“Wonderful,” she murmured.
Alden did not like this. Not one bit. He had never had to work so hard to earn a woman’s favor before. It almost seemed that Miss Sidney was immune from his charms. If that was the case, this did not bode well for him.
The butler opened the door, letting in the chilly weather. Miss Sidney stepped out without bothering to wait for him.
He caught up with her on the path as he tightened his own coat around him. As they walked the short distance towards the large stables, Alden decided the silence had gone on long enough. “It is rather cold here in Scotland.” Did he truly have to resort to talking about the weather?
“Is it?” Miss Sidney asked. “I hardly notice.”
“You hardly notice the freezing weather?” he asked, noting her pink cheeks.
She glanced at him. “I find it refreshing.”
“That is not the word I would call it,” Alden muttered.
Miss Sidney came to a stop and turned to face him. “If it is too cold for you, we can return to the manor.”
Now Alden suspected that Miss Sidney didn’t wish to spend any time with him. “No, that won’t be necessary.”
Her expression hinted at disappointment. “Then, shall we?” she asked, continuing down the path.
Finding himself curious, Alden asked, “How is it that you seem to enjoy this cold weather?”
Miss Sidney grew silent, her eyes growing reflective. “To me, it reminds me that I am free,” she admitted.
“Free from what?”
Keeping her gaze straight ahead, she replied, “From my uncle. He was my guardian after my parents died, but I was merely a burden to him.”
Alden could hear the pain in her words, and knew there was more to the story, but he didn’t wish to pry. Not yet. He decided to try to change subjects and lighten the mood. “How long have you run the horse farm?”
“For two years now,” Miss Sidney replied promptly, offering no additional information.
He glanced up at the sky, wondering what he could say to get Miss Sidney to open up to him. A thought occurred to him. “Your butler, Bryon, is it?” he asked.
She nodded.
“You seem rather fond of him.”
That got a smile out of Miss Sidney. “I am,” she confirmed. “He was the butler at my parents’ country estate. Lady Edith was gracious enough to hire him on as the butler here, despite most of her servants being Scottish.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not at all,” Miss Sidney replied. “At first, I had a hard time understanding some of them, but now I can blether jist like ‘em.”
Alden chuckled. “That is impressive.”
“I am sure my old governess would disagree with you,” Miss Sidney said, a smile playing on her lips.
“So, your parents had a country estate?” Alden asked, trying to pry gently into Miss Sidney’s past.
Miss Sidney’s smile faded, and her eyes took on a distant look. “They did, but it went to my uncle when they passed away.”
“I’m sorry,” he said softly, unsure of what else to say.
With a dismissive wave of her hand, Miss Sidney responded, “It is just the way things are. I am unable to change it so there is no point in dwelling on it. Life moves on.”
They arrived at the stables, and Alden moved to open the door. As they stepped inside, the overwhelming smell of manure and hay assaulted his senses.
