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“Blind to me?” he asked, looking me over seriously. “You believe I deceived you?”
“No, blinded to the fact that I was most likely not ready to be a wife then,” I replied. “I loved you so much that I wished to marry you as quickly as possible with no regard to whether I was ready to manage an estate. There was so much I did not see because you took up all my vision. If not for my mama, I would not be as prepared as I am now. She protected me from myself. Marcella does not have that. Part of me believes she married only to best her cousins.”
“Or maybe she has seen all she needs to see and accepts it is part of the bargain,” he pressed, unfailing and cold.
“You truly have little faith in people.”
“I have never hidden that from you.” He shrugged. “I do not see how anyone could fall for a man like Fitzwilliam. Is it not obvious his words are laced with poison meant to trick and seduce?”
“It may be obvious to you, but to a girl who has never seen anything beyond a drawing room, with limited exposure to any men, it all seems very sincere.”
It was unfair, really. How were women to know the difference between roses and snakes when they blinded us from birth and threw us into the bush after a set number of years? “This world sees us—women—as lambs, and our survival depends upon our shepherds.”
“And yet you all buck at the shepherds,” he teased. “For you and Verity both hate chaperones and the like.”
“No, we hate being the sheep,” I replied.
He laughed deeply from his chest.
“What?”
He shook his head.
“You cannot laugh at me and not explain why.” I frowned.
“I had the image of a herd of sheep rising in revolt and found it funny!”
“You believe us not possible of revolting?” I asked.
“It would be very cute of you.”
I glared and then lifted my leg over to the other side of the horse, no longer riding like a lady.
“Long live the sheep!” I snapped at him before I kicked into the horse and bolted forward with all my might.
“Aphrodite!” he hollered after me.
I rode through the forest with ease, having done so many times with my father when it was just the two of us. It felt nice, seeing the blur of the trees and feeling the pounding of my chest. I had not realized it had been so long. I went on and on until I thought I saw a figure in the woods. I pulled on the reins, but when my horse came to a stop, I couldn’t see anyone.
“Where in God’s name did you learn to ride like that?” Evander asked, beside me again. “I dare say you may be better than your brother.”
“Oh, please do not tell him that. You know how competitive Damon is,” I said, as I peered through the trees. “Did you see someone?”
“You believe I was able to look beyond you? You nearly gave my heart a shock.”
I tried not to laugh. “Now you are dramatic.”
“Yes, very, but I am amazed to find that there is something about you that I did not know already.” He smirked, bringing his horse beside me. “I am tempted to encourage this, for I wish to see how fast you go on clear land.”
“Are you challenging me to a race, sir? That is most inappropriate.”
“I am merely trying to catch a runaway sheep!” He laughed and then looked me over. “Or are you a caged bird? I must make a list of all your analogies. Though I wonder why they are always animals.”
Because animals, like women, could be owned by men. Just then, I heard a rustle through the bushes. Evander heard it as well.
“Who is there?” he called out.
There was no response. A moment later, she revealed herself.
