“Well, well, we have quite dominated conversation,” Lord Winchester said as he put his empty coffee cup back in his saucer. “You came to call on our daughter, did you not?”
Lady Charlotte looked in danger of dropping her cake fork this time, but narrowly managed to catch it in time.
“Aye, I did.” Gerard spoke boldly, without hesitation. “If yer ankle is up for it, me lady, I wondered if ye would take a walk with me.”
Silence greeted his request.
Lady Winchester smiled, as if it was the greatest thing she had heard all week, and Lord Winchester must have subtly stepped on his daughter’s foot under the table, for she abruptly stood up. She pinkened further, her lips pressing together in mortification.
Poor lass. She detests to be embarrassed.
“Yes,” she said eventually. “Yes, I will come for a walk with you.”
Gerard blinked. For a second, he was certain she was going to say no. After all, why would a fine lady like her agree to a walk with him?
Within minutes, Gerard waited for her on the doorstep as she was handed a small spencer jacket and a bonnet. She followed him outside, her maid following them, ready to act as their chaperone.
On the driveway, they fell into step beside each other, though neither of them said anything, for Lady Winchester was still waving at them rather manically from the doorway. In the end, it took Lord Winchester to pick his wife up to carry her away from the door to let it close.
“Thank ye for coming,” he said in a low tone as they left the driveway and walked out onto the street.
“You are welcome.” She smiled, though it didn’t last. Once again, he got the distinct impression she was saying what she knew she should say, rather than what she wanted to say.
He recollected the evening before and how at the assembly she had bickered with him. It was possible to break through this porcelain air she liked to wear about herself.
If only I could break it again.
“I… I ken about yer family’s financial situation.” At his words, she walked faster. He had to move a little quicker to keep up with her. They reached a gate leading off the street into one of the London parks and hurried onto the path. The poor maid had to practically run to keep up with them. “I heard the rumors last night.”
“Abominable,” she murmured, walking on.
“What is?”
“You referring to it,” she said sniffily. “No gentleman should refer to a lady’s financial situation.”
“Well, we’ll consider that lesson one.”
“Lesson one of what?” She jerked her head toward him, but he gave no more clues at this moment.
“Am I right in me understanding, lass?” When he addressed her in this familiar way, as he had done the night before, she flinched. At least this time, she didn’t look outraged.
He felt that warmth he had felt toward her the night before. He had a feeling anything she asked him to call her, he would do it. Just to please her.
“We are still comfortable,” she said, wringing her hands together so persistently that he glanced down at what she was doing. She must have noticed, for she flattened her palms together. “Thetonlikes to talk of any scandal, and my family certainly falls into that bracket. My father made some unwise investments these last few years. Whatever rumors you hear about the reason for our fall from fortune, know this.”
She paused and looked at him. He paused beside her, showing he was giving her his full attention. “Those rumors are lies. Thetruth is that my father did make bad investments, and that is all.”
“I ken well enough how the rumor mill can take a truth and turn it into fiction. I trust yer word,” he assured her with a nod.
She arched her brows, as though she did not believe him.
“Shall we walk on again?” He gestured to a path along the stream and fell into step beside her once again. “I dinnae bring the matter up to embarrass ye.”
“You seemed to take delight in making me blush last night.”
“Aha, there is a little freedom of voice.” He smiled and she stiffened, as if she could not believe what she herself had uttered. “As I say, I dinnae bring it up to hurt ye. I just believe in being honest. In plain speaking.”
“Thetonrarely does that. People like to talk around matters, rather than speak of them directly.”
