Omar laughed at the sight of Samuel. "I guess that didn't go so well, Sammy."

"Shut up." Samuel scowled and took the stairs two at a time. How the hell was he going to get this girl to calmly sit down and have a real conversation with him? He was stripping off his wet coat as a knock sounded on his door. "Come."

"Your Grace." Carson bowed. "Master Omar says you've had an accident and might need assistance changing."

"It's just water, Carson. Nothing more." Samuel pulled off his shirt while Carson grabbed some dry clothes from the wardrobe. "Do you have a lady friend, Carson?" Samuel asked.

"No, sir. Not at the moment." Carson laid a clean pair of pants on the bed.

"Have you had a lady friend in the past. I need some advice." Samuel pulled off his wet pants and lifted the dry pair.

"I could suggest you move a little faster, sir." Carson cocked his head and smirked at Samuel's confused face. "If, for example, the lady has a container of water in her hands and is displeased with you, perhaps moving faster might solve the wet clothes issue."

"Very funny, Carson." Samuel shook his head. "I suppose Omar told you a lady threw a bucket of water at me."

"Would you prefer it if we pretended you got caught in a heavy shower of rain, which only wet the front of you, Your Grace?" Carson suppressed a chuckle.

"Yes. That's exactly what happened." Samuel laughed. "Bloody woman. Don't worry I'll work it out for myself, because you and Omar will go against me anyway, or give me really bad advice."

Samuel sat at his desk with intentions of working. He couldn't get Shay out of his head. She had told him to go away and rethink his plans. As far as he was concerned, he had rethought his plans. Plan A. Marry her for convenience to get his family and the ton off his back, but don't consummate the marriage. Plan B. Marry her for convenience to get his family and the ton off his back, and consummate the marriage. Easy. Samuel leaned back in his chair and laughed.

This girl was rejecting him at every angle, and here he was laughing and feeling the happiest he'd ever felt in his whole life. He ruffled his hair and grinned some more. "Okay, Sam. Rethink the plans from her point of view," he said to the ceiling. The wrong in his actions including his proposal, is what she'd said. Proposing marriage as a convenience. Samuel thought about this. Lots of marriages were made for convenience's sake. Not wrong for most men who usually took mistresses, and married only for bloodlines and betterment of a family line. Wrong for a girl who didn't know where she came from. Wrong for a man who didn't care for family betterment.

Samuel blew out his breath and thought about his proposal. Yes, wrong for her, yet it felt completely right for him. Making her wait an extra two weeks for his return. Definitely wrong. Should she have waited for him? Yes, after all he was a man who was going to be her husband and she was a woman. She was supposed to love, cherish and obey, he to love, cherish and worship. Samuel rustled these ideas around in his head. If it hadn't been for the want to buy her a wedding gift, he would have been there when he said, however, she didn't know the lengths he had taken to buy her the best gift he could think of.

Shay had a life, and she had waited two extra weeks. Samuel realised Shay deserved a better explanation than 'you wait until I turn up'. So yes, he was in the wrong again. Turning up at a late hour last night. Wrong. He should have left it until he was fresh, but he couldn't wait to see her. Going into her bedroom. Definitely wrong. Touching her and sucking on her breast. Oh, so wrong that it wasn't funny.

Samuel threw his arms up behind his head and laughed up at the ceiling once more. So wrong, yet it felt so right. He chuckled again as his body reacted to these thoughts. What about going to see her today? Not wrong. However, she was certainly not in the mood to see him. Why should she be, after what he'd done? Yes, wrong again. Samuel sighed, dropped his elbows on the desk and hung his head. She was right. Everything he'd done was wrong, so now to rectify the situation. He pulled out his writing set.

Dearest Shay... Did he have the right to address her in that way? No. Samuel started again. Dear Miss Lytton, please accept my utmost apology for my behaviour. If it is convenient to you... Samuel thought some more. It was never going to be convenient to her. He started the letter again.

Dear Miss Lytton, I shall be calling on you this evening at eight o'clock. I have rethought my plans and would like to discuss them with you in a civil manner.

Your faithful Servant,

Samuel Denyer.

Samuel re read it. Straight to the point. Perfect.

He found Omar in the sitting room playing chess with Carson. The valet stood up as soon as Samuel walked in. "Sit down, Carson. I know Omar has no friends and has to rely on you to entertain him."

Omar chuckled. "I am but a humble servant, Your Grace, waiting to be of service to you."

"Good." Samuel held out the letter. "I want you to take this to Miss Lytton at the Blue Maids Orphanage, in Whitechapel."

"As you wish, My Lord." Omar stood and bowed. He headed to the door and waved the letter above his head. "This isn't going to get me wet, is it?"

"No. But take Carson's advice. Be prepared to move fast. Also, I want an answer of some sort, so make her read it in front of you."

*

Shay took the letter tentatively and peered up at the man in the strange cloak. The image of Samuel dressed in the same sort of clothing the day he had knocked her over, flashed through her mind. She had thought him beautiful. She drew in a breath of air to ease the sensation flooding her body at the thought of him. "Thank you. I'll read it when I have a moment."

"I am sorry, miss. My master would like an answer please. I must wait until you have read the letter." Omar tipped his head and smiled at her.

"Is he really your master?" Shay didn't know why she asked this question, but he didn't look like a normal servant.

"Yes and no, miss."

"What does that mean? If I am to marry this man, I would like to know something about him."

"This is something you must discuss with, His Grace, madam." Omar smiled again and held out his palm. "The letter please."

Shay broke the seal, read, and then looked up at Omar. "If I were to say I wasn't available to receive him at eight this evening, then what?"

"Miss?" Omar cocked his head in question.

"The letter says he will be calling on me at eight this evening. He just assumes I will be available, or that I will make myself available. He is showing me no consideration at all. Is he always this forceful?"

"I am sorry, miss. You will have to forgive Samuel. He has not had much experience with the fairer sex."

"Oh. Really? That isn't what I've heard." Shay wasn't stupid. She had heard talk of how the duke had been in the petticoat trade, before he had disappeared.

"What I mean, miss." Omar swallowed. She wasn't a silly blushing girl like some of the women he'd met while attending the Seasons events. "Samuel hasn't had much experience in how to address a proper lady."

"I don't believe that's true." Shay found this quite amusing. She could see this man struggling with her questions.

"If I could see the letter, miss, perhaps I could give you a more accurate answer." Omar held out his hand. She gave it to him and once he had finished reading, he handed it back.

"Samuel has stated a time so there will be no confusion." Omar smiled. "I suspect he did this, so as to hold you to a time. I sense you would perhaps not make a definite appointment if he had given you the freedom to do this."

"Therefore, I ask you again. If I were to say I wasn't available to receive him at eight this evening, then what?" Shay gave him a blank expression and blinked at him.

"Then, miss. I think you would be playing with fire. I would not want to see you burnt." Omar lifted his shoulders and showed his palms to her.

"Is he dangerous?" Shay needed to know something of the man she was going to marry.

"Ah... a good question, miss." Omar twisted his mouth in thought, and then said, "Not to those he cares about."

"I see." Shay was taken aback by his answer. The duke had a lot of power, and could certainly do damage to a person's reputation, or their circumstances, but she felt Omar's answer had a hidden meaning. Was the duke a man who would physically hurt her? There was nothing for it but to meet him, she supposed. Or was there? If she refused to see him, his reaction should tell her the sort of man he really was. As yet, he had reacted her verbal and physical abuse with humour, which infuriated her. Making up her mind to push him further, Shay placed the letter into one of Omar's upturned hands and lifted her head proudly. "Tell him I will not be available to see him this evening, as I have another engagement."

*

Samuel roared with laughter. "I love it." He grinned at Omar's curious face. "I love that she's testing my boundaries. It makes me feel alive."

Omar cocked his eyebrows.

"What?" Samuel said. His humour cut short.

"The last time you felt this alive you'd just plunged a knife into a man's heart, Sammy. I hope you're not going to hurt this girl."

"Omar? How can you say that?" This reference lit a flame of hate in Samuel. He ignited. "This is nothing at all the same kind of alive." Samuel threw his glass into the fireplace. "Fuck, Omar! I had good reason to murder that bastard and you know it!"

The sound of someone clearing their throat made them turn around. Marvin stood with the door opened and Shay standing wide-eyed beside him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Samuel roared.

Yikes! This can't be good.

How will Samuel explain what he just said to Shay?

Photo taken from awazo.com