My jaw went rigid.The treacherous blackguard!
“Now then, my dear old comrade, what are your plans for this morning?”
“I am overseeing the construction of a new, larger pen and shelter for our Merino sheep. We have been growing the herd, and they need more space. I am certain you will find the enterprise tedious.”
Mr. Graham rubbed his hands together. “On the contrary, it sounds fascinating.”
Perchance I could convince him to abandon this course. I cleared my throat. “Mr. Graham—”
The angel raised his eyebrows. “Pray call me Graham.”
“Graham.” I articulated the name through gritted teeth.
“That is much better.”
Shifting my weight, I essayed to present a more composed appearance before continuing. “As you no doubt realize, I am fortunate to have a most felicitous marriage and a healthy son, Bennet, who will be two years old this month. I have every reason to want to live, so I thank you most sincerely for preventing my death.”
“You are welcome.”
I took a long, indrawn breath and twisted my signet ring. “In all honesty, I believe you will find it wearisome to follow along with me. You would be certain to find a great many more sources of entertainment with an actor, an opera singer, or a popular bachelor gentleman of theton. London is full of people who live adventurous, decadent, and colourful lives. In comparison, I am uninteresting.”
His countenance sobered. “You are correct. I could spend my time with anyone of my choosing, whether in England or any other country. I could have delayed the death of the poor chap whose body I now inhabit, and I grant you that spending time with him may have kept me well entertained. Nevertheless, it isyouI have chosen to visit. For the next week, you are compelled to tolerate my company.”
“Very well.” I managed not to frown. It appeared the angel would not budge from his decision. An aspect of Graham’s speech eroded my calm, but perhaps due to the shocking nature of his revelations, the elusive detail remained outside the confines of my reasoning. Rather than allow this lapse to niggle at me, I abandoned the thought—if the issue proved to be important, I should address it later.
We left the study and proceeded to the stables. I glanced towards him. “Have you ridden horses before?”
“No. But when I assumed this body, I received the benefit of the Italian man’s skills and experiences, including riding.”
“How convenient for you.”
As it happened, the mare I selected for Graham would not stand still for him to mount her and would not calm until he stepped away. I glanced at the angel whilst I stroked the mare’s nose. “I cannot account for her behaviour. She has never acted this way before.”
“Many animals tend to be suspicious of me. I think it would be better if you allowed me to choose one.” As Graham walked down the aisle of stalls, each horse he passed darted away from him until he reached Rusty—the fifteen-year-old red roan gelding allowed Graham to approach him and became the angel’s choice.
We soon set off on horseback. Regal snorted and laid his ears back when Graham directed Rusty alongside him, but I spoke to my horse in a low, steady voice, and he soon quieted.
“Riding on horseback is rather diverting.” Graham patted Rusty’s neck. “As you witnessed, many animals are too sensitive to tolerate me. I guess you could say the exceptions, such as this old boy, have lower standards.” He grinned at the joke made to his own detriment.
In the field where we kept the sheep, several men worked on a shelter and a couple of others repaired a fence. A group of six-month-old lambs had been separated into a small enclosure, and I examined each one to ensure they remained healthy. I took more time to scrutinize the final lamb, Flora, born the runt of a twin litter. Due to harassment from the other lambs, we had been forced to separate Flora until she grew stronger. Elizabeth had taken a peculiar interest in the lamb and often came to visit her.
Graham turned towards the road. “Darcy, I see your wife.”
In the distance, Elizabeth made her way towards us with Rory at her side. The collie burst forth with a series of excited barks as he often did when within sight of the sheep. The vision of my wife brought an automatic smile to my face. At her wave, I raised my arm to return the gesture.
As she drew near, though, my spine stiffened. Graham’s unsettling presence impaired the gratification I should otherwise have enjoyed with her arrival. Still, I endeavoured to appear unruffled for her sake. “I should have guessed you would come to see Flora this morning.”
“Well, I do not deny she has wormed her way into my affections. How can I resist such an endearing face?” She gestured to Flora. The aforementioned lamb, having pushed her way to the edge of the fence, poked her head through the space between the boards towards Elizabeth and bleated. “Oh, she is calling for me.”
My wife went to Flora and scratched the creature behind her ears. She straightened and faced the blond angel. “Mr. Graham, I hope you approve of our little herd. Their wool is extremely fine and a popular material for pelisses and stockings.”
A grin lit up Graham’s face as he stepped nearer to her. “Mrs. Darcy, your sheep are impressive, but I should be greatlyappreciative if you would call me Graham. Darcy and I are so close that employing such distant terms would feel wrong.”
Her mouth fell open for a moment. “Well, I…um…”
I tensed and would have voiced an objection, but the angel’s earlier warning resounded in my head.Plague take it, I should allow the reprobate this concession.
Graham raised his palm. “I realize my request might not be considered the height of propriety here, but I beg your indulgence.” His words flowed out in a swift, yet eloquent inflexion. “You see, in the section of Calabria where I reside, we use given names unless we dislike one another. I am a vain man, and I cannot bear the thought that the wife of my dearest old friend could despise me.”
