she believed this to be the case and felt a rush of anger towards the man for his duplicity. Poor health was a convenient and ready excuse to disappear to do his dirty work. He’d wager every hard-earned coin in his purse that Gislingham was currently up to no good somewhere on this estate—or elsewhere—while his niece worried over him unnecessarily. ‘That is a shame. Perhaps my cousin and I would do better to call upon him in the morning?’ Before he left today, he needed to do a thorough reconnaissance of the grounds and as much of the bottom floor as he dare. His gut told him Gislingham ran his operation from this house and Gray needed to know exactly where.
‘He is at his best in the mornings and enjoys small, intimate company. I know he is keen to meet you—especially as Harriet has already apprised him of this morning’s unfortunate events.’
That didn’t sound good. ‘Should I expect a thorough telling off when I come calling?’
‘Not at all. Uncle Edward has a very warped sense of humour and found the state of me upon my arrival home hilarious. I fear Harriet brings out the worst in him.’ Gray sincerely doubted that. He had lost many comrades thanks to The Boss at his worst.
‘Lady Crudgington is indeed a force of nature.’
‘And very curious. She left me determined to give you a thorough grilling.’
‘I suspected as much. But she was distracted by a fruit scone and clotted cream on the sideboard, so I managed to escape her clutches before I crept out. I can only cope with so much heat from the drawing room...and Mr Hargreaves.’ Gray might as well take advantage of her dislike for the man. ‘He brays when he laughs.’
The ghost of a smile played at the corners of her mouth. ‘Colonel Purbeck spits when he talks.’
‘Hence I stumbled across you shrouded like a widow.’
‘I’m sorry about that. It was most improper.’
‘Propriety is hardly a field it would be fair for me to judge you on and, anyway, it is vastly overrated. Don’t you think?’
Her fingers played with the dangling edges of the shawl as she glanced up at the cloudless sky and, inadvertently giving him more clues as to her character, she avoided answering his question. ‘Alas, I adore the sun, but it doesn’t adore me. With my fair skin, I burn easily, so I have to ration it. Hence the shroud.’
‘Then perhaps I should escort you back inside. The afternoon sun is always the worst.’
* * *
Prudence dictated that she should grasp the opportunity to escape inside seeing as he had offered it. It wasn’t proper for an unmarried lady to be in such a secluded place in the presence of a gentleman without a chaperon and she knew Harriet had no intention of coming back outside and wouldn’t be caught dead anywhere near the garden if she suspected Thea was alone in it with Lord Gray. But her friend’s criticisms rankled and as much as Thea wanted to discount everything she had said, there was a great deal of truth in her words. She was becoming unacceptably jaded and had an ever-increasing suspicion of the motives of others. Since the smooth-talking soldier that dreadful night, she did make snap decisions about men and she did push them away. The fear of Impetuous Thea falling for a money-grabbing bounder, the huge responsibility of the unwieldy fortune her uncle had amassed on her behalf and the sense of responsibility and love she had for him had made her reluctant to consider anyone seriously.
To her shame, that reluctance had made her unacceptably stand-offish to the point where she risked never finding a decent man, and that simply wouldn’t do. Because one day when the time was right and the gentleman perfect, she did want to live happily ever after. She wanted to be loved and adored. Wanted to love and adore back. Wanted to fill her home with the happy sound of children laughing, the closeness of family and the promise of a future she could look forward to. Uncle Edward had insisted she have financial independence so that she could marry the man of her dreams without having to compromise as he had done. True love, he often waxed after a bit too much brandy, was the greatest joy in the world and worth all the hideous turmoil in the long run.
Somehow, while waiting patiently for true love to come, she had allowed those alarm bells to start clanging well before she got to know a gentleman, which made a lifetime of spinsterhood a foregone conclusion. If she had created the vicious circle, she could jolly well unmake it.
‘I suppose I can tolerate a little more sun.’ In a concerted effort not to be stand-offish and judgemental, she would be cordial and properly get to know this handsome new gentleman beyond his compelling, wolf-like eyes and splendid physique. Harriet was right. Aside from the fact he was local, he did live with an older relative as well, so might understand her situation. He was the first gentleman she had met in for ever who had not actively sought her out to begin with. They had met wholly by chance without the allure of her impressive bank balance, so perhaps she should give fate a fair crack at the whip before she wielded the repelling Shield of Suspicion. ‘Tell me something about yourself, Lord Gray.’
She could tell she had surprised him because his dark brows momentarily drew together. ‘What would you like to know?’
‘I suppose it makes sense to start at the beginning. Where did you grow up? Who are your family?’
‘Very close to the mountains of Snowdonia. My father was the Marquess of Talysarn.’
‘Was?’
‘He died a few years ago while I was at sea. My elder brother now holds the title.’
‘How sad. You missed the funeral?’
His face clouded and he paused before he answered. ‘Yes.’
‘Is your mother still alive?’
‘Alas, my mother died many years before. She was a lovely woman. I miss her greatly. You lost your parents young also, I believe?’
‘I have no memories of my mother. She died when I was a babe.’ Although Thea still missed her, wondering what her life and her character might have been like if she had grown up with a woman’s guidance. Probably less wilful and impetuous.
‘My father was a don at Cambridge. He taught mathematics and is still widely regarded in that field.’ Which was probably why he never quite understood his daughter. Thea had no head for figures and the only thing they had had in common was a boisterous sense of humour and their twin fiery tempers. ‘Did you go to Cambridge or Oxford?’
‘No... I went abroad.’
‘To study?’
‘After a fashion. I’m not much of a scholar, I’m afraid. I certainly have no head for numbers.’
‘Me either.’ They had something in common. Something deathly dull and inconsequential in common. ‘Aside from swimming scandalously naked with your dog, what do you enjoy?’ Why had she said that? Instantly her cheeks heated while she wrestled Impetuous Thea back into her box.
He shot her a sideways glance and chuckled, the deep sound warming her in places that had no right being warmed. ‘I thought we had drawn a veil over that. Or is the memory too awful for your tender sensibilities to forgive and forget?’ He was flirting. Despite refusing to meet his eye she could hear it in his voice, but she was already blushing and doubtless he could see it. What had made her bring it up again? He would think she couldn’t stop thinking about it, which was, of course, mortifyingly true. Aside from the memory of him naked,
