‘Grace,’ he said, frowning down at her, completely misreading her slowness. ‘Should we go back to the house, or just stay in the training ring again?’
‘No. Ignore me. I am talking moonshine. I am more than ready to take Daisy out for a ride.’
He stayed looking down at her, his gaze searching her face. She hoped her thoughts were not as easy to read as he had once claimed.
‘If you are sure,’ he said.
‘I am.’ She nodded to emphasise her point.
He was lifting her then, the familiar weightlessness, the sense that she was as light as air, over as quickly as it had begun. Her seat creaked as she made herself comfortable, Daisy standing still beneath her.
‘I do not think you will have to do very much,’ said Tobias, vaulting easily into his own saddle. ‘She will follow Montagu.’ He nudged his horse into motion and sure enough, Daisy began to move too.
Grace remained quiet as they navigated their way out of the yard and onto a wide, open field, but there was no need to worry. Daisy’s movement was steady and controlled and Grace had to do little except stay on.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, when she was confident she was not going to fall off.
‘I thought we would visit the lake. Have you been there yet?’
‘Not yet.’
‘Sebastian and I used to swim there when we were children. In my mind, we went daily, although I find it hard to believe the weather was truly as good as I remember.’
‘Do you swim well?’ Asking him reminded her of his wet shirt after his dip in the Serpentine, the material clinging to his chest, outlining the dips and rises, and for a moment, she lost her train of thought.
‘Well enough. I liked being in the water. Sebastian was great at inventing games and we were never bored. But I enjoyed it by myself as well. When I was in the water, my father could not lecture me. I did not have to learn to be the next duke. I was just Tobias.’ He paused, as he nudged Montagu around a fallen log, Daisy following suit. He waited until she was walking next to him again, to say, ‘On the day that we met, I was trying to recreate the sense of calm I got from being in the water.’
‘And I ruined it for you.’
‘Well, I certainly was not calm afterwards.’ He smiled across at her and she laughed.
‘I thought you very high in the instep,’ she said, her words flying out of her mouth before she had given them too much thought.
It was a relief when he flung back his head and laughed. A flock of birds, startled at the sound, took to the sky in a wave of angry shrieks. ‘I have not been called that to my face before.’
‘I am sure I am not the first person who has thought it,’ she said, pushing her luck in how far she could tease him.
Fortunately, he kept smiling. ‘Oh, I have no doubt.’
‘I do not think it now though,’ she added, because she did not want him to think she thought ill of him. It was quite the opposite; he was the best man she knew. When she woke in the morning, joy would flood through her like a fine glass of wine, knowing that it would not be long before she saw him. After their time with the horses, she would feel flat, unless she caught a glimpse of him and then it was as if her whole body had been filled with light. At dinner, she sat next to him, and she had taken to ignoring the looks sent their way, indulging in talking and laughing with him as if they were alone.
There was no sign of her parents, no further threat to the safety of the family. The Season would be upon them soon enough. Even if theDashworth family decided to remain at the estate, she would not be able to. She would have to leave when the rest of the other house party guests did, and this brief interlude would be over. So, she would enjoy this flirtation with a handsome man while she could, placing no expectation on it other than their mutual enjoyment.
‘Dare I ask what you think now?’ he said.
Thatshe was not going to tell him. ‘You are always fishing for compliments, Tobias Dashworth, but I fear you are going to be disappointed. My opinion of you has only gone down. I am afraid finding out what I truly think would ruin your confidence entirely.’
He laughed again, the sound light and free. When he had sobered, he said, ‘For what it is worth, I thought you were meddlesome and headstrong.’
‘And now your opinion has only got worse too?’
‘Better, I believe. I do not believe you are meddlesome now.’ He grinned at her again.
‘I believe that to be an accurate assessment. I do not think anyone will cure me of being headstrong,’ she said. ‘I did not used to be that way, but events have shaped me. I realised that I had to make decisions for myself, based on what I believed was the right thing to do, even if it was not the easiest.’
‘That does explain your reason for getting into the water to help a stranger, but I must beg of you not to do it again. It is not your reputation I am worried about, but your safety. Anything could happen to you.’
They were heading to a patch of woodland, the trees ancient with their thick trunks and wide branches stretching up to the sky. Grace could understand what Tobias was saying, but she was not sure she could promise him such a thing. ‘I will always go to someone who Ithink needs my help. I do not think I can change that about myself, nor would I want to,’ she said.
