Gawain opened the door and jumped down. “Help me unhitch the horses and you can ride back.”
Fortunately, the horses had been broken to the saddle. His father had always said it might be useful someday. What Father actually meant was that they couldn’t afford to take a chance that they wouldn’t need the horses for both.
“Yes, sir.”
An hour later, Whitely had returned with another man who inspected the wheel. “I got something in my wagon that will get you back to town, but it’ll be a few days before we can get it mended.”
Gawain wanted to shout at the man. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the funds to argue or try to bribe him into fixing the wheel any faster. “Thank you.”
The man gave him a strange look, as if he’d been expecting to be given more of a problem. “All right.”
They lifted the heavy carriage, replacing the wheel. Once the horses were once again in their traces, he climbed back in the coach.
Gawain hated not having wealth. He detested not being able to afford one pair of horses for driving and others for riding. Maybe that’s the first thing he’d do when he married his cousin. He’d even be able to buy a matched team.
As the other man drove away, Gawain asked Whitely, “Did you find an inn for us?”
“Yes, sir. It’s clean, and breakfast and dinner are included in the price.”
“When I’m rich, we’ll stay in the best inns and order tradesmen to have the repairs done right away.”
“I look forward to it, sir. Won’t be long now.”
“No. We’ll find her direction in Edinburgh.” Ever since his conversation with his mother, Gawain’s sense of urgency had grown, and he needed to make Mary his wife before something came along to spoil his plan.
That evening, Theo stood next to her husband as the gentleman, using the term loosely, asked Lady Mary to dance.
“Who the hell introduced Munro to Lady Mary?” Titus snarled.
“I did.” Theo braced herself for his disapproval. Even after all these years, she hated arguing with him. Not that she wouldn’t give as good as she got. One did have to keep a tight rein on Scotsmen. “And do not swear around me.”
Titus scowled at her. “You’d trust an innocent like her with that rogue?”
“One of us had to do something.” She shrugged one shoulder. “And I am the only one with the right connections.”
“The bravura, you mean.”Gallis what he really wanted to say.
She waved her fan languidly. “It is clear as day that Lady Mary and Mr. Featherton need a bit of a push. If Gavin Munro can’t make Mr. Featherton jealous enough for him to lose some of his famous reserve, I’ll eat my turban.”
Titus slid her a cynical glance. “You’d better have Cook boil it for a long time and season it well.”
She tucked her hand in Titus’s arm. “Have a little faith, my love. Besides, Gavin knows that if he crosses the line with Lady Mary, he’ll answer to me, and that he does not want to do.”
“You have that much faith in yourself, do you?”
“Indeed I do.”
“Well then, let’s have a little wager,” Titus said smugly.
As God was her witness, Theo would wipe that superior look off his face. “I have already wagered my turban.”
“Aye, but you didn’t mean it.”
She raised her chin. This was going to be fun, and she may get something she wanted as well. “What do you want?”
He chuckled. “To see you eat your hat, of course, feather included.”
She smiled. He was truly going to regret this. “And I want you to accompany me to Hull and perhaps even London.”
