Page 67 of Empowered By the Earl (Second Sons of London 3)

Chapter Twenty

They strolled slowlyalong the path. Louisa could feel Lord Hurley’s warmth since they stood so close to one another. He smelled merely of soap, not that wonderful combination of scents that Owen seemed to emit.

Stop thinking of Owen.

Think of Lord Hurley.

She noted the viscount’s good points. He was very nice-looking, just over six feet with dark blond hair and blue eyes. His frame was solid, his posture straight. He was well-spoken and could carry on a conversation about a good number of topics. He hadn’t been the heir apparent. She had discovered many of those sought as a spouse the daughter of a high-ranking peer, while she was merely the daughter of a second son who had been knighted. He was in the market for a wife.

On the other hand, Lord Boxling was also quite handsome. At six feet, his athletic frame appealed to her, as did his dark wavy hair and dark eyes. He also had a sense of fun about him, a wit, as well as intelligence. He kissed well and seemed quite interested in her.

She decided she would definitely kiss Lord Hurley and use the kiss to compare the two men. Now, she only had to find a way to get him to kiss her. She couldn’t be so brazen as to kiss him. It had to be his idea.

Or at least Louisa needed to make it seem like his idea.

“Do you know much about flowers?” he asked.

“A little. My aunt, Lady Uxbridge, is fond of gardening and has a large one at Conley Park.”

“Are you partial to any particular flowers?”

“I will show you the ones I like as we go.”

They strolled the gardens a good half-hour or more. Louisa pointed out the sweet Williams and sweet peas, both in pinks and purples, though the sweet Williams also came in plums and the sweet peas in varying shades of red.

“I also like lilies,” she told him.

“Which ones are those?”

“Over there. Those in pinks and oranges.”

“They are nice,” he agreed.

They reached the end of the gardens and she noted the calendulas.

“I like that golden shade,” Lord Hurley said. “It and the orange and yellow ones are quite nice.” He paused. “Have you decided which to pluck?”

“Let’s take a few of these calendulas and then go back to the lilies. They were in full bloom and I think the prettiest in the garden. Then a few of the sweet Williams as we first entered. That should do it.”

The viscount asked, “Do you wish to hold the basket or do the cutting?”

“I would like to cut, my lord.”

He handed her the shears and she took a few of the calendulas and then decided to clip a few more. She would have one of the maids put them in a separate vase and have it placed in Lord Hurley’s room.

They weaved their way along the path in the reverse direction, stopping at the lilies. Louisa took her time deciding which colors and flowers to cut before placing them in the basket. She decided since the sweet Williams were so close to the entrance to the gardens that she would need to kiss Lord Hurley before they arrived at that point.

And she had the perfect place for that to occur.

When they reached a bench at the halfway point, she sighed.

“Are you tired, Miss Goulding?”

“A little. Do you mind if we pause for a few minutes and catch our breaths?”

He chuckled. “Here is the perfect spot to do so.”

They sat on the bench, which was obviously meant for couples to squeeze together. Louisa’s thigh and hip were pressed close to Lord Hurley’s. She hated that he was so much taller than she because he probably could look down her gown with little effort. Wishing she had worn the fichu despite Tilly’s protests, she tried to put that thought from her mind and focus on the task at hand.

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