AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That is a lie, a small voice whispered in her mind.The highwayman.
Her face reddened further. She really did have to expunge that mystery man from her mind entirely. He might have given her a passionate kiss, but she had no idea who he was. It was ridiculous to moon over a fantasy. The man, whoever he was, had probably forgotten about it. He had probably stolen kisses from other girls that night. How would she even know?
“I wish you luck with it,” said Captain Fletcher, interrupting her reverie. “If a love match means so much to you, I shall not stand in your way. If the earl starts to pressure me to woo you I shall just pretend for the sake of it. You do not need to believe it means anything.”
Olivia gave a bark of laughter. “A pretend suitor? How droll. You do not have a romantic bone in your body, do you, Captain? Do you not wish to marry a woman you love one day?”
He shrugged. “I have never given it much thought. Loveormarriage. I enjoy my life too much, milady, to want to be tied down by either. And now that your grandfather has told me that inheriting the earldom is not conditional on marrying you, I do not need to think of it at all.”
Olivia forced a smile onto her face. How dreadfully pragmatic he was. She felt sorry for any poor lady who had the misfortune of falling in love with such a man, for she would be destined to have her heart broken by him. Perhaps Captain Fletcher did not have a heart at all.
“No, you do not,” she said, in a dry voice. “How pleasant for you. The earldom just falling into your lap like that without you having to do anything to earn it in the least.”
He shot her a sharp look. “You make me sound like a fortune hunter, milady. It was your grandfather who soughtme, not the reverse. And I am still ambivalent about whether this great fortune comes without any strings attached. I shall not compromise my life into the ground for it. I would rather be a pauper if I could still have my freedom.”
“You want to keep sailing the seven seas?” she asked, surprise in her voice. “How peculiar. Why would you wish to continue such a life when there is no need?”
He laughed. “Milady, there is a whole world out there for you to discover. Freedom is wonderful after living in a fishbowl. It is intoxicating.”
Olivia’s smile froze on her face. He had hit a nerve. It was true. Shedidlive in a fishbowl, and it was not just because of the privilege of her position in life. It was because her grandfather and mother were overprotective of her to the point of smothering her. She knew they only acted out of love and grief over the loss of her father and brother, but that did not change anything. This was still her life and she had to endure it.
“What did I say?” he asked, looking askance. “You look upset.”
To her horror, tears were burning behind her eyes. “Nothing,” she said, feeling mortified. She did not want to burst into tears in front ofhim, of all people. He would probably tease her about it. “I just got a bug in my eye. That is all.”
Furiously, she wiped at her left eye, pretending to dislodge the imaginary bug. His mouth twitched as he watched her.
“Would you like me to have a look?” he asked in a gentle voice, moving towards her. “I am very good at getting a bug out of an eye. Or so my sister tells me.” He laughed wryly.
“No matter,” she said, in a bright voice, taking a step back. “All better.”
“I am so glad,” he said, staring at her intently.. “And now that we have called a truce, would you like to go back to the house? I can see my sister and aunt are wilting a little.”
To her surprise, he held out his arm to her. She hesitated for a brief moment, before taking it. Strangely, walking arm in arm with him felt familiar, as if she had done it many times before. Olivia frowned. What a disconcerting man he was in so many ways. He was so abrupt and yet could be quite gentle, like when he had offered to get the imaginary bug out of her eye.
But even if he did have the capacity to be gentle, she knew better than to trust him. She would watch Captain Alexander Fletcher with a careful eye, indeed.
***
When Olivia finally got back to the house, entering the parlour, her mother smiled.
“How did you find Miss Fletcher?” she asked.
“Most agreeable,” said Olivia, flopping down on the sofa. “It was quite surprising, really, considering what Captain Fletcher is like.”
“It was kind of you to call upon her,” said Mama. “She must be feeling a bit overwhelmed at the change in her family’s station. She could do with a helping hand.”
Olivia shrugged, but she felt pleased at her mother’s praise. “It is no trouble. I told her I would teach her to ride at Essington and perhaps we may take her and her aunt to the ballet while they are in London. Would that be alright?”
“Of course,” said her mother, smiling. “Your grandfather will be most gratified.” She hesitated. “You know that he still harbours hope you may marry Captain Fletcher.”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I do know it, but it makes no difference. I am determined to find my love match as soon as I can and he agreed that he would let me choose my own husband.” She paused. “The thought of being married to that man is shocking. We would probably end up killing each other.”
“You are so overdramatic, daughter,” said her mother, in a placid voice. “He is very handsome and confident, to be sure. A fine figure of a man. Are you certain you do not feel any admiration for him at all?”
“Quite certain,” said Olivia, but she knew she was lying. It would be pointless to deny to herself that shedidfind Captain Fletcher attractive and had from the first moment she had laid eyes upon him. He was devilishly handsome with those intense blue eyes and commanding physique. If only he were not quite so irritating. Apart from the fact he did not have a romantic bone in his body.
She frowned, pondering his adamant reply to her when she had asked him whether he wanted to find his own love match. Captain Fletcher did not wish to fall in love and patently never had. Idly, she wondered why a man would be so fervent about such a thing, why he would never even contemplate the possibility of it. It was a mystery. Had something happened to him in his past? Had a woman stolen his heart and broken it into a thousand pieces?
