AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Your brother said the same thing.” And I had yet to determine if it was a compliment or a condemnation.
Henry looked at me sharply. “So he told you of Miss Whitstone?”
“And their brief courting, yes.”
“There I was doing my best to avoid the Whitstones, and evidently it was pointless.”
We crossed over the stone bridge, Chelton sitting squarely ahead of us, and a large rut in the road jolted me on the bench. I reached for something to grasp on to when Henry’s arm jutted out and kept me secured to the seat.
He slowed the horses and turned to me abruptly, removing his arm. “Forgive me, Felicity. That blasted rut has yet to be fixed. I meant to watch for it, but I admit to growing distracted.” He ran a hand over his chin.
“All is well.”
“Perhaps I ought to begin working on the rut tomorrow. It is far worse than I gave James credit for.” He shook his head and continued toward the house. “The man tries me deeply—as brothers are often expected to do—but he knows what he’s about.”
“I have so far found that to be the case, as well.”
Henry stopped the curricle outside of Chelton’s enormous stable yard. Green, rolling hills spread up behind it and the river ran before it, slipping beneath the wide, arching bridge, with Chelton to our side. It was idyllic, and I wished I could enjoy the mastery of the sunny scene around me, but my heart was in York, and my nerves were frayed.
“Perhaps when James returns you ought to suggest an outing that would suit you both,” Henry said carefully, pulling me from my thoughts. “Not riding, not reading, but something that appeals to both of your preferences.”
“That is a splendid idea, Henry. The only trouble . . .”
He waited, but when I did not complete my thought, he bumped me with his shoulder lightly. “What is the trouble, Felicity?”
I bit my lip and spoke the fear that had been plaguing me since arriving in Cumberland. “I am afraid that does not exist—an activity that appeals to both of us.”
He smiled, shaking his head. “If what I came upon during your ride was any indication, there is certainly one thing you both enjoy. I am confident you will find others.”
My cheeks heated. I knew Henry had found us kissing, but his tactless mention of it was embarrassing.
“After all,” he continued, “James does enjoy some things more than riding and sport. He likes you excessively.”
I smiled, though I knew Henry could not know this for certain. “James is all things kind and amiable. Even if he does not enjoy reading.”
“Well, not all of us can be perfect,” Henry said with an affected air of greatness. He sent me a wink and drove through the archway until we came to a stop inside the carriage yard. A man jogged toward us to hold the horses’ heads and Henry hopped down from the curricle to help me alight.
If there was one thing James’s absence had been good for, it was securing my friendship with Henry. I had long since let go of the idea of any romance between us and had come to count the man as a sibling. I was glad that it appeared he had done the same.
I took his hand and stepped onto the brown gravel drive. “Thank you, sir.”
“It was my pleasure.” He handed the horse’s reins to a stable boy and took my hand to lead me into the house. “Do you have any plans this afternoon, or would you like to meet me in the library for a little reading?”
“That sounds lovely.”
