned. “Yes?”

“Berkeley says he hopes to have the chance to see you again before he leaves town.”

Lucy dropped her gaze to her shoes. Guilt, guilt, and more guilt. “Yes. That would be … nice.”

Garrett gave her a funny look and strode away.

Derek frowned but helped Lucy retrieve her bonnet and cloak. Then he escorted her out of the town house and assisted her into his carriage. Lucy nearly gasped when she stepped inside. The conveyance was smartly appointed with squabs of deep claret velvet and polished brass fixtures. A carriage fit for a duke. She couldn’t help but think that the next time she rode in this carriage it might be as the friend of the Duchess of Claringdon, Cass.

A footman and a groom accompanied them as the coach rumbled over the mud through town to the bathhouses. When they came to a stop in front of the imposing stone structure, Derek helped Lucy to alight from the coach. She tried to ignore the pulse of heat that shot up her arm when he touched her. This is for Cass, she reminded herself as he placed his hand at the small of her back to guide her along to the ruins.

They entered the large building. The high gothic arches and stonework made Lucy turn in a circle, examining everything, her mouth a wide O.

“You’ve never seen this before?” Derek asked, watching her fascination.

“Oh, I’ve seen it before, more than once,” she replied. “But it never fails to amaze me.”

For some reason, he smiled at that.

“I’ve never seen it before.” He looked up and turned in a circle, too. “What do you think we should explore first?”

Lucy nearly clapped her hands. “Oh, the pool. The pool.”

“What’s the pool?”

She gestured with her hand. “Follow me.”

Derek followed her down a corridor and through a dank, dark tunnel that smelled like copper. They came out in a cool, shadowed room that had a green pool in the center.

“See.” Lucy gestured toward the water.

They made their way over to the edge.

“I would have never known this was here,” Derek said.

Shadows played off the wall, and the light from the pool made rings around the room. They glowed brightly and then faded depending on the movement of the water.

Lucy took a deep breath. Removing her gloves, she bent down and skimmed her fingers over the surface of the pool. “No one knew it was here for so long. It’s amazing to think how long it went undiscovered.”

Derek slid his hands into his pockets. “Yes, hundreds of years.”

Lucy stood and tilted up her chin to look at him. “Do you have a coin?”

“A coin? Why?”

She smiled. “They say if you toss a coin in this pool, your wish shall come true.”

“Do they?” Derek’s look could only be described as skeptical.

“Yes. But you cannot tell anyone what you wish for or it may not come true.”

He poked his cheek out with his tongue. “You believe that?”

She shrugged. “No use tempting fate.”

He pulled a small pouch from an interior pocket of his coat and fished out a coin. He handed it to her. “Here you are, my lady.”

“Thank you, kind sir.” Lucy took the coin from his hand, trying to ignore the warmth of his bare skin. She squeezed the coin in her fist, closed her eyes, and whispered her wish to herself. Let everything work out the way it is meant to with Cass and Julian and Derek and Lord Berkeley. Oh, and myself. And Jane and Garrett, too. Was that too much to wish for? Too late. She tossed the coin in the pool, watching as the little piece of metal slipped beneath the surface. Ripples spread out from the spot where it had vanished.

Lucy turned to Derek. “Now it’s your turn,” she announced.

“I’ll keep my coins, I think.” He stuffed the little pouch back into his coat.

Lucy crossed her arms over her middle. “Not a believer, Your Grace?”

“On the contrary, I believe in many things, my lady. For instance, I believe that sound decision-making causes better results than tossing coins into a pool.” The way he looked at her made Lucy very aware of the fact that they were alone together in the hushed little room. The footman and the groom had stayed outside with the coach.

She pushed a wayward curl behind her ear, intent upon changing the subject. “Do you believe the waters truly have curative effects?”

Derek smiled. He slipped his hands back into his pockets. “I’ve no idea, but I cannot think it would hurt to try them. I’ve heard that people bathe in the hot springs.”

Lucy gulped. She nodded. An image flashed through her mind, one of herself in a wet, clingy bit of fabric in the hot water of the springs with Derek, his lips at her neck, his hands on her thighs, his …

“The Romans were truly amazing,” he said, snapping Lucy from her wayward thoughts. She pressed a hand against her throat and shook her head. “Y … yes,” she managed to choke out, still actively picturing him without his shirt.

“I studied their battles extensively at university,” he added.

Lucy’s head snapped to the side to face him. “You attended university?” The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to examine them. Oh, God. She wanted to kick herself for the rudeness of her question, not to mention the awful tone in which she’d asked it. As if there was no possible way it could be true. She briefly considered jumping into the pool to hide. No. Too idiotic. Plus, it would ruin her clothing. On the other hand, Derek might jump in to save her. And that presented a tempting possibility.