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“Yes, I was hoping that—” She paused abruptly, finally noticing his bedraggled appearance. “What happened to you?”
“I was out in the woods and I…” His eyes darted toward Kensington. Realizing he wasn’t needed for the conversation, the duke tipped his head and sauntered away. “I fell down.”
“You fell?” Olivia burst out in musical laughter. “Oh, poor dear, you are just as clumsy as I am.”
Jarvis nodded. “I must be. Did you want something? You said you were looking for me.”
“Yes. Caroline taught me some things that I would love to try out on you.”
Jarvis groaned internally. “What did she teach you?”
“Just some… communication skills.” Olivia played with her hair nervously, unwittingly drawing his eyes to her pale, silky neck.
Jarvis heaved a sigh. “Well, obviously, I need to clean up. I cannot be seen in this attire for long.”
“No,” Olivia agreed. “But perhaps you can meet me in the gardens in an hour?”
Jarvis had a peculiar feeling about being outside today. Somebody was after him, and in order for him to be truly safe, he needed to be surrounded by people. The shooting in the woods had stopped right when Kensington showed up. So either his attacker didn’t want to unintentionally shoot the duke or—
“Jarvis?”
Jarvis shook his head to dislodge the thoughts from his mind. “I do not think a walk in the gardens is a good idea. I’ve been out today once already. I have no desire to repeat the experience.”
“Oh.” Olivia pouted.
She clearly thought he didn’t fancy spending time with her. If she only knew that was the only thing he fancied. But he didn’t want to endanger her. What if he was accosted in the gardens again with Olivia by his side?
“How about we talk about whatever it is during dinner? I think you need to practice your skills in a throng of people. You know you can communicate well with me when we are one on one.”
Olivia nodded. “All right. But the riding excursion is tomorrow, and I do not want to act like a complete fool in front of Bradshaw. I need this practice.”
“I know. And I shall help you. But I need to recover from the… er… fall.”
“Oh, apologies. I didn’t realize—were you hurt?”
“Not much. Aside from my torn attire and my pride, I probably acquired a couple of bruises. Nothing a warm bath won’t cure.” He tipped his head toward her and turned to leave. “Have a great day, Olive. I’ll see you at dinner.”
