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“It’s a wonderful morning, isn’t it?” she sighed, and called greetings to a few of Adelaide’s acquaintances.
“I hope the weather remains fine,” he replied crisply. He frowned at the road to the right, certain that for a moment he had seen the familiar figure in black following them.
“Have I upset you in some way?” she asked when he didn’t seem inclined to make conversation.
He jerked and studied her with a frown. “No. Why would you ask that?”
“You don’t seem yourself this morning.” Indeed, he was a completely different man to the one whom she had kissed on the doorstep only a few hours ago.
“I am just a little tired, that’s all.” He sighed and turned his attention back to the traffic for several moments. When he got the chance to look at her, he immediately saw the hurt she couldn’t hide and cursed himself for being several kinds of fool. “I am sorry, darling,” he murmured. “Please excuse my absent mindedness. I am just thinking about which acquaintances I should ask about Sinnerton. I don’t want to let on to Sinnerton that I am investigating him, but need to ask questions about him. I just don’t want to attract the interest of the gossips and scare Sinnerton off.”
Ursula nodded but sensed that he hadn’t told her the whole reason why he was so vague.
“I have sent the letter off to your father, so he should leave you alone for a while once he receives it.”
“I don’t mind forgetting about the picnic if you have business matters to attend do,” she offered.
“There is nothing waiting on my desk that can’t wait,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“What is it that you do, exactly?” she asked.
It galled her to realise that they had been neighbours for the majority of their lives but she actually knew very little about him; the man. She knew plenty of gossip, and a lot about his childhood, his home and the like, but nothing about the man he had become. It went some small way to reminding her how reckless she had been sharing as much of herself with him as she had, especially her body yesterday.
“I own an estate in Yorkshire; about twenty miles away from Agglethorpe. I also help my father run Hoghampton Hall. I need to sort out several contracts with other estate owners who are in London at the moment.”
“Where are we going?” She asked eyeing the unfamiliar streets around them.
Trenton took a moment to glance around the streets on either side of them, but couldn’t see any sign of their quarry. Once they were clear of the traffic, he turned toward her.
“I have a nice corner of Regent’s Park in mind. Have you been to the park yet?”
“No, not yet,” she replied but didn’t think that he had heard her because he continued to scour the area around them as though he was looking for someone. “What are you looking for?”
“Nothing,” he lied blandly. “I am just thinking that there are a lot of people about today.”
Once at the park they made their way toward the bandstand and settled down beside the lake. The morning sunshine glinted off the smooth surface of the water and seemed to make the day even brighter, but it did little to lighten her melancholy thoughts. She watched Trenton shake the blanket out and accepted the seat he offered her with a gracious nod. Waiting until he took a seat on the opposite side of the blanket, she helped him open the picnic baskets and unwrap the food.
What a difference a day makes, she mused with a rather despondent sigh as she thought about the way she had spent most of yesterday cuddled up with him.
“Are you going to the Humphrey’s ball tomorrow night?” she asked once they had eaten.
“No, I have business to attend to today and tomorrow,” he replied realising then just how brisk that had sounded.
The worried look in her eye warned him that he was neglecting her. He had been so busy looking for Sinnerton that he had forgotten his duties as a host. Tucking all thoughts of Sinnerton and Brampton aside for now, he turned his attention toward the woman who had turned his world upside down.
“I am sorry. I am rather distracted today,” he mused wryly. “Please, forgive me?”
She did. In that moment she would have forgiven him anything, and felt her troubles ease when he began to regale her with funny memories of his childhood that had them both in fits of laughter. As they talked they discussed village gossip, news and events, as well as families, and all strictures, formalities and awkwardness vanished completely.
By the time they had packed the remains of their picnic back into the baskets several hours later, Ursula wonde
red why she had been worrying at all. Whatever had happened this morning to put him in such a bad mood had clearly been forgotten because Trenton had been the delightfully charming man she had come to know and love, and that was good enough for her.
She thought about that as they ambled back toward the curricle. He had come to mean so much to her in such a short space of time that she felt as though she had known him all of her life. This new closeness between them was simply delightful, and eased so many of her doubts and worries about the future, and whether they would have one together, that she couldn’t withhold her smile of delight. She almost resented the formal social strictures of society that prevented them walking with their arms linked or, even better, with his arm wrapped around her as he had last night. Instead, they were forced to keep a decorous distance between them in respect of prying eyes as they walked back to his curricle. However that didn’t stop them gazing lovingly at each other as they walked along,
Suddenly, a voice made them both stop and sigh in disgust.
“Well, don’t you two look the cosy couple? You must be careful or you will end up the talk of the town,” a rather robust voice piped up from several feet behind them.
