Greydon chuckled. “How is it that you can always make me laugh?’
“I am quite amusing, you know. Lots of people have told me so.”
“Lots of people?” Greydon questioned. “May I ask who those people are?”
Enid smirked. “Marigold, Malcolm, a lady at the shop…” Her voice trailed off. “Those are just a few that I just came up with.”
“Well, if a lady at the shop told you as much, as did a little child, who am I to argue?” Greydon joked.
She laughed, and when she did so, she felt freer somehow. As if some of her burdens had been lifted off her shoulders; burdens that had been there for some time, bogging her down.
Greydon pointed towards Newgate. “We are almost there,” he said. “I wish you did not stand out so much.”
“Is the pale yellow too much?” she asked as she adjusted the sleeves.
He turned towards her and met her gaze. “It is your beauty that I am referring to. No one can compare to you. No one.”
Enid felt a blush creep up her neck as she held his gaze. “You are being very complimentary this afternoon.”
“I am just merely stating the truth, my dear.”
“Truth is in the eye of the beholder,” Enid argued.
Greydon’s lips twitched. “Aye, but surely you have noticed all the people who have stared at you as we passed by them,” he said. “I can assure you that they were not looking at me.”
Now the blush had taken hold and her face grew warm under his watchful eye. “You shouldn’t say such things to me.”
“I thought we promised that we would never lie to one another.”
Enid knew that they didn’t need words, not anymore. They could just look at one another and smile, knowing there is nothing else to look at.
Greydon pulled on the reins and the curricle came to a stop, rocking on its wheels. “I feel as if I should warn you about Newgate.”
“There is no need,” Enid said. “I lived in a workhouse for two months. Surely it is not much worse than that.”
“I cannot speak on that,” Greydon said as he secured the reins. He hopped down and came around to her side to assist her out of the curricle.
Once her feet were on solid ground, she removed her hands off his broad shoulders and took a step back, creating more than enough distance between them to be considered proper. Although, nothing about this outing was proper. They were going into a prison together and she only hoped that Sir David did not discover that she had come. He had warned her off from visiting Lady Eugenie.
Greydon offered his arm. “May I escort you inside?” he asked.
Enid glanced down at his proffered arm. “Are you sure that is wise? It isn’t as if we are taking a stroll through Hyde Park. We are going into Newgate.”
“True, but it does give me a reason to touch you, and I always look forward to those moments,” Greydon said.
“You are incorrigible,” Enid chided lightly, even though she was secretly pleased by his words. Just by his touch, he made her forget the rest of the world.
He took a step closer to her. “To be honest, I would prefer it if you remained close to me. A prison is not a place to be complacent.”
Enid tried to appear as if she were put out. “All right, then,” she said, placing her hand on his. “But only since you insisted.”
Greydon reached for her hand and moved it to the crook of his arm. “I will keep you safe. You do not need to worry.”
Enid knew he spoke true, making her grateful for his presence.
ChapterFourteen
Greydon knew that he was being bold in his advances towards Enid, but the time to act was now. He could see the cracks in the mask that she showed the world. She was softening towards him, but he still had so much work left to do. She had been jilted before by love and it would take more than flattery to win her heart.
