“Mr. Dennison.” Caroline bobbed a curtsy, her voice far breathier than she would have liked. She was eager to learn if he was only greeting her or if he wanted an opportunity to speak to her privately.
He cleared his throat. “I wondered if I could persuade you?—”
“Oh, there is the maze, Miss Whitby,” Tristan cut in, pointing across the lawn to the opening in the tall hedges. “Are you ready to see if you can…” He looked up as though noticing he had rudely interjected in the middle of Mr. Dennison’s speech. “Forgive me, Dennison. You were saying something.”
“Only the same as you, evidently.” His mouth pinched. “I wondered if you would like to try your hand at the maze with me, Miss Whitby.”
Caroline blinked. Tristan had interjected for a reason, but was it to provide Mr. Dennison the idea of taking her into the maze, or did he have another purpose? “I should enjoy that very much,” she said.
“Splendid. Shall we all go together?” Tristan offered, winking at her. “I have not tried my hand at a maze in some years. I do wonder if my sense of direction has improved at all. I suppose we shall soon learn.”
Mr. Dennison was stunned. “Together? I had been hoping to…well, yes, I suppose it should be all right to walk through it together.”
Caroline found her mother watching this with great interest. “Would you like to come, Mama?”
“No, darling. I am too old for mazes now. They only irritate me. You go along.”
Caroline looked from Tristan to Mr. Dennison. “Very well. Shall we?”
Chapter Nine
Following Caroline and Dennison around a high-walled maze had not been on Tristan’s list of things to accomplish at this garden party, but as she was holding Dennison’s arm, and he was speaking to her now about things unrelated to the maze, it would appear they were making good progress in their romantic goals.
Caroline was, at least. Tristan had not even thought of another woman since seeing her at the ball a few weeks ago. She took up all the space in his mind, despite how often he tried to push her out.
Well, he certainly could have triedharder. He needed a bride before his last three friends married. Time was not on his side.
Her laugh pulled him from his ruminations, his attention snapping to her. Weaseling his way into her time with Dennison had been an impulse of the moment and appeared to have been a mistake.
Unless he took action.
When they rounded the next bend, Tristan stepped closerto Caroline, putting himself in line with the pair. “Are we almost to the center, do you think?”
She looked up at him, uncertainty passing over her face briefly. “I’m not sure. I have not been paying attention.”
Tristan took the situation with both hands and proceeded. “Which means we could very well have been walking in circles. Perhaps I shall take the lead?”
Dennison’s brows snapped together.
Tristan didn’t leave him any time to quibble. He put out his arm toward Caroline and plastered a genial expression on his face. “Shall we find our way out?”
Her eyes shot fire in his direction, but he boldly stood his ground.
“I thank you for the offer?—”
“Wonderful,” Tristan said, not allowing her to complete her dismissal. He lifted his arm again, forcing her into accepting it.
Once her hand was resting upon the crook of his elbow, he started down the pathway at a fast clip.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “We were talking.”
“Surely one conversation is not enough to heal the betrayal he so deeply felt. Do not find yourself overconfident.”
Caroline looked up at him. “You would prefer I did not secure him immediately?”
Tristan’s stomach jolted at the thought. Gads, he was unprepared for the depth at which he so strongly disliked the idea. “No, I would not prefer that.”
She looked at him a moment longer, so he tore his gaze away.
