“There’s an inn nearby in Dorking. With all the amenities.”
“A temptation, to be sure. But it lacks one thing of which I find myself in need.”
Her head tilted, those brows flying fast toward one another. “Oh? And what is that?”
“My wife.”
She rolled her eyes, her entire body giving a stout shake of what he assumed was frustration. “You are impossible. You do not need me. You do not even like me.”
“That’s not true.” He rose slowly, prowled toward her, feeling the decreasing space between them like a never-ending bolt of lightning, buzzing. “I’m halfway to being in love with you.”
She snorted. Her eyes were getting quite the work out, and when he slipped his hand around her waist and hauled her close, she squeaked, a little cry that left her lips parted as he nestled her close. Hip to hip.
“It’s true. If I were the type of man to fall in love, I’d be there already.” But damn… he might just love holding her like this. She was a wild animal in his arms, refusing to be tamed. And who would want to tame her? Not him. He’d want to tangle with her in the wilderness.
Her palms had found his chest, flattened, pushed. “You’re not that type of man, and if you were, it wouldn’t be me you fell for. Release me.”
The small of her back felt like home, and something large and growing larger in his chest threatened to stop him from breathing altogether. “Come back to London with me.”
“No.”
“Mulish woman.”Lovely woman.Warm curves and intelligent eyes. “Come back only until this house is fixed and servants hired. You cannot believe I’ll let you live here like this. Now I know. Now I’ve seen.”
“Let me? Ha!” She struggled out of his arms, wisps of hair sticking to her lips. Those red lips. “Where you see me now is where I stay.” She dropped into a nearby seat, spine stiff and chin high.
Felix sat across from her, sinking low and extending one leg out as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Then I stay, too.”
Her mouth dropped open.
He grinned.
A boom of thunder shook the house, announcing the arrival of the storm.
“See. A deluge no doubt. I’d say that’s a sign. Even God must want me to stay.”
Those brows, winging down and adorably expressive. But then they rose up once more, and a slow, devious smile curled up one cheek. “I’m glad you’re comfortable here, my lord. But your poor horse must be quite put out.”
“Bloody hell!” He’d forgotten about Troy, and he jumped for the door to the sound of Caroline’s gut-deep laughter.
“If you remain at Hawthorne, you must learn to do without, my lord. That includes grooms and stable hands.” Her voice followed him into the entry hall and out into the rain where poor Troy—Damn. Where was Troy? He’d forgotten to tie him up.
Felix found the horse in the trees at the side of the house. He grabbed the reins and moved toward the stables. Hopefully it was better equipped for life than the house currently was. “Come along, boy. We’ll learn how to fend for ourselves for a few days.” Surely it would take no longer than that to convince her to see sense.
Chapter Six
If Caroline possessedany luck Felix would never walk back through that door. Unfortunately, her luck had already proven ill when he’d shown up in the first place.
No, things had begun to go south before that, with his grandfather’s arrival.
She should have expected this. Some men cared not what women did as long as they didn’t cuckhold them. Other men cared too much what women did, chaining them close. Then there was another sort, those like Felix and Siswell, who let women do as they pleased, so long as they were allowed to play the knight in shining armor at her side.
Sigh.
She’d hoped Felix would be the first sort, the one who didn’t give a damn one way or another. Apparently, he was the type who liked to play knight.
Disaster of disasters, her husband was here to stay. She should not be encouraging him. He’d see the food and tea she’d brought in from the kitchen as a concession. No such thing! She couldn’t let him starve, but she would not let him stay, and she would not retreat to London with him, either.
But! Miracle, blessing, bit ofgoodluck—there was currently nothing to hide at Hawthorne except for slow-going renovations. The men she’d hired to patch the roof had come and gone, barely condescending to work for her. Every time they’d asked a question, they’d demanded to speak to her husband. Merely convincing them she was the one who held the purse strings had added too many days to their project. The windows would be the same. She’d written to enlist her brother-in-law’s help to speed up the process, but she’d not heard back from him yet.
