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“Then shall we have our picnic instead?”
“Yes, please.”
“How about along the shore of the canal? There were some beautiful picnic areas I spotted.”
She hesitated, and then pointed to a location furthest from the canal at the top of an open glade overlooking the par
k.
“How about there instead?”
“But it is so far from everyone—”
He glanced at her face and noticed her steadfast expression. “Right. Of course. Away from that maddening mob we go.”
His accompanying grin took away any sting his sarcastic words might have caused. For though he was right in assuming it was the crowd along the canal that left her feeling uneasy it was, in fact, the canal itself that she wished to avoid.
They turned away from the canal and made their way to the large clearing where they proceeded to spread out a blanket on the well-manicured lawn. Evelina stood overlooking her surroundings as Ryan began unpacking their lunch. There were a few other park goers in the glade with the same idea, but they generally had the area all to themselves. Though they were located in the center of the park, it somehow felt intimate and private to Evelina.
She glanced down and watched Ryan as he finished unpacking the picnic with a genuine smile on her face. She was so glad she gathered the nerve to ask him to take her here. She couldn’t remember having felt this contented in a long while.
Gathering her skirts, she carefully lowered herself to the blanket and made herself comfortable. Before her lay a bountiful meal, which admittedly impressed Evelina with how articulate he was in his selection.
“Why, Mr. Colby, what an impressive spread you have here.”
“My mother always taught me the importance of packing the necessary provisions when courting a lady.”
She made a face. “Your mother taught you that?”
“Of course.” He feigned insult that she would question his claim. “The many teachings of a proper woman desperate to make gentlemen out of her three sons.”
Evelina’s interest was immediately piqued. “Three sons?”
It occurred to her that this was the first time Ryan had ever talked about his family and that little tidbit of memory he shared earlier was the first time he ever talked about his personal life at all. She remembered her father mentioning a brother who had married Ryan’s fiancée and suddenly she had an urge to know more. Particularly about this fiancée.
“Yes, the poor woman, we were three wild and insufferable boys.”
Wanting to learn more, she wondered how to approach the subject. She didn’t want to overstep her boundaries but she longed to inquire further. He certainly seemed fond of his siblings but she wondered if there were any underlining grudges or unresolved issues toward the brother who had stolen his fiancée. Desperately wanting to ask yet mindful of how inappropriate it would be, she couldn’t summon the courage to ask.
“I brought us something I think you will enjoy.”
“What would that be?”
From the bottom of the picnic basket, he withdrew a flat wooden box. Evelina recognized it immediately from when he brought it that day that he and Kathleen played a round of chess together.
“Care to play?”
She smiled naturally. “I’d love to.”
“I am curious to see if you play as well as you boast.” His eyes twinkled in mirth as he jested good-naturedly.
“Prepare to lose, Mr. Colby. The odds have been favorably on my side when playing against father.”
“Is that so? Do you care to wager on that, Miss Hepworth?”
Her cheerfulness vanished immediately. “Betting is a sin.”
“I beg your pardon,” he said. “I should have elaborated further. I did not mean money. Simply for fun.”
