“So he’s going to remember you as the man who kept him from falling off his horse and onto his ass.”
She giggled as Charles appeared horrified by her statement and choice of words. “Don’t tell me you hadn’t thought that.”
“Yes, of course I have,” he said. “Do you know how many people are going to your concert?”
“No, but from what his people have told me, the more the merrier with the prince. Why?”
“Just curious.”
Cathryn watched his face for changes. She didn’t want to let him know the count she’d been given. It might set Charles into a meltdown. “I imagine it’ll be an intimate group of friends of the prince and princess.”
“Good. That’s more doable.”
“You’ll do fine, Charles.”
“Yes, I will.”
Smiling, she patted his hand and picked up her tea. “Maybe when we return, we can go to the village and look around. Have dinner?”
“I’d like that. We should probably get to know people who work and live in and around the village.”
“I’m surprised we haven’t heard from people who live here. Not even the vicar has come to pay a visit.”
He arched a brow. “That’s highly unusual. They’re usually the first ones.”
“I know. I thought perhaps he had something else going on.”
Grinning, Charles offered his idea on the lack of a visit from the vicar. “Perhaps word’s gotten to him that a mad man purchased the estate. He hasn’t visited us yet because he’s afraid. I hadn’t thought of that. Afraid of what? Me?”
“Yes. You know how fickle people can be.”
They were. It didn’t matter if it were family or friends. The less they had to deal with an uncomfortable situation, the better. Somehow, she had to keep his thoughts off that. Everything would be fine, and Charles would overcome his hesitation.
“Have you seen the greenhouse?” she asked.
“No, but I gather you have.”
“I have. The gardener does graft various plants, starts seeds. He keeps the young plants in there until they’re ready to be moved.”
“Interesting. Are you interested in showing me?”
“We certainly can. Did you know we have a pineapple stove? We’ll be able to enjoy the fruit anytime we want.”
“Do you want to show me or leave it for another day?”
“Let’s see it now,” she said with great excitement in her voice.
She was sure this was something that would interest Charles. It was also a place she could talk to him without worrying someone was close by listening. Word of their disagreement the other night had made for gossip among the staff. This should put a nip in it.
They both left the music room and made their way through the house and exited by the drawing room. The greenhouse was in an unusual place, at the far back of the house. Trees and bushes kept it obscured, out of sight of prying eyes. Good enough for them to do naughty things. The windows needed to be washed because no one could see inside and there was a lock on the door, making it the perfect place for an afternoon rendezvous. The old gardener was smart; he wouldn’t bother them.
Chapter Eighteen
The carriage rideto London had been uneventful until they got closer to town. By the time they hit the outskirts of London, the weather was changing. Not for the better, either. What had started as a partially cloudy day with a variety of clouds quickly changed. The clouds and sky had turned to an almost dark-gray in color. The wind had whipped up, and there was the smell of a storm brewing nearby.
Cathryn had been peering out the window for quite a while watching not only the landscape but the worsening weather rolling in. “Do you think it’ll blow over?”
“Yes, the wind has picked up. It won’t stay long.”
