“As in all things.” He smiled across at her and she nodded.
“What will you do when you return from your travels? You said you would make changes to your father’s estate. What do you mean by that?”
Sebastian lit up and then spoke of all manner of ideas. He wanted the estates belonging to the dukedom to shift from relying solely on agricultural pursuits to some form of manufacturing. He thought the workers ought to own their own homes but wasn’t at liberty to sell off any of the ducal lands.
Before she realized it, the sun was high in the sky and she’d told him of the sense of guilt she’d experienced the night before. How she was oddly questioning the way she had viewed the world for most of her life.
He spread out the blanket while she opened the basket. “When a person only knows one way of living, it makes it difficult to see the world from a different perspective.”
And he was determined to see other ways of life.
She nodded and handed him a napkin. This meal wasn’t nearly as elaborate as the one they’d shared on the cliff, but it somehow tasted better.
“I’m not completely sure if I like it or not.” She frowned because in having begun to see her world from another paradigm, she wasn’t certain she could continue as though she had not.
She’d justified her family’s lifestyle in that her father and Lawrence had been kind landlords. And that the servants at Land’s End had been treated fairly. But had they been? Were they? She would speak with Hugh. And Penelope. Her sister-in-law was one of the most progressive and smartest people she’d ever met.
Sebastian was laying on his side, watching her. “Seeing as neither you nor I are going to change the world today, tell me something you think you might be able to do to reconcile yourself to your life?”
It was a good question and would require far more thought than she was willing to give it today. She did, however, determine to ask a few questions—and learn.
“First,” she said. “I am going to open this bottle of wine and share it with you.”
His eyes flared.
“And second.” She settled her gaze on his broad but relaxed shoulders and then down to his tapered waist and very firm thighs. “I’m going to see if you are as delicious outdoors as you are in the privacy of your chamber.”
23
Romance Vs. Adventure
Margaret found herself seated beside Sebastian at dinner that night and did her best to pretend butterflies weren’t racing through her limbs when his hand played with her leg beneath the table. The guest placement was no accident, Margaret knew immediately, when she caught Penelope smiling over at her from where she sat at the foot of the long table.
Every cell of her body came alive at the most casual brush of his arm or when he leaned close to whisper what he planned to do to her later that night.
She was grateful she had her fan with her and waved it in front of her face. Surely, her ears and cheeks were beet red… due to the candles and so many warm bodies sitting around the table. She might even blame it on the wine, if asked outright.
Mr. Spencer sat on her opposite side and Lady Sheffield across from her. No one dared mention George’s hasty departure, which coincidently coincided with that of the Drake party.
For the most part, it was Lady Sheffield who steered the conversation with skill and authority. Her mouth moved and she was speaking, but Margaret found it difficult to pay attention.
What was that about the holidays? Fashion? The weather? Margaret fluttered her fan and nodded vaguely when asked for her opinion.
“Excuse me?” She had not paid attention to Lady Sheffield’s question.
“Lord Rockingham was saying he preferredRobinson CarusotoSwiss Family Robinson. Have you read either?”
“I was recently gifted a copy of the latter, actually.” Margaret smiled. She had managed to read about half of it. She turned to address Sebastian. “I find the contrast between the two main protagonists interesting. One is independent with no real desire for family and the second is about a father, who seems to be mostly intent that his children succeed. I’m surprised you prefer the second version. Perhaps because it is more modern?”
Or is it that he desires to someday be a family man, in the distant future perhaps?
“But you must remember that the protagonist in the original book, Caruso, ultimately wanted companionship.” A chill ran down her spine. Was he trying to tell her something?
“As long as they did not view him as their dinner,” she commented.
“A rather significant distinction.” The light in Sebastian’s glancing gaze, however, promised that he would either have her mouth on him or his mouth on hers later that night.
“The conflicts differ considerably,” Mr. Spencer added. “Man versus man is the strongest conflict inCaruso, whereas William, inSwiss Family Robinson,wrestles with self and with God, and nature.”
