It wasn't until dawn broke through her window casting her room in pale sunlight that Edwina noticed the small parcel sitting on top of her escritoire. Still dressed in her nightgown, she picked it up and turned it around in her hand. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied closed with a piece of twine.

Was this the reason Lucas was in her room last night?

Earlier in the morning, the house woke to the crash of the collapsing trellises. Anthony, dressed in his nightshirt, ran for the door, followed by a fleet of half-dressed and wigless footmen. Their loud exclamations carried up to her opened window. Edwina watched from her room as they ran around the side of the house, candles lit, only to be stopped short by the destruction that met them.

Anthony looked baffled. Pieces of wooden trellis laid shattered at his feet. Heaps of purple wisteria exploded into a tangle of scattered petals and leaves.

It took an hour for the household to calm down. It took longer to persuade Eloise to return to her own room with a promise that Edwina would explain all to her in the morning. Edwina needed to be alone to process what happened between her and Lucas.

Despite the physical exhaustion that was the result of her thrilling encounter with Lucas, she could not sleep. Her mind raced with possibilities and her body thrummed with excitement. She craved the touch of his hands on her body again, his mouth against her skin, against her lips.

Why was he present when she wanted him the most? Why did her heart ache when she thought of him? Why did her body burn for him and him alone?

Edwina shied away from thoughts of love. Her heart still felt bruised from last Season, from her infatuation with Anthony.

What she felt for Lucas was similar to how she felt about Anthony only, Edwina shook her head as if in disbelief, far more intense. It was if Lucas reached inside her very soul and squeezed the breath out of her. Anthony never made her feel that way. No man ever had before.

She drew up her knees under her chin as she turned the parcel in her hands. It was small and flat and even before opening it, Edwina knew it was a book. She hesitated. Whatever laid within, she knew, would determine her future. She stood at a crossroads and knew there was no turning back away from what she wanted for herself and no turning away from Lucas.

Edwina slowly tore at the paper, revealing the book inside.

De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem by Vesalius.

Edwina mentally translated the Latin.

On the Fabric of the Human Body in Seven Books.

Edwina clutched the book tightly. The Fabrica .

Even with Edwina’s limited knowledge of medical tomes, she understood the significance of the book in her hands. The Fabrica was the first text published on human anatomy.

Edwina marveled at the small book. The black leather showed wear at the spine, most likely from prolonged use, but otherwise was carefully oiled as if it was a rare treasure. She leafed through the vellum pages, thin and nearly transparent, but necessary to encompass all seven books within one volume. The pages were no longer new and crisp, but worn with notes written in pencil in the margins. Edwina noticed two sets of handwriting, neither of them discernable.

Flipping back to the front of the book, Edwina puzzled at the signature inscribed in black ink.

H.L. Davenport

Edwina traced the name curiously for a moment. She did not recognize it, but the book must have belonged to the man at some point in its lifetime. And, for reasons that Edwina was beginning to suspect that caused a shot of elation to run up her spine and a smile to break on her face, Lucas left the book for her.

Edwina cried out in joy and spun in a circle of excitement.

Lucas conceded. He will teach her to become a surgeon.

“Edwina?” a voice called out from the hallway, followed by a knock. Edwina opened the drawer to her escritoire, shoved the book within it, and slammed it shut as Kate opened the door and peeked into the room. “Are you all right? I heard a scream.”

Flushed, Edwina turned. Kate looked taken aback by Edwina’s bright smile. “Fine, just fine. A spider, but it’s gone now.”

“A spider? But, you’ve never been frightened of spiders before.”

“I meant…a bee. It was a bee.”

Kate’s eyes flew open with alarm as she stepped into Edwina’s room and shut the door behind her quickly. “Shh! Not so loud. Anthony is about and if he heard there is a loose bee flying around in the house…”

Edwina cringed. She forgot about Anthony’s phobia of bees. Kate told her that a bee is what killed the former Lord Bridgerton, a lethal reaction to the insect’s sting. Kate even confessed that she was once stung by a bee in Anthony’s presence and he was so overcome that she believed he nearly fainted out of fear for her safety. Though, at the time, Kate believed he overreacted, she later realized that was the first moment where his true feelings had begun to come to light. He cared for her, perhaps even loved her then.

“It’s quite all right. It flew out the window.” Edwina indicated to the open window.

Kate walked towards it, readying to shut it closed when she looked down at the destruction below. “Strange that the trellis collapsed last night. The gardeners reinforced it a week ago with new nails.”

Edwina said nothing.

Kate took no notice of her silence. “By the by, since you are awake, would you like to accompany me to Madame Delacroix’s later this morning?”

“A new wardrobe due to your condition?”

Kate blushed. “Yes, Anthony insisted. Though, I do not know why. Mother says it will be weeks to months before I start showing.” Edwina thought it might be sooner with Kate’s slender frame. Even now, Edwina noticed a softness in Kate’s features that were not present before. She chided herself for not seeing the change in Kate earlier. Kate was her sister and it took a stranger to the family to point out what they should have all known.

“After you return from your ride?” Edwina asked, taking in Kate in her royal blue riding habit.

Kate scowled. “My last ride. Anthony has forbidden me from riding until after our child is born. Long after. Who knew he could be such an autocrat?”

Edwina laughed. “Anthony? No, certainly not him. He would never tell you want to do. And, you should consider yourself fortunate that he allows you to ride at all after your accident.”

Kate rolled her eyes. “Nevermind.” She paused before continuing. “I know his intentions are good, but if he continues with these restrictions for the next several months of my confinement.” She let out a strangled noise.

“You might have to kill him?”

“I would seriously consider it if I didn’t love him so much.”

Edwina laughed and glanced quickly at her desk, eager to return to the book hidden within its drawers. Kate followed her gaze. “Yes, I will join you. I need to do some shopping of my own as well. Benedict’s birthday is in a few days time and I have yet to buy him a gift.”

Kate nodded briskly. “We need to make it a grand one. He seems despondent of late. Colin claims he is taking on the part of the tortured artist, but his ennui seems deeper.”

Edwina agreed. She often found Benedict wandering the halls of Bridgerton House without any purpose. He appeared lost despite the quick smiles he gave her whenever he realized he was not alone.

“A party?”

“Yes, Daphne and Simon said they are planning one for Benedict, though unofficially. A masquerade ball.” Kate’s eyes lit with mischief. “Perhaps, Lord Lumley will attend?”

“Perhaps.” Edwina hadn’t given the viscount any thought since Lucas snuck into her room last night.

“And will you be amenable to see him again?”

“Yes, of course, he is a friend.”

“A friend? He is clearly courting you.”

“Yes,” Edwina responded noncommittally. Edwina should be thrilled by Lord Lumley’s attentions. No, she was thrilled. Or, had been up until last night. Now, she was just confused.

“What of Lord Greymoor? I noticed that he could not take his eyes off of you last night over dinner. And, he singled you out for a dance at Lady Danbury’s ball. By Society’s standards, the man is on the brink of declaring himself,” Kate teased.

Edwina choked. “I hardly know him.”

“But, do you wish to know him better?”

Edwina’s face burned. She may not know much about the man, but she knew how his hands felt on her body. Inside her body , she mentally corrected. In this way, Lucas knew more about her than she could ever admit aloud to Kate.

When Edwina did not respond, Kate continued, “I will ask Daphne to include him on the guest list for the masquerade ball. Two ardent suitors is better than one.”

“Hedging your bets that I will marry this Season?”

Kate’s eyes softened and she enveloped Edwina in a tight hug. “No, hoping to find you the greatest chance of happiness, bon .”

***

Lucas squinted down at the green bolt of silk embroidered in golden thread. Was the embroidery meant to be a flower or the silhouette of a duck? No, Lucas corrected mentally, with a neck that long it must be a goose. Geese? Whatever the pattern was, it marched up and down the fabric with wild abandon.

“It is quite fine, isn’t it my lord?” The tailor said in a lilting French accent that Lucas was certain was feigned. Monsieur Durand was short, bald, and had a mouth full of teeth that when he smiled Lucas saw clearly to the man’s molars. He was also dressed more elegantly than Lucas in a superfine purple wool suit with a matching lilac waistcoat. Lucas narrowed his eyes, examining it. The waistcoat seemed to be embroidered with dancing frogs.

Lucas blinked slowly. He was clearly out of his element.

“Yes, I suppose so,” he said, passing the bolt of fabric back to Durand. The man’s face fell.

The tailor mulled in silence for a moment before his eyes lit up with excitement. “I have just the perfect silk for you! It arrived this morning.” He dropped his voice into a whisper, casting his eyes around the empty shop as if divulging a great secret. “You will be the first to see it. If you don’t mind waiting a moment, I will locate it and bring it for your inspection.” Before Lucas could reply, the man hurried behind the counter and disappeared into the backroom of Weston’s.

Weston’s was the premier tailor shop on Bond Street, or that was what Simmons informed him this morning when Lucas inquired after the tailor William used. His butler was beside himself with glee that Lucas was finally going to outfit himself properly to suit his new station. Apparently, attending ton events in an ill-fitted or out-of-fashion suits shamed the staff at Greyhouse, in particular, Simmons who was a former gentleman's gentleman. There was no greater snob in the household than Simmons.

It took all of Lucas’s maneuvering to resist Simmons's attempt to cut his hair. Though Lucas never kept his hair as long as it was now, he felt he deserved one aspect of rebellion against his new role. If he had to suffer through tea parties and his toes being trodden on by heavy-footed debutantes, then he damn well will keep his hair how he liked it.

Lucas shifted impatiently and grimaced in pain at the slight movement.

He woke that morning with black bruises all down his back and his right leg from the fall from Edwina’s window and a stiff cockstand from the memories of the night before. When he returned home last night, he succumbed to the lust that raged through his body, but now, he resisted. No matter how much his body desired Edwina, he refused to take it any further. Through sheer will, Lucas forced his thoughts away from Edwina and the sensual events from the night before.

Lucas had decided to leave Spencer to the patients this morning and visit Weston’s. Constance was right and he needed to refocus his energy on securing a wife before the Season ended. It would be one less task, a monumental one, for him to concern himself with. After his marriage, he will set up his wife wherever she preferred, here in London at Greymoor House, in the country at Leighton Castle, or one of the many other estates included in the earldom. Outside the prerequisite that they meet every once in a while in an attempt to produce an heir, Lucas would not need to see his wife for long stretches at a time. Time he can devote back to his work.

After an heir is born, his wife will be free to pursue her own life as he will, no doubt, pursue his own.

His thoughts turned back to Spencer, who was quickly approaching the end of his apprenticeship. In less than a month, Lucas will be sending Spencer off to Oxford in preparation for the fall term. The lad was prepared and fated to become an exceptional surgeon. A true pillar for his community down in the slums of Whitechapel.

In truth, Lucas could take on Edwina as an apprentice to replace Spencer's absence. The more he thought of it, the more sound the idea, beside the fact that Edwina was born a lady. As a woman born amongst commoners, Lucas could train her to be a much needed nurse or midwife but as a lady, Edwina's potential was severely limited. By Society's dictates, she could be nothing more than a gentleman's wife.

No, it was a lost cause. Yet, by giving Edwina a copy of the Fabrica, he more or less signaled to her that he was willing to teach her. He was curious how she would react to the gift, more so that the copy he gave her was written in the original Latin. It was an attempt to dissuade her from the uneasy and impossible path to becoming a surgeon. A light reminder that she was not built for his world.

***

"Just one more stop," Edwina said to Sarah, her maid, as she headed across the street from Madame Delacroix's to the tailor’s. Presently, Kate was inside the dress shop with their mother choosing the most comfortable, yet flattering fabrics for her growing figure.

Benedict's birthday was in a few days and Edwina used a bit of her pin money to purchase a new sketchbook and some pencils for her brother-in-law. However, Edwina was sure that every other Bridgerton sibling would be presenting Benedict with the same gift, as his interest in art was well known. Though, she had noticed that Benedict had seemed more reluctant with his sketches ever since he left the Royal Academy of Art last season.

A new cravat, Edwina thought to herself. Benedict always wore beautifully styled cravats, jaunty with an elegant pin. His valet was quite the virtuoso himself, but Edwina thought it was more Benedict's discerning artistic eye that brought out the flourishes that decorated his neck. Yes, a new cravat would be best. Benedict would love it.

"I'll only be a moment," Edwina said as she pushed open the door to the Weston’s, a tailor shop that rivaled Madame Delacroix's modiste in popularity for the opposite sex. The shop was designed with richly stained oak with thick blue curtains along the windows and a white and black checkered floor. There was an air of maleness about the space. Bolts of dark superfine wool lined one shelf, while on the other were more colorful pieces that would catch the eye of any dandy. Silks for shirts and waistcoats of every color lined the back wall, many of them embroidered in handsome designs.

The shop was well stocked and she was certain she would find the perfect gift for Benedict. Furthermore, she relished the break from her studies as she had spent the previous two hours holed away in her room studying the book Lucas sent and hiding from Eloise. The latter was easily done as Eloise did not rise before noon on most days as she spent most of her nights reading the hours away, or, from what Edwina recently discovered, secretly meeting with Mr. Sharpe. Edwina felt a twinge of concern for the younger girl, but dismissed it. It wasn’t her place to interfere, especially after what occurred between her and Lucas. It would be like the pot calling the kettle black.

Edwina didn’t know why Lucas conceded to her request for him to become her teacher and she didn’t care to know. She was simply happy that he agreed, that he understood how important this was to her.

She had read until her eyes crossed and her head ached, but she loved every moment of it. She felt her mind come alive as text translated to images, to technique, to what she hoped will one day be practical skill.

She silently thanked Kate for insisting on a Latin tutor. Kate argued with their mother that if learning Latin was good enough for a man, it was good enough for her sister.

It did not cross Edwina's mind once to go out to the nearest bookseller to buy a translated copy of the Fabrica. There was a specific reason why Lucas left her the text in the original Latin-a test of her abilities. Edwina smiled to herself. She would rise to the challenge and prove she was as capable as any of Lucas's other students.

***

A frisson of awareness crawled up Lucas's spine as he heard the bell on top of the front door of Weston's chime as it opened and closed. He inhaled, catching the scent of lavender from clear across the room.

Edwina stepped into the tailor shop dressed in a light blue muslin dress and looked about her curiously.

Damn! Just the mere thought of Edwina seemed to conjure her presence. He quickly stepped deeper in the shadows along the wall where he had been waiting for Durand to return with a bolt of silk that the obsequious man had wished to show him.

Lucas was not prepared to see Edwina again, especially so soon after their erotic encounter only hours before. He could not trust his body from acting on its own accord, accosting her and ravishing her against the checkered tile floor of the shop.

Lucas shook his head with disgust. When did he become such an animal? When did he let lust blind him from reason? He was a rational man. A man in full control of his mind and his body.

Why did it feel as if he failed in that aspect every time he was in Edwina's presence?

And, here he was hiding in the shadows from a slip of a girl who, likely, only left the schoolroom the year before.

This will not do. He was no coward. Weakness was beaten out of him years ago. If only his father and Stephen saw him now. They would laugh uproariously at what he had become.

Yet, he remained hidden, watching as Edwina slowly walked towards the counter where several jewel toned cravats were folded in precise squares that looked like pieces of candy lining a tray. She rubbed the silk between her two fingers as if taking measure of its quality. Lucas inhaled sharply riveted by the motion.

She then turned her attention to the tray of quizzing glasses and lifted one to her eye and gazed into a nearby mirror. She laughed to herself at the absurdity of what she saw. Lucas felt himself break into a smile at the sight. He never understood the purpose of quizzing glasses other than a tool to be used to look down one's nose at a social inferior. As if reading his thoughts, Edwina fixed a haughty look and a scowl on her face as if she was about to scold a wayward maid, and slowly raised the quizzing glass to her eye again. She flared her nostrils, raised one finger and began wagging it reproachfully at her reflection in the mirror.

Lucas clamped his mouth shut, but laughter escaped. Edwina whirled around in surprise at the sound. One of her brown eyes was grotesquely enlarged by the quizzing glass causing Lucas to lose his composure entirely. He doubled over in laughter.

"Lucas!" Edwina dropped the quizzing glass. Lucas quickly caught it by the ribbon before it shattered against the floor and placed it back on the tray.

"Miss Sharma," Lucas said with a slight bow, amusement clear on his face.

Edwina flushed with embarrassment. "That was not well done of you."

"What did I do?"

She waved her hand in his general direction. "Being present when I was acting silly. What are you doing here?"

Lucas looked around with mock surprise. "Isn't this a gentlemen's shop? Am I not a gentleman?"

Edwina frowned. "You know what I meant. This, Bond Street, does not appear to be where you typically acquire your clothing." To prove her point, she indicated to the suit he was wearing. It was made of coarse wool normally worn by the lower classes and an outfit she had seen him wear several times before. The only time she saw him wear anything finer, it was either too small or out-of-fashion.

"I was informed that I needed to dress the part of the earl."

"Then you will be taking on the title, the earldom?"

"I have little say in the matter."

Lucas had no choice is what he meant. From what Edwina learned from Lady Danbury, Lucas was the last of the Greymoors.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, turning the question back on her.

"Buying a gift for Benedict. His birthday is in a few days."

Lucas's smile promptly disappeared and his eyes shuttered. "Are you and Mr. Bridgerton close?"

Edwina shrugged. "As much as I am with the rest of the Bridgerton siblings.”

Before she could say more, a small man rounded the counter with a bolt of fabric clutched tightly in his arms. Edwina stifled a laugh as Lucas recoiled in disgust. The pattern on the silk was atrocious. Bright orange with pink ladybugs stitched within fancy curlicues. Though the workmanship was exceptional, and Edwina was sure that the silk would make a fine waistcoat for one of the dandies in town, she could not imagine a piece of fabric less suited for Lucas.

“My lord, this…this is the one I was speaking of earlier. This will suit you, a mere earl, perfectly. It is exquisite enough for a prince!”

Lucas, she could tell, was stunned silent. There was a trace of panic in his eyes.

"No," Edwina said. The tailor turned towards her in surprise. "The color does not suit Lord Greymoor's complexion. He will need dark colors, blues and grays." She indicated to several bolts of solid colored silks in varying shades of both colors. "And, no embellishments."

The tailor swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing, "But, my lady, a young man of his stature-"

"I defer to Miss Sharma's judgment," Lucas interrupted. "She is one of the finest ladies of the ton and I trust her advice intrinsically." He smiled at her in gratitude.

The man looked crestfallen and Edwina pitied him. A large purchase would soothe the man’s ruffled feathers. "Lord Greymoor will need several new outfits. Several white and black muslin shirts, waistcoats in blue or gray, a minimum of ten jackets for all occasions, black or dark blue only." The tailor withdrew a notebook and pencil from his breast pocket and began scribbling down her recommendations. Edwina paused, and looked inquiringly at Lucas, "Perhaps, a hunter green?"

His lips quirked up in a slight smile. "Whatever you believe is best, Miss Sharma."

Edwina nodded sharply. "Green it is. Keep it dark, of course."

She tapped her forefinger against her lips, deep in thought. "He will need at least three evening suits, black only with a white silk shirts, and-" Edwina reached towards the rack of fabrics and ran her hand against a sapphire blue silk with simple silver threading. "And, this as a waistcoat. Do you not agree, my lord?"

Lucas reached out and assisted Edwina with removing the bolt of fabric from the wall. He eyed it appreciatively. "It is very fine."

Edwina smiled up at him, his face close to hers. She hadn't realized how close they were standing. His body folded over hers as they both held onto the fabric. She felt the heat of his body pressed up against her back.

"What of cravats?" the tailor asked, breaking the tension.

She cleared her throat. "Black."

"But, of course," the tailor conceded. "My lord, if you will step up onto the pedestal."

Lucas followed the smaller man to the corner of the room, pulling off his coat along the way. Edwina watched the movement surreptitiously beneath her lashes. His black shirt and waistcoat pulled tightly across his broad back. Her breath caught as a shot of desire wound through her body.

Peeling her eyes away from Lucas, Edwina moved off to the tray of cravats and selected a soft gold cravat for Benedict. A shop assistant helped her wrap up the gift.

“I want to thank you for the book,” Edwina said, as the tailor took Lucas’s measurements. The smaller man asked Lucas to spread his legs slightly as he ran his tape up along the inseam. Edwina’s mouth suddenly went dry. “It is a fascinating read.”

“You can read Latin?” he asked in surprise, before muttering under his breath, “But of course you can.”

“What do you mean?”

“Latin is the mother tongue of medicine. The fact that you can read it bodes well for the study of the subject.”

Realization dawned on Edwina. “And you did not expect me to be fluent.”

Lucas arched an eyebrow at her tone. “A false assumption, yes.”

“And,” Edwina continued, “failing this first test, you would have argued that I was not suited to study further-thus ending, what to you is some grand charade, a farce.”

“Can you convince me that I am wrong?”

“You often are,” Edwina retorted. Lucas turned to address the tailor and she heard him instruct the man to send the orders to Greymoor House. Lucas retrieved his jacket and yanked it on in agitation as he indicated to Edwina to proceed him out the door.

“I am never wrong,” he hissed under his breath as they stepped out of the shop.

“You arrogant-”

Lucas seized her arm and led her toward a black, lacquered carriage with the Greymoor crest emblazoned on the door.

“Where are you taking me?” Edwina yanked free from Lucas’s grasp.

"We need to speak privately.” He waved away the footman dressed in gray livery who hopped down from his perch and opened the carriage door for Edwina himself.

Ever since last night, Edwina knew this moment was coming. Knew that it was inevitable to avoid the topic of their passionate encounter. She dreaded what Lucas had to say, but thrilled at the thought that he wished to address it and wondered if it would lead to more. Though, despite being furious with him at the moment, she desperately wanted to kiss the arrogant look off his face.

He waited for Edwina to settle in her seat before taking the seat opposite of her. Edwina heard Lucas’s coachman call out to the horses and felt the carriage lurch forward into the traffic. Lucas pulled the curtains closed, enveloping them in muted darkness.

"About last night..."

Edwina's face heated from the memory as she waited for him to continue. Lucas looked pained with embarrassment. "I wish to apologize. I took things too far. You are a lady. I should not have been present in your rooms. I should not have..." His voice dropped away.

“Should not have…what?” Edwina feigned misunderstanding, knowing she was being perverse by forcing him to address what occurred between them out loud. But, she was angry at him and his idiotic ploy of giving her a book in Latin in an attempt to manipulate her to quit her pursuit in becoming a surgeon.

Lucas cast her an annoyed look. “To begin with, I should not have kissed you at Lady Danbury’s ball.”

“If you mean to apologize for that kiss, I assume you also wish to apologize for the other one as well.”

“What other–” Lucas cursed. “The night in my room. It wasn’t a dream, was it?”

“No.”

Lucas heaved out an aggrieved sigh. “Then, yes, I apologize for that kiss as well.”

“And?”

Lucas cleared his throat and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “For taking liberties…last night.”

“What liberties?”

“Christ, Edwina, do you wish for me to say it?” His voice dropped low, his eyes darkening. “Or, do you wish for me to show you?”

Edwina’s heart thudded in her chest. Yes, please show me, she thought. Do it to me again.

The carriage filled with harsh breaths as they both sat tense in their seats waiting for the other to make the first move. Edwina was dimly aware of the rhythmic rocking of the carriage and how it reminded her of how Lucas’s fingers thrusted in and out of her at a similar pace.

“This is idiotic,” Lucas said, seemingly to himself. “Mere lust, nothing more. You are a surgeon for God’s sake.” He started again without a trace of heat that was present in his voice before. “I apologize for touching you, your breasts, your…” He waved a hand in the general direction of her lap. “I understand if you do not wish for me to teach you anymore."

"No!"

They both sat back alarmed at Edwina's outburst. Edwina deliberately slowed her breathing, calming the rush of emotions rising in her. No, he would not get out of their arrangement so easily. She knew now that this was his true intent. Perhaps the entire reason why he appeared in her room last night. He wanted her to cry off.

Edwina steeled herself. "No," she said evenly. "We will forget what happened between us. Forget everything that has occurred before this very moment. " She raised her chin. "What is past is passed. Do you not agree?"

Lucas looked astounded, as if he wished to rail against her reasoning. Edwina narrowed her eyes, daring him to address directly what occurred in her room the night before. It was more than kisses and touches. She felt something intangible with him and she was certain he felt the same. To have him admit to how he pleasured her with his own hands to the point that Edwina bitterly worried that she would never experience such ecstasy again.

A tic appeared in Lucas's clenched jaw as he glared at her. Edwina wondered what it would be like to kiss it.

"As you wish," he finally replied. Edwina exhaled with relief. "But-"

Edwina braced herself. There would be conditions, it seemed.

"If I am to teach you, I will need something in return." His dark eyes raked over her body and Edwina felt her body respond to his heated gaze. She wanted him. Now, in his carriage. She wanted more of what he gave her last night. She wanted all of him.

"I am in need of a wife."

“Wh-what?” she stuttered. She must have heard him incorrectly. Did Lucas just propose to her? No, not Lucas. He didn’t look at her as if he wished to marry her. He looked both frustrated and embarrassed.

“I do not know how to do…this.” He gestured to the opulence of the carriage and herself. “I do not know how to move in elevated circles.”

“But, you were born a gentleman. A grandson of an earl.”

“I put that life behind me when I was a much younger man.”

“What do you wish me to do?”

“In exchange for teaching you medicine, I need you to find me a wife. Before the end of the Season.”

“That is only a month away!” Edwina exclaimed. “Most of the eligible ladies will already be spoken for.”

Lucas shrugged, unconcerned. “Find someone or you forfeit your interest in becoming a surgeon. And, you will promise me that you will not approach another surgeon to teach you in my stead.”

“Why should I listen to you? Why not find someone else to teach me?” Though, in truth, Edwina only wanted Lucas.

“You will promise me that you will not. Or, you will force my hand and it will be necessary that I tell Lord Bridgerton your intent to run all over London accosting surgeons.”

Edwina scowled at him. Anthony would never let her pursue her interest in medicine. Relenting on allowing her to remain unmarried already chafed at her brother-in-law.

She should find Lucas someone ineligible. It would serve him right for being so high-handed. Edwina searched her mind for a single lady or gentlewoman desperate enough to marry a wretch neatly wrapped up in a package of an earl. Unfortunately, many ladies would overlook Lucas’s terrible disposition for his title and wealth alone.

“And, she will need to be a lady, I don’t want you scrounging through the dredges for some substitute. She will be the next Countess of Greymoor. She will need to know how to run a household as large as Greymoor House and my country seat at Leighton Castle. She will need to manage the servants, callers, organize balls, and whatever else ladies are expected to do.”

“You just listed the skills of a competent housekeeper and secretary.”

Lucas glared at her from across the short distance between them. “I cannot impregnate my housekeeper or my secretary.”

Edwina reddened at his crassness. “You need an heir.”

He nodded sharply. “I need a young woman from good breeding stock.” Edwina cringed at his words, but appreciated the honesty. All gentlemen sought something similar, which was why the Season was also referred to as the “great marriage mart.” Young men and women descended to town every year to mingle, dance, and marry one another in order to propagate and keep the wealth tied amongst the upper class.

"And if I am to find you a wife, you will promise me that you will teach me how to become a surgeon."

"Edwina, it will not be an easy path,” Lucas said, his voice threaded with exasperation. “As a man it is difficult enough, but as a lady-”

“It is nearly impossible,” she said, completing his thought.

“You will be disappointed.”

“No, I will only be disappointed if I do not try. I am not a fool, Lucas. I understand the obstacles before me. I only wish for you to set me on the right path. I know I cannot study under you for more than the foreseeable future. You have your own work, you will marry. And, I…”

“And, you will marry as well and have a brood of children underfoot.”

Edwina swallowed, but did not correct him. She did not know if she would ever marry. Especially now that it appeared that Lucas was interested in marrying any other lady but herself. But, would she truly accept his suit if he asked? The man was infuriating and it would be far more pleasant to spend her days with someone with a calmer nature like Lord Lumley.

“I am willing to take this as far as I can. Perhaps, one day, universities will begin accepting women as students.”

Lucas shook his head ruefully. The carriage rolled to a stop and Lucas pulled back the curtains. “We have arrived.” They waited in silence as Lucas’s footman opened the door and Lucas descended. He turned and reached for her hand. He was barehanded, she felt his warmth through her gloves. He assisted her down the steps of the carriage and tucked her arm into his.

“Do you remember the coffeeshop below my apartment in Covent Garden?” They began walking up the path towards the house.

Edwina nodded. Of course she remembered. It was the night that Lucas was stabbed defending her.

“If I do not see you there at precisely six in the morning tomorrow, I will consider your absence as a withdrawal from our agreement.”

“You are not going to make this easy, will you?”

“No.” Lucas doffed his hat and gave her a slight bow before returning back to his awaiting carriage. Edwina watched his retreating back and was more determined than before to prove Lucas wrong. Or, more accurately, to prove herself right.