“Does this mean you weren’t just making up an excuse to leave Milbury’s home last night?”
She shook her head. “All real.”
“Sounds fun. Sure.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I only mentioned it because you usually like this sort of thing. You always had a good head for business.”
“I do wish. What time are you meeting him? And is he coming here?”
“No, I’m meeting him at the farm. Nine o’clock sharp.”
“All right. Let me wash up. See you in the dining room in half an hour.”
Once he disappeared into the house, Fiona went to her wardrobe to select a suitable gown to wear for inspecting a farm. She withdrew a dark-gray muslin, momentarily thinking of the drab gown Lady Cordelia had worn last night, and how hideous she looked in it.
Fiona sighed and shook her head as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. “You are nothing like that disapproving crow.”
So what if it was not her prettiest gown? Rob always looked at her as though she were the most enchanting vision alive.
Oh dear.She was going to cry again if she allowed her thoughts to stray to him.
Firming her resolve, she donned the gown that had been designed for functionality and was easy to slip on and off.
Molly came in just as Fiona was putting on her sturdy working boots, so there was little left to do but assist with her hair. “And help me with this necklace, Molly.”
“Oh, m’lady. It is lovely,” her maid said when Fiona showed her the lapis lazuli gem now held on the thin gold chain. “I noticed you wore it yesterday, too. Mind you don’t lose it in the muck.”
“I’ll be very careful with it.”
Molly grinned. “Oh, I know what you are about. You want that luscious man to see you wearing his gift.”
Fiona laughed. “I am merely being a polite hostess.”
“Right, m’lady. If you say so. Is it just me or is he getting handsomer by the day? My eyeballs haven’t stopped rolling in their sockets since he carried the neighbor’s injured boy back to the house. Never seen a man look so good shirtless. Thick, solid muscles. Broad shoulders. Tight stomach. Poor Gladys is still walking around cross-eyed after a glimpse of him.”
Fiona sighed again. “Heisspectacular, isn’t he? Quite handsome when he smiles.”
“Which he does all the time now. He is happy being around you. His entire expression softens whenever he sees you. And that devastatingly handsome smile of his is pure heaven. Have you noticed how it shines through his eyes when he is around you? I’ll bet you make him smile a lot at night, too.”
“Molly!” Fiona tipped her chin in the air. “I wouldn’t know about that.”
“Oh, is that so? Do you think I cannot tell he has been warming your sheets? Probably warming some rather unused parts of your body, as well.”
“Molly!”
“Well, I hope they are being put to good use. That man could set a woman on fire with merely a glance. But I know he’s been doing far more than glancing at you. He probably knows tricks that would make a sailor blush.”
Fiona rested her elbows on her vanity table and groaned. “I refuse to talk about him.”
“You needn’t say a word. The blush on your cheeks tells me all I need to know.” Molly let out a long breath. “M’lady, please think about what you are doing.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Molly cast her a gently stern look.
Fiona relented. “I can do nothing but think of him, and each time I am led to the same conclusion. This has to end. For hissake, he has to move on and marry someone able to give him children.”
Molly gave her a hug. “But this is his choice to make, not yours. He is fully aware of your situation and you are not deceiving him in any way.”
