“True,” she replied.
Her grandmother interrupted, “Shall we begin to dress for dinner?”
Arabella put a hand on her stomach. “I don’t think I can eat another thing. I had entirely too many sweetmeats.”
“But we mustn’t be rude to our guests,” her grandmother asserted. “Colin and Diane accepted our invitation to dine with us.”
“Quite frankly, I feel the same as Arabella,” Colin admitted. “I ate entirely too many sweets.”
Diane spoke up as she approached them. “As did I.”
“Thank heavens,” Arabella’s grandmother said. “I was dreading the thought of eating another bite, but I didn’t dare say anything.”
Colin met Arabella’s gaze and asked, “Would you care to take a turn around the garden with me? I find myself in need of fresh air after being in the same room for so long.”
“That sounds delightful.”
He offered his arm, and she accepted it. As they walked towards the rear of the manor, he asked, “Did you enjoy yourself today?”
“I did,” she replied. “I adore children.”
“As do I.”
“Perhaps it wouldn’t be terrible if Augusta had children,” Arabella remarked. “It would finally give me the siblings that I so desperately craved as a child.”
“I hadn’t realized you felt that way.”
“My parents doted on me something fierce, but I still wished that I had a playmate,” she said. “The only child my age was the cook’s daughter, and my father forbade me from playing with her.”
“He forbade you?”
“He did,” she replied. “He didn’t think it was proper for me to play with a servant’s child. Instead, I spent most of my time with a nursemaid.”
“That must have been rather lonely.”
“It was, but I shouldn’t complain,” she said.
“I didn’t think you were complaining.”
They departed from the manor, and a footman discreetly followed them outside. The cold air hit her cheeks and she shuddered a little as she adjusted her shawl.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“It feels refreshing, especially after being indoors all afternoon.”
Colin nodded. “I feel the same way,” he said. “I have never enjoyed being cooped up inside.”
Arabella glanced over at him. “How are you feeling since the other night?” she asked. “Have you had any other episodes?”
“I have not.”
“May I ask what triggers them?”
Colin frowned. “It depends, really,” he said. “Sometimes it is just an image that comes to my mind, or I will hear a noise that takes me back to the peninsula.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I saw some terrible things over there, but I also formed solidarity with my fellow soldiers. I knew I needed to trust them with my life to survive.” He paused. “They are still serving, offering up their lives if necessary, and I’m sitting in a manor, learning about the latest farming techniques.”
