Page 25 of Romanced By the Orc

Diana cared not one whit what their absent mother said about marriage. “I have learned an Orcan custom: to rename brides at the wedding for a flower. To honor the woman’s beauty.”

“How extraordinary!”

“Albion asked me to take the name Daisy.”

“And you agreed?”

“Why not?” Diana prided herself on being named after a Roman goddess, the great huntress no less. But the more she thought about it, the more she imagined her mother choosing one at random from a book. “Perhaps I should start calling you Lily. That way, we’ll both be flowers.”

At that, her sister managed to smile. “Nonetheless, are you sure you know your mind on this matter? You’re not letting some fanciful notion carry you away?”

Only Lillian could ask this question without rousing her anger, for Diana knew she wanted nothing but the best for her.

“It is a grand undertaking, but hardly comparable to your upcoming voyage to Chamberly in terms of any risks involved.”

Lil bowed her head. “I suppose I cannot criticize you too heartily when I decided to travel to Chamberly without discussing it with you.”

“And so I ask for the same grace. Rest assured. Like you, I embark on this journey willingly.” “It’s not a holiday, Di,” Lil said softly.

“Granted, there is little pleasure in Chamberly these days. But I wish there was a way I could join you. Keep an eye on you.”

“No doubt you would embrace the adventure of it.” Lillian bent to scoop up the riding cloak she had dropped earlier and folded it in her hands, knotting and then unknotting the ends. “The Sisters will look after me well enough. Though I confess, I am not looking forward to the ferry crossing. Once we dock and are safely on the continent, I shall feel more secure.”

The crossing was the least treacherous part of the journey. Still, Lil had been worried for days about taking sick. And as it was too late—not to mention pointless—to persuade her not to go, Diana simply nodded and said, “Write to me every single day. So that I feel as though I am at your side.”

Lillian laughed softly. “I must post correspondence to your new address, then. Tell me you will remain in London.”

“Women are not allowed at the Albany, where he currently resides, so Albie intends to lease a townhouse until we settle on a permanent situation. Once you return, we will see one another every day.”

“How can I possibly doubt you? I can only hope you find time for me. After all, you shall be a splendid lady. Of the Hidden Realm, no less.”

“We shall visit as often as you please.”

They pressed their foreheads together, as they used to do when young, dreaming of the future.

“As long as this Albion Higgins makes you happy,” Lil said. “I support your decision.”

Diana imagined herself as the mistress of a grand house, accepting Lil’s letters from a tray sparkling with Orcan sapphires. She‘d wear the finest gowns and partake of the most delicious cuisine from France and Italy. And she would read as much as she pleased and write to politicians at her leisure. Albion’s wealth granted her all of that.

“I shall be marvelously happy,” Diana said, pulling away as Lil placed a soft hand on her cheek. “Overwhelmingly happy. Positively drowning in happiness. I only hope that you find the same. It is difficult to imagine when you insist on voyaging to what is, in effect, a zone of war.”

“Try not to worry too much about me,” Lil told her. “While I’m in Chamberly, I might encounter the Benevolent Phantom himself. If I run into any trouble, he can come to my rescue.”

CHAPTER NINE

For all the restrictions on contact between ladies and gentlemen, even those engaged to marry, Society allowed a brief visit outside Gunter’s Tea Shop. Diana had taken advantage of this fact to ask Albion to meet her at the famed site along Berkeley Square two days later.

Isaac, her coachman, groom, and chaperone for the day, sat atop the tall box seat, guiding her father’s matching hackney horses in that direction. Father had allowed her to use the lightweight barouche today, top unfolded so she might savor the fair weather to see a “friend.”

That she had not disclosed her friend’s identity was an omission rather than a fib, or so Diana had reasoned. Besides, since she returned from Philadelphia, Tobias Stewart’s interest in his eldest daughter was peripheral at best, and he seemed happy enough to have her out of the townhouse for the afternoon.

As soon as they halted under a shaded grove of maple trees opposite the shop, she spotted Albion. He had already dismounted from a sleek bay blood horse, who shook out his long black mane and snorted through thick nostrils at the inconvenience. He was waiting by the black iron railing that served as a respectable border between the ladies in their carriages and the men waiting for them on the grass.

Unsurprisingly, her fiancé stood out among the half-dozen ung gentlemen, taller by a head and so broad across the shoulders that she swore one could squeeze two of the brawniest human men into Albie’s impressive self. And Albie’s valet had set his imposing form to admirable perfection in a muslin shirt, a thickly embroidered golden waistcoat, and a dark brown single-breasted jacket with tails. To complete the ensemble, he bore his customary white silk cravat and cufflinks adorned with sparkling Orcan gems.

He held a pistachio fromageglacéin each hand, swathed in leather gloves that gleamed with lavish expense. When Isaac hopped off the box seat to fuss with the horses, Albie balanced the pewter cups as he sped toward the barouche.

“Lady Diana!” He handed her one of the glacés, smiling broadly. “Or Daisy, if I may be so bold.”

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