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Turned out a farmer who rented land from us had been digging a huge lake for his ducks and geese, so he came to the road with a water pump and pumped some of the water into it, clearing it enough for vehicles to pass.
I didn’t understand the ins and outs of it, and I wasn’t going to ask.
Caleb had called Arthur to see if there was any access, and after Arthur had found out from the farmer, Caleb had shown up at his cottage in his old Land Rover and told him to get in.
Basically.
I liked to imagine it was a Mean Girls kind of thing.
It gave me hope that there was village-wide access… A hope Arthur quickly dashed.
“I’m afraid not, milady. The Fox and Hound is cut off, albeit after a rescue mission. Their fishing lake burst its banks.”
Great.
Miles stilled. “Is everyone there okay?”
“Quite so, Mr. Kingsley,” Arthur replied. “The hotel is on higher ground and has never flooded in its history, unless you count the time the pipes failed.”
Which had nothing to do with a storm, so nobody did.
“Your grandfather is there, am I correct? We did check in on them before we left this morning—they don’t have power, but their generators are working safely. They’re well equipped for this weather, Mr. Kingsley.”
Miles nodded. “I’m sure they are. I’d like to get home all the same. Is the road still accessible?”
“To your property, yeah,” Caleb responded. “But you won’t get much past that, sorry to say. If you need a hand getting there, I have no problem running you home if you don’t have a four-wheel drive. The roads are rough right now, potholes everywhere.”
He did not have a four-wheel drive.
And for what it was worth, potholes were always everywhere.
“He doesn’t,” I offered helpfully. “I had to winch him out of the water last night.”
Miles shot me a dark look.
“Let me make a call or two, Mr. Kingsley,” Arthur said, standing up. “It won’t take me long to find out.”
Caleb looked at me when Arthur left. “Have you seen the animals at all?”
I shook my head. “I’m afraid I haven’t. After you put them away, I hurt my ankle, and we’ve not long had power. It went out around five last night, so we thought it prudent to eat a hot meal before heading out in the rain.”
“Right. I’m done here, so as soon as Arthur returns and we know if Caleb’s car can pass to the village, I’ll get that sorted for you. Do you know when his lordship will return?”
I know this was my life, but it did feel rather Downton Abbey sometimes.
“I don’t,” I said, ignoring how Miles bristled. “I’ve been trying to get through, but I’m hoping either Aunt Cat or Dad will contact me this morning. It would be helpful to know about the state of the roads.”
Caleb inclined his head. “Let me make a few calls of my own. Between us, we can probably have a map to rival Google within ten minutes.”
Now that right there was a statement I didn’t doubt.
Unfortunately, that meant I was left alone with Miles. It was a situation I didn’t want to be in, so I busied myself by collecting the dishes. We’d all mucked in for Caleb and Arthur’s food, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t clean it by myself.
Miles stood, gathering the glasses from the island.
“Leave them,” I said firmly. “I can do it.”
“I’ll he—”
“I am capable of filling and running a dishwasher.” My tone was colder than I’d intended, but I wasn’t entirely sure I’d cared.
After all, I’d spent a long time being nice to him and trying to make friends with him. He’d rebuffed every single one of those gestures, and our conversation this morning had, sadly, made it glaringly clear why he’d done so.
And that was fine.
But I was no longer going to attempt to be kind to someone who had no intention of returning the sentiments.
“Please sit down, Mr. Kingsley,” I said when he didn’t listen to me. “I would prefer if you waited for Arthur and Caleb to return with some information.”
“Gabi, I—”
Gabi.
Gabi.
It was the first time he’d used my name like that.
And I hated it.
I was smarting from our conversation earlier. I wasn’t bloody happy, and I was going to let him know that.
“Lady Hastings.”
Miles froze.
Even I felt the ice in my tone. My voice didn’t feel like my own—it was as if I’d borrowed it from someone.
I turned to face him and met his gaze. It dipped for a second before he returned it up to meet mine. “At the minimum. Given our recent conversation, you would perhaps do well to remember that,” I said quietly, but with no more gentle a tone than my previous words.
Miles hesitated. “Of course, Lady Hastings. If you don’t mind, I’ll check in and see if there’s an update on the roads.”
