As they rounded the corner into Bruton Street, they both skidded to a halt.Saintspreserveus had made it all the way to Berkley Square and was busy relieving himself on the leaves of a low green hedge.
“Walk slowly to the right side of the square, and I shall take the left,” whispered Freddie.
The scene was farcical.Here was a huge, furry beast nuzzling the well-kept greenery of the garden, while two humans attempted to sneak up on it.
They got closer.At one point the dog lifted its head and looked back down the street.Eve hurried and hid in the doorway of a nearby shop.Freddie, caught out in the open, froze.
“Here, boy.Saintspreserveus, come, boy,” he called.
Several people passing by gave him strange looks, Freddie simply smiled at them.
Eve stepped out from the shopfront.“Saintspreserveus!”
Side by side, the two of them walked the length of the street, repeatedly calling the dog’s name.Both managed to keep their faces straight.
Finally, they reached where Saintspreserveus was standing.His head was over the side of an ornamental fountain and he was happily lapping up the water with his long pink tongue.Freddie swiftly took a hold of the lead and wrapped it firmly around his arm.
Eve came to his side but uncharacteristically said nothing.
“Eve, what’s wrong?”he asked, reaching out and touching her arm.
She turned to him, her face a sudden study in seriousness.“What will your family say when they see the dog?Will they think I am a foolish young miss who should be at home under the watchful eye of her mother?”
Freddie paused for a moment.He hadn’t actually thought what his family would say about the dog.When it came to the subject of Eve, they were completely in the dark.
His heart went out to her.When their relationship came to the attention of their respective parents it would put Eve’s behavior in particular under scrutiny.
The thought pulled him up short.A relationship did exist between them.He couldn’t deny he felt a strong attraction to the free-spirited Eve.Looking at her now, standing beside him, he was possessed of the need to kiss her until every single one of her worries was gone.
“It’s alright.I won’t mention that it came from you.My family are very keen on dogs, so they will likely take to this big furry beast with gusto,” he replied with a smile.
It was a good thing his family did like dogs.While Saintspreserveus had been purchased as part of the challenge, it was now his dog to feed and look after.
He bent down and gave Saintspreserveus a scratch behind the ear.“I promise, when this is all over, you will go and live at my family estate in the country.There are lots of places where you can run free and be happy.”
Freddie stood and offered Eve his arm.Overbearing brothers could go hang.He wanted to walk with Eve by his side, and he would damn well do it.
Eve sighed with relief as she took Freddie’s arm.It had been a risky move to go and buy the dog, but as soon as she had seen him she knew he was exactly what the game required.A small animal, who could fit in a coat pocket, would never be enough to cause the sort of mayhem the Bachelor Board challenge required.Chasing Saintspreserveus through the streets of London while crying out his name would earn Freddie more points.
She reached into her reticule and pulled out a piece of paper.She wrote a few notes on it and then handed it to Freddie.
“Today’s score sheet for the challenge, I have added in the dog,” she said, handing it to him.
He smiled as he took the paper and put it in his jacket pocket.
“Thanks, you are the best partner a chap could ever ask for.”
His words were exactly what her heart longed to hear.With every win, he would see how important she was in his life.If she kept to this path, in time, Freddie would come to the realization their futures were inevitably linked together as one, and that she deserved a place by his side at Rosemount Abbey.
With Saintspreserveus safely on his lead, they made good time in getting to Grosvenor Square.Eve had attempted to slow their pace, but Freddie and the dog had other ideas.
Crossing Grosvenor Square, she was relieved to see the Saunders family town carriage was not waiting out the front of Rosemount House.As they reached the front steps of his home, Freddie gave a quick glance around them and pulled a surprised Eve inside the front door.
“We don’t want the neighbors seeing you arrive.It will get back to your parents,” he said.
He waved away the footman who came to enquire as to whether he and the young lady required refreshments.Instead, he handed him the dog’s lead and instructed him to find some food and water.
“We can wait in here until your carriage arrives.We should be able to see it out the front window,” he said.He showed her into a ground-floor sitting room and closed the door behind him.
