Stewart chuckled. “No, of course you don’t. And neither does Miss Charlotte, I’m sure.”
They wandered further, down the hill and into the woods proper. Though the conversation fell into a companionable silence, Alexander’s own mind was loud. It said a million things to him, though it only said a single thing loud enough to warrant any attention.
Miss Charlotte. Miss Charlotte. Miss Charlotte.
It annoyed him how easily she had wormed her way into his mind. The truth was, he had spent a few days thinking about Stewart’s idea. Miss Charlotte, it turned out, was not merely beautiful, witty, amusing, daring, and carefree. She was incredibly rich, too. And though he had initially dismissed Stewart’s idea of marrying her as ridiculous, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
Of all the women he had met in his life, she was one of the few he would be able to abide living with. She drove him wild, certainly, but he could handle that and if he couldn’t, then he would at least have enough money to build himself a private wing and escape her.
And for now, we could have a little fun.
Besides, there was something strangely alluring about her, and that wasn’t merely her beauty. He wondered whether it was the appeal of Stewart’s idea that had captured his imagination so solidly, or whether it was Miss Charlotte herself.
“I must admit, the idea that I could alleviate all my financial problems in one go is a rather appealing one.”
“You’ve reconsidered my suggestion then,” Stewart said, glancing over at him through the trees between them.
“Let’s just say I’ve decided to think on it further. I had hoped to get to know Miss Charlotte a little better, but I never seem to be able to get her alone.”
“Alone?” Stewart asked, scandalous eyebrows raised.
“Not like that,” Alexander tutted. “But I had hoped to perhaps converse with—”
“Converse?” His eyebrows were still raised. “Is that what we’re calling it these days?”
“Conversewith her,” Alexander reiterated, even though that was not what he had hoped at all. “But she seems to always be busy with Chelsea and your aunt.”
“There is a wedding to prepare for. What else did you expect?”
“Yes, I know, but if I have any hope of—” He stopped, sitting taller on his horse, his ears pricked to a sound in the distance. “What on earth is that din?”
Loud cries and whooping noises filtered between the trees, the hubbub interspersed with laughter.
“I don’t know,” Stewart said. “But I’d like to find out. Are you coming?”
He moved the horse forward, looking back over his shoulder at Alexander with a daring glance.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Alexander replied, raising his reins to drive the horse forward. “Whatever it is.”
They broke through the trees to find a large open field. A handful of local boys from the village were playing cricket, and Alexander was certain he recognized a few servants from the manor.
“Come on, lady! Just throw the damn ball!”
Lady?
With a frown, Alexander turned to look at the pitcher. It was none other than Miss Charlotte herself, ball in the air ready to pitch, dressed in a pair of loose trousers, staring at them in flustered horror.
***
Charlotte froze when she saw the gentlemen emerge.
What is it with that infuriating man and his insistence on watching me from between the trees?
“Come on, lady! Just throw the damn ball!”
The duke turned and looked directly at her, and Charlotte’s entire body stiffened. She had so successfully avoided seeing him that she had not yet dealt with the emotions seeing him caused.
That kiss.
