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“For what your parents did and the way they left you behind to clear up their mess.” She grimaced with the words. “It’s not something any child should have to go through.” When she stumbled, too, on the overgrown weeds and the tree roots, he caught her hand, holding her up. “Thank you,” she murmured, her voice quieter than before.
They were standing so close together that Elliot quite forgot what they were out there to do. He thought only of Ophelia.
“Oh, look!” She gestured behind him. “There’s another.”
Elliot turned round and raised his gun, aiming at the deer in question. This one was rather small. He was not fond of the hunt when the animals were so small, as it suggested they had longer to live yet, so he lowered his gun. When he heard a deep rumbling, at first, he thought Ophelia had taken the shot. But he looked behind him to see she had done no such thing.
“What was that?” she asked, then looked at the sky as he did, just as a second rumble rolled out.
“Thunder.” Elliot peered through the pine tree canopies. Through the needles, he could see the dark clouds were gathering fast. A bright flash happened overhead, and the rain began. “Well, I’d say that’s the end of our hunt.”
“The deer will be running for cover.” She tucked the gun under her arm. “As we should be.” She hitched up her skirt higher and began to run through the trees. Elliot followed her, glancing back just once to see the young deer trot off to safety.
As they raced, it soon became clear they would not be able to make it back to the house without becoming drenched.
“It’s getting worse!” Ophelia called to him as the rain came down like long needles. She took shelter under one of the wider pine trees, with branches that stretched out over her head. Elliot had to bend to step under those same branches, listening as the rain came down hard, creating quick puddles at their feet and making the branches shake.
“We can’t make it back to the house like this; not easily, anyway.” Elliot pointed between the trees as an idea occurred to him. “This way. There’s an old folly at the edge of the estate; it used to be part of the castle once built here. We can shelter there.”
When Ophelia struggled to step out, with the hem of her dress getting caught in the mud, he took the gun from her to help. With the guns resting over his shoulder, he led the way through the trees. They crossed a path that was becoming more of a river than a gravel drive at all, heading toward a grey stone turret banked by trees on one side and a river on the other.
Reaching for the door, Elliot pushed it open wide and rushed inside, discarding the guns against the nearest wall. Ophelia followed him in, so drenched that as she pulled at her spencer jacket and the gown, they stuck to her skin, not moving at all. Elliot had to tear his eyes away from how the clothes moulded to her figure as he closed the door behind them.
“Well, I think I’m a little damp,” Ophelia said wryly, pulling a laugh from him.
“Just a little.” He stepped away from the door, looking out across the folly. It was just one small room with a timber roof overhead. On one side were the remains of an old fireplace, that hadn’t seen a fire for many years, and on the other was a window that looked out across the estate. “It’s been fun, though, I’ll say that.”
“It has,” Ophelia confirmed, turning and smiling at him. “I’m glad you came today.”
“I’m glad you came, too.” Elliot couldn’t hold back how broad his smile had become. “I will admit, after you changed your mind last time, I feared you might again.”
Abruptly, Ophelia’s smile vanished.
“Changed my mind?” she repeated, standing a little distance away from him in the room with the drops of rain falling off her gown and creating a puddle on the flagstone floor. “What do you mean?”
“The picnic,” he said, reminding her gently. “It’s all right. I understand if things were happening too fast. Everything has happened so quickly between us, after all. But I will admit, I’m very glad you came today.”
Still, she did not return his smile. He moved his hands to his hips, beginning to wonder if he had said something wrong.
“Elliot, I do not understand.” She shook her head. “Youwere the one who changedyourmind. You said you didn’t want to come on the picnic.”
“I beg your pardon?” Elliot bent forward a little in surprise, his jaw dropping. “I did no such thing. I waited for you at the door, until your maid told me you were not coming.”
“What?” Ophelia stepped sharply toward him. “Say that again, please.”
“I waited for you.” Elliot spoke clearer this time. “Miss Barge came to see me, bearing your message that you no longer wished to come.”
Before he had even finished the words, Ophelia was shaking her head.
“No, no. I did not send my maid with any message of the kind.”
Elliot breathed deeply, waiting for her to go on. She continued to stare at him, in equal amazement.
“You didn’t send a message?” he said slowly.
“No. When I came downstairs ready for the walk, Miss Barge was there. She said you had left already and that you no longer wished to go.” She motioned toward him with both hands, her manner quite desperate all of a sudden.
“I said no such thing either.” He moved toward her, the distance between them closing a little. “Wait, wait. Let us get this straight, because I am so confused in this moment that I cannot think accordingly.” He held up his hands, closing his eyes for a second and then opening them again. “You and I both wanted to go on that walk, yes?”
