Diamonds & Deceit by Leila Rasheed Page A

guilt in her heart. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair to betray Laurence. Not even in thought. “Of course, Italy would be wonderful.”
    He took her hand, and Ada felt his light, strong grip through her glove. “So when shall we go? September? It’s the best time, after the heat and before the storms make sailing a bother.”
    “September?” She felt a jolt in her chest. It was May already. “I thought I’d begin university in September.”
    “Why not wait a year? We can be married, see Florence, see Paris, go farther if you like…Greece? The Acropolis? Egypt perhaps?” He was tempting her.
    “Why not next May?”
    “That is a whole year away. I can’t wait so long.” He moved closer to her as they walked. She felt his warm breath on her neck. “You can go to university once we’re married, after all. There’ll be all the time in the world, once we’re married.”
    All the time in the world, Ada thought. All the time in the world…to spend with you.
    “But we must get the season over, and then Papa will be so disappointed if our wedding interferes with his shooting, and then it’s winter, and no one gets married in winter.”
    “You’re playing with me.” He struck at the tree with his cane.
    “Not at all. I just don’t see what the rush is.”
    He spoke quietly, his low voice caressing. “When you have a beautiful butterfly, you’ll do anything to keep her fluttering around you.”
    Ada was not sure she liked the comparison. “Don’t you trust me?” she said.
    “Of course,” he said shortly.
    Ada heard the annoyance in his voice. She moved toward him and placed a gentle hand on his arm. “Laurence. I will marry you. I dream of it every day. But surely you understand that I cannot simply forget my other responsibilities.”
    He nodded, appearing to be pacified, and she took the chance to change the subject. “In fact, I wanted to ask your advice,” she said quietly.
    It was a good move. Laurence liked to be needed, she knew that.
    “On anything,” he said at once.
    “This Alexander Ross. The Duke of Huntleigh.” She felt him tense. “He and Lady Rose have been dancing together a good deal since they met at the state ball.” She hesitated over her words, trying to find the right ones to explain her vague sense of unease, her concern. “You know Lady Rose is not used to society. I would not want her to be…disappointed. She seems very happy, happy for the first time since our father adopted her.”
    “I have the greatest respect for your father, but such a radical decision cannot be without consequences,” Laurence answered.
    Ada forced a smile. “I hope that a little more time spent in her company will convince you that my father was right in his decision to ennoble her.”
    “I don’t doubt that Lady Rose would grace any company. I simply mistrust anything that flies so entirely in the face of convention,” he added, with a gracious smile. “But I daresay you’ll think me an old stick-in-the-mud.”
    “No—no. You are eternally reliable, and I cannot say how much I appreciate that.” Her voice was almost trembling. “That was why I wanted to ask you about the Duke of Huntleigh—and Rose.”
    He was silent.
    She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. “I can believe the Duke of Huntleigh has been misrepresented,” she said. She wanted it to be true. But the look in Laurence’s eyes silenced her.
    “I’m afraid he has not,” he replied.
    A cold iron weight seemed to settle on Ada’s heart.
    Laurence went on. “I have known Huntleigh since Eton, and he’s a bounder. His only interest is novelty. I don’t believe he’s ever had serious intentions toward a woman in his life, though he’s been mixed up with enough of them. He was sent down from Oxford, and I understand his travels to the Continent were not of his own volition. His father was not proud of him.” Laurence sounded very serious. “I am glad you spoke to me about this, Ada, because I would have had to