Daniel offered his hand to Olivia, who put out hers in return. Without hesitation, Daniel took her gloved hand and kissed it while sharp-fanged snakes writhed in Evan’s chest, biting at his heart.
“You are welcome here, Miss Agarn,” Daniel said, holding her hand for a moment longer than Evan appreciated. “I apologize for the chaos you have found yourself amongst, for though the party is to be tonight, there is much to be done. My mother ought to be appearing soon to manage the troops, as I do not have the faintest idea of how to proceed. Indeed, my instructions were very simple—to stay out of the way.”
Olivia laughed one of her bright, soul-warming laughs. “I should think that would be a blissful thing to hear. Your poor servants would undoubtedly relish hearing such a command.” She sighed. “In truth, as I was telling your cook, I feel rather terrible for causing everyone such bother.”
“Nonsense.” Daniel smiled. “This happy occasion must be thoroughly celebrated, for it is not every day that my dear cousin finds himself a beautiful, intelligent, amusing bride to wed.”
“I believe he expected a dullard, so I must have been quite the shock,” Olivia remarked, flashing Evan a mischievous glance.
Daniel shook his head. “Let us call you a ‘pleasant surprise,’ instead. And you could not find a better gentleman than my cousin here.” He closed the gap between himself and Evan, clapping the latter hard on the back.
“Oh, I shall have to take your word for it, My Lord, as I did not search at all,” Olivia quipped, and Evan’s cousins disintegrated into laughter while Evan fought to cool off his rising temper. He did not anger easily, but for some reason, Olivia kept fueling unfamiliar emotions in him.
Evan straightened up. “I thought it best to introduce you before the party, but we should not distract you; I am certain you have business to attend to, as always.”
He knew he was supposed to be making his cousin seem like the more favorable choice, but his plan had fallen apart upon seeing the way Daniel’s eyes had lit up when seeing Olivia for the first time. And her smile and her laughter had the serpents in Evan’s chest nipping even harder at his sensibilities.
“Actually, I am currently indisposed. Mother said I should enjoy the party, and I have taken her suggestion to heart,” Daniel replied. “For at least two days, I do not intend to even think of business or contracts or anything of that ilk. The guests will not be arriving until this afternoon, if everyone is not opposed to some leisurely exploits. We could show Miss Agarn the gardens, perhaps, considering it is a fine day?”
Olivia clapped her hands together. “I have fallen in love with them already, My Lord, but I should relish seeing beyond the walls. There is something about a locked gate, is there not, that brings out the curious child in all of us?”
“My aunt might need us at the house,” Evan grumbled, wishing he had insisted on them venturing into the gardens alone when he had had the opportunity.
Daniel snorted. “She will be glad that we are otherwise occupied while she implements her party strategies,” he assured. “Come, let us indulge the curious children we once were and rediscover the gardens together. I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed them, which is rather a pity.”
“That is because you have been away for too long,” Caroline sighed, looping her arm through her brother’s.
He lightly bumped his head against hers. “I know, dear Caro, but for these two days, I have said, I am entirely at everyone’s disposal.” His eyes rested upon Olivia for a moment. “Why, I might even be inclined to dance tonight, providing I can find a suitable partner.”
You will not come near her. I have no other plan yet, but she cannot be yours. I was foolish to even consider it,Evan’s mind raged as he offered Olivia his hand and guided her back into the morning sunshine, where the fog was just beginning to burn away from the glistening lawns.
* * *
Olivia did not know if it was the earlier “embrace” or the light teasing from his cousins, but Evan’s demeanor had changed considerably as the quartet wandered through the extensive gardens together. She could not profess to know his character too well, but he had never been so silent and stern. Was there some quarrel between the two men that she was not aware of? Perhaps, some long-held contest, for while Daniel was an Earl, Evan was not yet a Duke?
“Was your uncle fond of flowers?” Olivia could not bear the quiet any longer, especially as Caroline and Daniel were chattering away like birds in a tree just up ahead.
Evan shrugged. “If he was not, I doubt he would have bothered with such vast gardens.”
“Did you play here often when you visited your cousins?” she pressed, remembering the details of his awful childhood. Maybe this had been his sanctuary, his paradise away from the hell of his own home.
Evan’s brow furrowed. “They were some of my happiest days. I remember never wanting the summers to end. Nothing good comes from autumn and winter.”
“What of snow?”
“Cold and wet and miserable.”
“You do not truly believe that!” Olivia gaped at him, for she cherished snow, forever waiting for the first flakes to fall. “There is nothing more soothing than coming in from a brisk walk and warming oneself by a roaring fire, or throwing snowballs with friends until you cannot feel your hands, and are so ravenous that you ransack the kitchens for sweet delights and hot, sweet tea.”
He shrugged. “That sounds… unremarkable. All I remember of snow as a child is having it shoved down the back of my collar.”
“While you were away at school?” Olivia prompted, wondering if he would elaborate on what she already knew.
A shadow fell across his expression. “Yes, I suppose it must have been.”
It was not at school, was it? Did your father do that to you?She held her tongue though she was desperate to ask, to let him know that hecouldspeak to her of his past.
“As for autumn, there is nothing finer than picking blackberries and apples and making preserves to eat on toasted bread when the weather turns colder,” she said. “And the sunsets are always so beautiful.”
