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Trey hummed tohimself as he manipulated the reins of an open carriage. There was no snow, but it was in the offing, for those dark clouds hadn’t moved off. Plus, the air had turned chilly enough to necessitate a woolen neck muffler and buttoning his greatcoat. It also meant no sleigh, which was why he’d been forced to journey to Evergreen House in a carriage.
Now that he’d had his siblings’ support in pursuing Noelle, he wished to waste no more time. Would she be in residence? He hoped so. Perhaps he should have sent over a note indicating his plans. Would she even want to go along with them?
Bloody hell,but it had been a long time indeed since he’d last courted a woman.
She’d been truthful enough when she’d said upon their first meeting that she lived a mile from the Park. And that lane he’d spied yesterday did indeed lead to her residence in question. As soon as he pulled around the curved drive, he grinned. Evergreen House had been a good choice of name. Stands of the trees encroached on both sides of the edifice while English ivy crept up most of the front brickwork. No doubt in the middle of high summer, the house would resemble a fairy oasis with the forest as a backdrop while green grass rolled over the lawn and wildflower meadows were a burst of color beyond.
Thenshewas there, just coming out the door and wearing the same cloak she’d had on yesterday. An empty basket was hooked over one arm, and when the slight breeze flirted with the edge of her cloak, it revealed the rich maroon color of her dress.
“Good afternoon, Noelle.”
Her grin had the power to push away the clouds. Genuine pleasure lit her face. “Trey! What are you doing here?”
“Coming to ask if you’d go on a drive with me. Since there’s no snow, the carriage will have to do.” Holding her gaze, he continued. “Unless your time is already spoken for?” He hadn’t considered that, but he leaned over, and temporarily dropping the reins, Trey pushed open the door on the opposite side of the carriage.
“I was only going to the market, but the errand can wait. We’ve plenty to eat in the meanwhile.” As she passed in front of the horse, she touched a gloved hand to the bay mare’s muzzle. “Did you have a destination in mind this afternoon?”
“Not really. I merely wished to spend time with you.” When she hiked her skirts up and climbed into the carriage, his heartbeat raced at the flash of a slim calf. “Allow me to make you comfortable.” With the toe of his boot, he slipped a heated brick beneath her feet, and when she settled onto the squabbed bench beside him, Trey tucked a fur-lined lap blanket about her person.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
What a nodcock notion. Making certain a lady was warm while on a carriage ride was hardly the same as swaddling a baby. Yet he couldn’t banish the Biblical passages from his mind. Something about her and the sheep and the season all worked to muddle it together.
“How luxurious.” She buried her fingers into the fabric and then pulled the edge up and buried her face in it. “Such an expensive frippery.”
His heart squeezed, for such items were commonplace in his world. “As I told you the day we met, you’re the first Noelle I’ve known. That alone begs for more information.” Trey resumed his seat, took up the reins once more, and then set the horse into motion.
“Is that a good thing?” A trace of anxiety had set up in her voice.
The lilac scent of her wafted to his nose. “Honestly, I suspect it’s the most wonderful thing to have happened to me yet.”
“Good. I feel the same way.” The look she shot him sent awareness dancing over his skin and down his spine. “I’m glad to see you.”
“That’s a good start.” Trey grinned while he guided the horse onto the country lane. “I want to know everything about you, but for now, why don’t you tell me about your fiancé.”
“Well, that’s quite specific.” Surprise filled her expression as she stared at him.
Trey shrugged. “You’re not a young girl at a come out, and I already know of your childhood. Earlier this week, you’d alluded to being engaged. I figured you must have a romantic history. Pretty women like you always do.”
“Oh.” A blush stained her cheeks. “Well, Harry was shy and retiring. He loved England, wished to join the fight against Napoleon to rid the world of his sort of evil. Like him, none of the men going away thought the war would last as long as it did, and none of them expected they’d become a casualty.”
That tiny catch in her voice tugged at his chest. “That’s exactly what I thought, too.”
Noelle nodded. “Harry died just before his commission expired. It was difficult for me, especially having to pack away my dreams along with a modest trousseau into a trunk. I knew when I was notified of his death that my life had irrevocably changed.” Her eyes misted and she stared ahead, far away in the distance. She tightened her fingers around the handle of her willow basket. “I’ve never told this to anyone, but I haven’t opened that trunk in years. It remains at the foot of my bed as a testament to what might have been.”
“I’m sorry.” He nudged her foot with his.
When she shrugged, her shoulder brushed his. “It’s life.”
“But you still hold onto that hope, yes?”
“Perhaps, if the right man came along.” When she turned her head and peered at him, the emotions in her blue eyes were shadowed. “What of you? Have you ever been in love?”
Had he? If he were honest, he had not. “No, but I’ve not been a monk either.”
One of her eyebrows rose. “Ah, then you enjoy playing the rake?”
“I merely like taking pleasure or finding happiness and acceptance where I can. If that comes by seeking solace in the arms of a willing woman, who am I to complain?” God, that made him sound like the rake she’d likened him to. “But those times are few and far between. I’ll admit, some women can’t stomach being with a man who only has one arm.”
