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‘The canal?’
‘Yes, Wilts and Berks. ’Twill link the Kennet and Avon to the Thames when it’s done. I’ve made an investment.’
‘You don’t say,’ Frederick said, impressed. ‘How clever.’
‘I hope so. I went to have a look at the progress.’
‘And?’
‘Coming along swimmingly, as best as I could tell.’
They moved off of Rotten Row and trotted down a side alley lined with boxwoods.
‘And then on the way home...?’ Alden prompted. He was James’s best friend, on leave from the war, and James was pleased to spend time with him. But the matter of Miss Norwood, and the fascination she held for him, was also not one he wished to discuss.
‘Yes, I had the misfortune of passing through a marsh. A well-concealed one; I had no idea it was there.’
‘I understand they can be treacherous.’
James gave Merrylegs a pat on the shoulder. ‘Nearly lost this old boy.’
‘But for the efforts of a pretty farm girl, you said?’
‘Yes, Miss Norwood. Quite a happy accident that she was nearby. Knew her way through the marsh, you know. We rescued poor Merrylegs together.’
‘You speak of her with unusual energy, Thorburn,’ Alden said.
‘The whole experience was unexpectedly invigorating, I will own.’
‘No doubt it was a change from the usual garden parties.’
‘Indeed.’
They slowed to a walk, enjoying the June sunshine.
‘I shall leave for Inverley this afternoon,’ Alden informed James. ‘I’ve put it off for long enough.’
‘Devil it, Alden. Who will I ride with, then?’
‘Come to Inverley. We’ve perfectly acceptable grounds to explore, you know.’
James grimaced, then stroked Merrylegs under the mane absently. ‘And leave London in the midst of the Season?’
‘Would you miss it, truly?’ Alden asked with a knowing tone.
As James grinned at him, the sight of his friend’s grey-blue eyes gave him a strange turn. They reminded him, just for a moment, of Katherine Norwood’s eyes.
By the Devil, I’m surely taking leave of my senses when it comes to that girl.
James urged Merrylegs to a canter, staving off further conversation. It wouldn’t do for Alden to notice that James’s ‘unusual energy’ had more to do with a dairymaid than the near-loss of his favorite horse.
Kate
‘Don’t you think you’d better turn back now?’ Edmund asked as they came to a bend in the road.
Kate frowned. ‘Don’t you like having me along for company?’
‘Your aunt shan’t be pleased with me if she finds out you’ve shirked your duties to be with me.’
