Page 135 of A Modest Independence

They walked down from the verandah, turning left at the steps instead of proceeding down the road. A narrow, well-trodden path took them past more abandoned tea fields and out along the edge of the encroaching forest where conifers of all sizes stretched up to the endless sky.

And they talked. They talked of the wonder of finding Giles. Of the beauty of the ridge. And of the deep pleasure to be had in resting so comfortably after a journey in which they’d rarely stayed in one place for more than two or three days.

Jenny leapt atop a low boulder, one hand still clutched warmly in Tom’s, as she gazed up at the snow-covered peaks. A breath of fresh mountain air filled her lungs. “Is it any wonder they send injured soldiers to the hill stations to recover their health?”

“Do you feel healthier?”

“I wouldn’t say healthier. But I do appreciate the cooler weather. Giles says that many of the residents in Calcutta and Delhi remove to the hills in April and May.”

“I’m amazed he never encountered anyone who recognized him.”

“Oh, he doesn’t associate with the Europeans anymore. Indeed, Mrs. Plank would accuse him of having gone native.”

“Anyone who met him would know different.”

She glanced down at him. “What do you mean?”

“Only that he’s retained a fair measure of his aristocratic superiority. There’s nothing of the humble native about him, however isolated he may choose to live.”

“Which is understandable, really. One can’t have been born into such a family and forget it. He’s the Earl of Castleton to his core, whether he cares to admit it or not. It isn’t something he can shed like an ill-fitting suit of clothes.”

Tom’s hand tightened on hers as she hopped down from the stone. “Has he shown any willingness to go back?”

“There’s willingness. It’s the how and when I’m having difficulty pinning him down on.” She slid her arm through his. “If only you could persuade him—”

“That’s never going to happen, Jenny.”

“I don’t see why not.”

He gave her a look.

“Yes, I know, he’s been absolutely beastly toward you.” She strolled along at his side as they advanced farther into the woods. “If it’s any consolation, he hasn’t been much more civil to me.”

“He’s shown himself quite solicitous of you when we’re all in company together.”

“Yes, in public, Giles has always been a gentleman. It’s in private when he reveals how little he thinks of me and my opinions.”

“And that,” Tom said, “is something I’d be willing to have words with him about.”

She laughed. “Don’t dare. I can fight my own battles.”

“You shouldn’t have to. Not while I’m here.”

“Yes, I must take full advantage of you while I have you. Speaking of which…” She tugged at his arm. “I want to show you something. It’s just around the corner, if memory serves me. I’ve gotten to know these paths rather well in the last several days and—”

“Undoubtedly. You’ve spent hours walking them with Giles.”

Jenny’s steps flagged. She thought she detected a sharp edge to his words, but wasn’t certain. “You might have joined us if you and Giles didn’t have so much bad blood between you.”

“I’ve no bad blood with the man. It’s his own view of solicitors that makes it impossible for us to be in company together. If he didn’t take things so personally—”

“Was any of it true? Any of those things he accused you of on the day we arrived at the ridge?”

Tom’s face shuttered. He looked away from her. “You know I can’t speak about my cases.”

“Not even here, on the other side of the world? Not even with me?”

“It’s not a matter of where or to whom. It’s simply not done. I’d be breaking one of the foremost rules of my profession.”