He’d have recognized her for her curves if she hadn’t been garbed in a drab dress and apron and if she hadn’t been wearing the most hideous of bonnets.
“Why, if it isn’t Lazy-eyed Livvy.” A welcomed sight, for certain.
Unfortunately, he’d chosen the wrong words to greet her with. At the narrowing of her eyes and further reddening of her face, he chuckled. “Come now, Miss Redfield. I’m only teasing.”
Her basket went flying over his head. She’d missed hitting his noggin by just a few inches.
After glancing behind him to see how far down the road it had landed, he turned around with raised brows. “What the devil?”
“If I hadn’t concern for your horse, it would have hit you. You arrogant, addlepated, confounding…” Her anger seemed so hot that she stumbled in search of more insults to heap upon the first three.
Perhaps he’d gone too far. “I’m sorry, Miss Redfield. Truly, I mean no insult.”
“Really? By calling a person lazy eyes? Where in the world is it acceptable to make fun of how a person looks? Calling me… that name! It is not any sort of compliment; I’ll have you know.” She marched passed him, scooped up her basket, and then turned back. Her expression had changed from ferocity to abject disappointment. “I had really hoped you would have grown up. Matured, just as Lord Stanton did. I had hoped your bullying a decade ago manifested out of angst and immaturity rather than lack of character. But you’ve proven me wrong.”
Gabriel reeled from her insults, catalogued then to be addressed at his despicable youthful self and asked the most pressing question in his mind at that moment. “Why were you running?”
She blinked hard several times. Tears? No? But no answer either.
“Did somebody hurt you?” he persisted.
“Aside from you?”
“I—“Oh, hell.“I promise never to call you… that name again.” He didn’t like to think he’d hurt her… “Please, Miss Redfield. Forgive me? I—”
“I’m onlyteasing.” She cut him off using his own words from a moment ago. “Besides, the reason I was running is no concern of yours.”
“Of course, it’s none of my concern. That’s why I’m the perfect person for you to talk to about it.” He turned his head to see the sun already half set. “Climb on, and I’ll give you a lift home. You oughtn’t to be walking alone by yourself anyhow.”
She simply stared at his outstretched, gloved hand without moving. “Escorting me. It seems this is becoming a habit for you.”
Gabriel reached down lower. “It is at that. Now step on my foot and climb on. Unless you wish me to come down there and throw you bodily across the back of my horse, that is.”
“You certainly are used to getting your way, aren’t you?” She scowled. Nonetheless, she’d taken his hand and, with a tug, managed to get her foot atop his boot and swing herself up and practically in his lap. All without losing hold of her missile basket.
“At least you weren’t relieving yourself this time.” He could not help himself. She seemed capable of bringing out the worst in him this evening. He adjusted himself so that he could hold her more securely, which wasn’t difficult, her being nearly the size of a child, and in doing so, a flash of some unfamiliar emotion caught him unaware. It was similar to the feeling he’d had while dancing with her in the gazebo. Before he could analyze it, though, she turned and punched him half-heartedly in the gut. He ought to have expected it.
“I had no choice, you buffoon. And didn’t you promise to never speak of it again?”
“I promised to never speak of it toanyone else,” he clarified. “I did not promise that I would not use it to torment you in the future.”
She grunted and then wiggled her bum. Good lord this woman was nothing but soft curves. But something she said bothered him.
“Why did you have no choice?”
Silence but for the sound of his horse’s hooves stomping on the ground. What prevented a young lady from gaining access to the ladies’ retiring room in the middle of a ball? Either a gentleman had been bothering her or—and then the truth hit—damn him, but he could be an ignorant ass at times.
“Was somebody rude to you?” Did people mock her because of her eye?
Did it make any difference?
She let out a long breath. “Not directly.” He’d not expected her to answer. “And didn’t we establish that my problems were none of your concern?”
Her rejoinder had him correcting his earlier assessment of her. She was not all soft woman but at least fifty percentsharp tongue.
“Did we not also establish that was precisely why you ought to unburden them upon me? My total lack of concern for your life and well-being?”
As agentleman,he would care about any young lady’s well-being.
