Page 48 of The Earl’s Inconvenient Nemesis

Alice blushed slightly as she curtseyed in response to Sir Marcus’ bow and he said, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Fairfax. Your reputation precedes you and I have been anxious to make your acquaintance. Lord Tonbridge is correct, I am a keen rider and love nothing better than discussing horses with a fellow enthusiast.”

After luncheon, during which Alice sat next to Sir Marcus and enjoyed their conversation about his rebuilding of the stables on his estate, it was decided that the beautiful weather should be taken advantage of. A walk around part of the estate was agreed upon, which even Aunt Jane was persuaded to join.

Alice found she hung back a little allowing Sir Marcus to go ahead, though she did not know why. She was probably just a bit nervous around him as she tended to be with new people and needed a break from his attention, as welcome as it was. She naturally fell into step beside Anthony, as he wanted to point out a particular oak tree she once got stuck climbing in.

“Do you remember me rescuing you from it?” he whispered into her ear, sending goosebumps down her body and making her feel a little light headed.

Alice took a deep breath to centre herself. “I remember you threatening to leave me up there all night,” she countered, laughing.

“I had warned you not to go up there and you had completely ignored me!”

“I do not recall that part,” replied Alice primly, now back on firm ground with Anthony and how they interacted with one another. “I am quite sure you must be making it up. I do, however, recall that you called me Little Squirrel for the first time as we reached the ground. That awful memory is ingrained in my mind.”

“You were crying,” Anthony said. “I was attempting to make you feel better.”

Before Alice could respond, she heard her name being called by her brother.

She turned to find Henry advancing towards her with Sir Marcus in tow. “I was just telling Sir Marcus about how you calmed that mare no one could go near for weeks after she arrived. The stable hands were at their wit’s end.”

“It was nothing,” Alice said. “She probably just needed a female touch.”

Henry and Anthony dropped back and Sir Marcus began asking Alice about the horses they kept in the stables at Fairfax Hall. Alice looked over her shoulder at Anthony, who had fallen into conversation with Henry, before somewhat reluctantly returning her attention to Sir Marcus.

Sir Marcus stayed by Alice’s side for the rest of the day, attentive to her every whim and desire. She soon learnt about the estate he had recently inherited - perfect as it was both in the countryside and so close to her siblings, though it did sound terribly grand - and that he had one younger sister who spoke French fluently and was an accomplished artist.

His attentions were flattering. Alice had never experienced anything like it before in her sheltered country life. To begin with, she kept expecting him to wander off when he discovered someone more interesting to talk to, or a prettier girl caught his attention, but, when he showed every indication of wanting to remain talking to her, she began to relax and enjoy his company. He was certainly charming, if a little too fond of his own appearance.

Anthony spent his time with Henry, but Alice caught him looking over to check on her regularly . . . every time she glanced over at him in fact. It was reassuring having him watch out for her.

At the end of the day, when Sir Marcus and her siblings were preparing to leave with promises to return the following morning, Sir Marcus took Alice’s hand in his and lifted it to his lips. “Sleep well,” he said, his gaze meeting hers. “I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

“You too,” said Alice with a smile. His attention was lovely, but she could not help but notice that her body did not respond to his touch anything like it did when Anthony was even merely in the same room as her.

Chapter Twenty

Disappointingly, the weather the following morning did not look at all promising and threatened to keep everyone indoors. Everyone except Alice who slipped out to the stables well before breakfast. Being at Anthony’s estate was undoubtedly less taxing than being at a London ball, but Alice felt like she was on display every time she stepped out of her room. How could she have possibly imagined that being a guest at a house party hosted by Anthony would be anything like being home?

There were people everywhere, in every part of the house. The only escape from them was her room where she could potentially hide with a book. But if she stayed there too long, someone was bound to come and check on her. She could not even go for a ride because she knew as soon as she declared her intention, at least five other people would decide they would join her, or she would be convinced not to do so because of a bit of rain.

Her best chance of finding a slice of time to herself was to get up as early as possible. So that is what she had decided to do. She would snatch that little pocket of peace to fuel her for the rest of the day. Some solitude with the horses would centre her.

She was brushing down Rosalind when she heard Anthony say, "Good morning," from behind her.

"You made me jump," she said, turning to face him. She could do nothing to prevent the smile her face broke into. It seemed Anthony was the one person she did not require time away from.

"Sorry, that was not my intention. You are out here early."

"I needed some quiet time before being with everyone again at breakfast."

"Me too."

Alice shook her head. "It is like I grew up alongside a completely different person. I always imagined you loved being around people."

"I think it comes from growing up an only child, I am used to an almost silent house."

Alice nodded.

Anthony sat down on a hay bale.