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“You are known for dressing so finely,” Emily said. “No one would ever know.”

“That is why it is so much fun.”

The swish of skirts alerted Adam to the ladies’ movement in the room. Giving himself a mental shake, he moved toward the doorway. There would be time enough later to determine whether or not his eavesdropping on this conversation would affect his view of Miss Hadford. For now, he needed to pull himself together and approach her with more civility than he had the last time.

Miss Hadford exited the room first. Upon seeing him in the passageway, she stumbled to a halt.

“L-Lord Dunsbourne.” She curtsied.

“Good afternoon, Miss Hadford,” he said.

Emily followed Miss Hadford out of the bedchamber and smiled at him. “Miss Selfridge just left.”

Adam nodded. “I saw her go downstairs with an enormous turquoise cloud in her wake.”

“She is going to use Mother’s silk to make me a whole new gown.” Emily’s face shone. Adam could not recall the last time he had seen her so joyful. If nothing more, he owed Miss Hadford his gratitude for that.

“I am happy to hear it.” He turned to his sister’s guest. “It seems that you are overdue my thanks and my apology, Miss Hadford.”

“For what, my lord?” She appeared genuinely mystified.

“My thanks for the assistance you have given to my sister these past two days. It may not come as a great surprise to learn that I know almost nothing about ordering gowns. Without your input, I fear my desire to procure some for Emily would have gone very badly.” He hazarded a rueful smile and was rewarded with a slight uptick of the corners of Miss Hadford’s lips. “My apology is for my terse response to the inquiry you made yesterday regarding my work. It was not my intent to be discourteous, although in retrospect, I may have come across as such.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Emily’s pleased expression, but his attention was on Miss Hadford. If the shock in her blue eyes was any indication, she had not anticipated his honest admission.

“Thank you, my lord. Spending time with Emily has been a pleasure. If my presence has also been helpful, I am twice glad. As for your apology, it was not expected, but I accept it nonetheless.”

Adam was unprepared for the relief he felt at her words. “Thank you, Miss Hadford.” He hesitated. “If you remain curious as to what I have been doing in the orchard, perhaps you would care for a brief tour?”

“I . . . well . . . that is to say . . .” Myriad emotions flitted across her face, each one disappearing before Adam could fully identify it. She cleared her throat softly and tried her response again. “I should be happy to view your work, my lord.”

“Very well.” His pleasure mingled uncomfortably with apprehension. Although he had spoken of his plans for the orchard and cider production at the Palmers’ dinner, this would be the first time he had shown anyone the progress he had made. “What of you, Emily? Would you like to see what Henry and I have been about all these weeks?”

“Very much,” she said. “May we go right away?”

Adam raised an inquiring eyebrow at Miss Hadford. She gave a brief nod.

“Right away, it is,” he said, offering their guest his arm.

He sensed rather than saw her hesitation, but before he could retract his arm, she took it. And then all he could feel was the warmth of her hand. It penetrated his sleeve, spreading up his arm to his chest. His pulse quickened even as confusion swirled. He had escorted countless young ladies in to dinner and onto ballroom floors, but never before had he experienced a response such as this. He took a steadying breath and attempted to gather his wits. Polite conversation over a short walk. Regardless of his lack of practice, surely he could manage that much.

Chapter 8

What had happened to the aloof, enigmatic Lord Dunsbourne? Phoebe had not particularly liked the gentleman, but given the choice, she would choose him over the man presently escorting her out of Dunsbourne Manor. The former was safer.

It had been all too easy to label that Lord Dunsbourne an unprincipled gambler and a forbidding older brother. It was considerably more difficult to do so with the charming, handsome man currently walking along the gravel path that circuited the large house. And yet, she must. Somehow, she had to look past the unexpected pleasure of this moment and remember that the late Lord Dunsbourne’s death had been caused by this very gentleman’s reprobate actions and that Emily had scarcely been allowed outside the manor since then.

They followed the path past a wide lawn and flower garden. She spotted an inviting bench positioned beneath an ancient sycamore on their left, and a little farther along, the stables appeared on their right. A meadowlark sang somewhere nearby, but it was the only thing that broke the silence until they came upon a solid line of trees.

“You have pruned the branches. The mad tangle is gone,” Emily said.

At Emily’s look of wonder, Lord Dunsbourne chuckled. “It truly has been some time since you visited this part of the grounds.”

She nodded. “Miss Glover disapproves of young ladies climbing trees, and ever since I was stung by a bee whilst walking through the orchard, she has refused to come this way. Between the flowers in the spring and the dropped fruit in the autumn, there were always too many buzzing insects for her peace of mind.”

“You do not need to have Miss Glover with you to come here, Em. You are welcome anytime. And if I have my way, there will be no fruit wasting away on the ground this year.”

Had Lord Dunsbourne just given Emily an open invitation to explore the orchards and the work being done here? Was that level of freedom a new development? Phoebe glanced at her friend. Emily appeared pleased.