Perhaps after Nia and her mother returned, she could visit the menagerie or even purchase an ice from Gunter’s.
Once Goldie became an official debutante, she could finally visit all the places Nia had told her about. Only her sister, of course, had been squired about by gentlemen vying for her hand.
What would that be like?
Lord Standish’s image appeared unbidden in her mind, but instead of her usual fluttering heart, she felt…
Disappointment.
Like all the others, he’d come looking for Nia. The feelings she’d had for him last summer had been childish. He’d been kind to her, but not because he’d returned her affection. In truth, he’d barely noticed her, and now that he was an earl, he had even less reason to single her out.
This spring, she would find a mild-mannered landowner for a husband. In the first few years, she’d provide him an heir and a spare. Following that, they would pursue their separate interests while settling into a comfortable lifestyle.
She’d have to be careful in choosing such a man, however, as gentlemen were not incapable of hiding their true character.
Take Lord Rupert, for instance. A ghostly chill slid down Goldie’s spine, making her shiver, but when she glanced around, she saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Nonetheless, she remained wary.
She wasn’t, in fact, entirely comfortable going about without a chaperone. If she didn’t know for a fact her outings would get back to her father, she would have brought one of the maids along. Goldie hadn’t much choice.
She could either sit embroidering alone all day or summon her courage and go into the world alone.
And by “world,” she meant the nearby narrow streets that encircled most of Mayfair.
Her tame idea of adventure made her chuckle. She had nothing to fear. She tilted her head back with her eyes closed and briefly enjoyed the hint of warmth provided by the sun.
“Do share in your joke, my lady.”
Goldie’s eyes flew open, and she found herself staring at the man she’d just dismissed from her thoughts.
Or had tried to, anyhow. The same as she’d done numerous times since last summer.
For all the reasons she’d found him attractive and more, his sudden appearance stole her breath.
The tiny wrinkles around his eyes when he smiled, and a swagger that came from being fit and agile. Dear heavens, the low grumble in his voice had her imagining all manner of wicked scenarios.
No lady ought to ponder such ideas…
But yesterday, he had come asking about Nia—less than a month following the death of Nia’s fiancé, his cousin.
“Simply enjoying the sunshine, my lord.” Goldie tried to sound cold, despite allowing herself a second glance at his…
Glorious manliness.
She kept right on walking.
His attire was identical to what he’d worn the day before, but this morning he didn’t seem nearly as distracted as he matched his strides to hers.
“Unusual for this time of year.” He jammed his hands into his pockets. She wasn’t all that far from her father’s house. Had he come hoping she’d give the information she’d withheld the day before?
“I cannot tell you where she is, my lord.” Goldie didn’t want to fill in for her sister again. “I will not.” She glanced behind her anxiously. If word got back to her father that she’d been walking with the new Earl of Standish, she’d suffer for it. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” She kept her face forward and increased her pace.
“Should you be out walking alone like this?”
“No.” Goldie winced. “Nor should I be seen walking with you.”
“And yet you are doing both?” There was a hint of laughter in his voice.
