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His indifference amused her, making her want to be extra talkative. It was a fault of hers, her sense of humor, and irreverence. “And it’s Miss Roberts,” she said, arching a brow, “or Cara, but not just Roberts. I think that’s a man’s name.” Then she smiled at him, giving him the full benefit of her wide smile, her smile admittedly one of her best features.
He didn’t smile back, but then she hadn’t expected him to. He wasn’t your average man. Tall, broad-shouldered, darkly handsome… undoubtedly too handsome for his own good.
Lord Sherbourne looked as if he’d stepped off of the cover of a Barbara Cartland romance, one of the books she’d found in her grandmother’s stash of romances. No one in the family had known that Cara had not dropped them off at the local thrift store, but had kept the boxes, particularly all the ones by Barbara Cartland.The Impetuous Duchess. The Ruthless Rake.The men on those covers all had dark hair and slashing cheekbones, a face they called sculpted. The men wore crisp white shirts and impeccably tailored black coats, their neck ties ruffled, muscular legs poured into fitted trousers and tall, glossy black boots.
In short, Lord Sherbourne was a Barbara Cartland hero. Her heroes were neither friendly, nor approachable. No, they were arrogant. Aloof.
Sherbourne was just as aloof as a Cartland hero.
She was intrigued, but not intimidated. Fortunately, she hadn’t come here to mingle with him or meet his friends. She’d come to have an adventure, and once she had a good night’s sleep, her adventure could begin.
“Thank you for the lovely welcome,” she said with another easy smile, “but I don’t want to take up any more of your time. Mrs. Booth has been helping me and, between us, we will get this handled.”
His eyes narrowed. “Mrs. Booth has more than enough on her plate. Could you explain to me the issue?”
Cara didn’t know who did the bookings or handled the reservations, and the last thing she wanted to do was get any of his staff in trouble, particularly after one of them kindly donated a stay to her nephew’s school auction. “It seems the Gamekeeper’s Cottage was double-booked. My stay had been confirmed several weeks ago, and yet you have a family there now. They’ve arrived a week ago, and have a few more days left.”
He looked even more displeased, if it was possible. He glanced at Mrs. Booth. “Have you phoned Harry or Susan?”
“She’s only just arrived, and I wasn’t sure we needed to alert them, not if we could handle it ourselves.” Mrs. Booth gave him a bright smile. “I had a quick conversation with Mr. Trimble while waiting for her to arrive, and he said the Gardener’s Cottage, which has been under reno, could be cleaned up and readied for Miss Roberts. She would be able to move in tomorrow.”
He glanced out the window, and Cara’s gaze followed. It had begun to rain. She could hear a pinging on a roof somewhere, or perhaps on one of the many chimneys.
“This has never happened before,” he said grimly, looking back at Cara and then Mrs. Booth. “At least, not to my recollection.”
“Well, it has,” Mrs. Booth answered, “but the staff was able to handle it without you knowing. Always better that way. Butyou’re here now, and Mr. Trimble and I have a plan, so you go see your dogs, and I’ll have Cook prepare something for you, unless you’d rather wait until dinner?”
“Dinner is fine.” He shot Cara another unhappy look before quitting the room.
In the distance the dogs went crazy, howling with pleasure.
Mrs. Booth turned to Cara. “See? Everything will be right as rain. Don’t you worry.”
Cara glanced toward the hall where Lord Sherbourne had disappeared. “He doesn’t like me here.”
“Don’t mind him. He’s just driven up from London, and the traffic makes it almost unbearable.”
The rain was coming down harder, the drops streaking the thick glass. She heard a rattle and a bang.
“Just the wind,” Mrs. Booth said. “It’s an old place. Something always makes a noise.” She gave Cara another smile before bustling out.
Cara sank into her chair and slumped against the upholstered back, exhausted. This was not the arrival she’d expected. She hadn’t imagined a welcome basket, but a bed and bathroom would be most appreciated.
She didn’t know how long she sat there because she’d closed her eyes for just a moment, and then suddenly there were footsteps and Sherbourne’s autocratic voice ringing out. “Where did Mrs. Booth go?”
Cara sat up, stretching a little and blinking. Her head felt thick. She was still drowsy. To be honest, she had no idea how long she’d been asleep. “I don’t know, but I’m sure she’s working on getting me situated.”
“This is not what I expected to find, coming home after so many months away.”
“I hadn’t expected so many… issues… either. But it probably was just a glitch in the booking system, which is why I gotbooked into a cottage that already has occupants. I’m grateful Mrs. Booth has been trying to help sort it out. She’s a lovely lady.”
“She is. I’m quite fond of her.”
He didn’t smile as he said it. In fact, he didn’t smile at all. Cara wasn’t sure what to make of him. “How are your dogs?”
He’d glanced away but he focused on her again. “Did you meet them?”
“No. Just heard them. They sounded very happy that you were home.”
