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“I always will,” he promised, before turning to smile at Theo in such a companionable way she felt a mite of agitation ease. “Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
He handed her into the curricle, and they rushed off, soon passing the stone pillars that marked the entry to Stapleton Court.
Chapter 26
Daniel snapped the reins, now that the town was behind them and they approached a straight stretch. He could never claim to have the skills of the Corinthians, men like Nicholas Stamford, the Earl of Hawkesbury’s son, whose exploits on the battlefield were matched by a certain sophistication Daniel ascribed to members of that class. He glanced across at Theodosia. She possessed a quiet elegance that some might consider as of that class too.
“I see your driving has improved,” she noted. “But it might prove even better if you kept your eyes on the road.”
He laughed and obeyed. “I’m glad you noticed.”
Hedges flashed past, stands of trees, farms, and the long, broad brown hill known as Humbleton.
He risked her displeasure by sneaking another peek at her. “Are you warm enough?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Not daunted?”
“How can I be when with you?”
He chuckled. “You say the kindest things, dear heart.”
She blushed and pulled the lap robe higher. “Remember when we readHenry IV?” She pointed to a stone marker in a field on the right. “That is the Bendor Stone, which some think to be the battle stone associated with the Battle of Holmedon Hill.”
He slowed a little, saw a nondescript stone propped up in a green field with a few uninterested sheep. A wry chuckle escaped.
“What is so amusing?”
He shook his head. “It astounds me that we are so determined to lay our lives down to possess land or fight for a cause, and yet here, hundreds of years later, it’s so peaceful.”
“Yet without the fighting, that peace may not happen. Which makes it worth it, does it not?”
“I should like to think that our cause in the Peninsular was most worthwhile.”
“Saving lives from a dictator most certainly counts as worthwhile.”
His heart grew soft at her approval.
They talked little as they completed the next miles, but though his tongue was still, his mind turned quickly. Her willingness to join him on this mad endeavor was one thing. Would she acquiesce to what he posed next? He exhaled, conscious of a drumming pulse, and prayed.
She shivered.
He inched a fraction closer. “This air has a nip, doesn’t it?”
“I wasn’t expecting to be travelling today,” she reminded.
“I am very glad that you agreed.”
“Poor Becky. I hope the woman you have arranged as Becky’s companion will be kindly and of good cheer.”
“I think she will prove most appropriate.”
“Hmm. But ‘appropriate’ does not always lend itself to endearment.”
“In this case, I’m confident Becky will find the woman I have chosen to be most endearing.”
