“I don’t want to linger too long in the bath today,” Olivia said.
“Not a problem. We can wash your hair the next time.”
Olivia nodded and stepped into the bath, sinking down in the warm water. “Ahhh…this is delightful.”
“My lady, I’ll return in a few moments. Enjoy your bath.”
After a relaxing bath, Emma helped Olivia dress for the day and arranged her hair in a low chignon. “There you go, my lady. As beautiful as ever.”
“Thank you, Emma. I’ll see you later.”
She tried to walk sedately down the stairs, but truth be told, she wanted to rush so as not to miss a single moment with Everett. She needed to fix her earlier blunder of pulling away from him, and she needed to fix it sooner rather than later.
She hurried her steps, anxious to see Lord Robertson. She was unprepared for what she saw when she walked into the dining room. He wore a brilliant smile, but it wasn’t aimed at her. Cold dread seeped into her bones.
“Good morning, Lord Robertson,”came a breathless voice from behind him as Robertson piled his plate with eggs, bacon, and toast.
His lips turned up in a wide smile as he turned, expecting to greet Olivia, but it wasn’t Olivia. It was Miss Bartlett who’d greeted him. Why she was breathless, he had no idea. He smoothed his face and gave her a nod. “Miss Bartlett, good morning.”
“Lord Fleming said there would be a game of bowls later this morning.”
Everett didn’t like the direction this conversation was going, especially since he hadn’t had a chance to talk to Olivia about how they could spend the day together. He wanted Olivia as his partner for whatever activities were planned for the day. “Is that so?”
“Indeed. I’d very much like to partner with you if you’d be agreeable to that. My brothers tell me I’m an excellent player.”
All of a sudden, Everett’s cravat seemed much too tight, and he resisted the urge to tug at it. He didn’t want to partner with Miss Bartlett, but he certainly didn’t want to insult the young lady either. That wasn’t his style, and there were too many in the dining room who’d heard her request for him to refuse her without appearing churlish. Thetonmay call him the Earl of Ice, but he would never be intentionally rude to a young woman, so he felt he had no choice in the matter. “I’d be delighted, Miss Bartlett.”
The young woman’s blue eyes lit up with happiness. Now what had he done? She looked far too pleased. He didn’t want to encourage her in any way, especially after the way she’d clung to him during their boat ride on the lake. Not wanting to repeat that scenario, he’d avoided her since and would continue in his usual aloof demeanor while playing the game of bowls. He hoped she and her mother would realize sooner rather than later that he wasn’t interested in her.
There was only one woman he wanted to spend time with.
Olivia. The most appealing and intriguing woman he’d ever met.
Miss Bartlett couldn’t contain her enthusiasm and squeezed his arm. “Oh, thank you, Lord Robertson. I shall endeavor to play my best game yet.”
Everett stiffened. He wasn’t used to people touching him and thought it quite forward of Miss Bartlett to do so. She must have noticed his reaction because she quickly let go of his arm, but not before he looked over to see Olivia standing in the doorway.
Oh, no! This was a bloody disaster. How much had she seen or heard?
He saw Olivia’s eyes widen when she saw him with Miss Bartlett and was afraid she’d get the incorrect idea that he was now interested in the young woman. Nothing could be further from the truth, but the hurt in Olivia’s eyes told him she’d already misinterpreted the scene.
“Good morning, Lady Armstrong,” he said with a smile, stepping around Miss Bartlett to be closer to Olivia.
What was going on with him? He’d never craved a woman’s attention before like he did Olivia’s, and he hoped this interaction with Miss Bartlett had not ruined things.
Chapter 14
Olivia felt like such afool. She’d been looking forward to spending more time with Everett, but when she walked into the dining room, she saw him talking with Miss Bartlett—not only talking with her but giving her a brilliant smile as well. The one he’d given her only this morning during their ride. Not that there was anything wrong with him smiling. She certainly didn’t have any claims on him, and he could talk and smile at whomever he pleased. But it was the way Miss Bartlett was hanging on him with her own brilliant smile lighting up her face that shocked Olivia.
She’d mistakenly thought Everett was only interested in her.
How naïve she was.
She should have kept her shameful past to herself. Now that Everett knew, she was convinced that hewanted nothing more to do with her. It would seem his understanding of her situation had only been momentary. What man would want to be with a woman who was afraid to be touched?
“Lady Armstrong,” Robertson said.
“Lord Robertson,” she said with a nod, walking into the room and going to the sidebar. She had to stop thinking of him as Everett, especially when he was clearly interested in Miss Bartlett. It felt too personal to use his given name now.
