“Why would it be unwise?”
“It’s dangerous wandering about by yourself. You could get hurt or lost.”
“Oh, no,” she said, leaning her body forward to slide off the rock.
Graham’s hands were up on her waist before she could stop him. He lifted her down to the ground, and though he let go, she was sure his hands had lingered for a moment longer than was necessary. She swallowed.
“‘Oh, no,’ what?”
“Hmm? Oh,” she said, remembering her thoughts. “I just meant, no, it isn’t dangerous.” He made a face as if she didn’t know what she was talking about. “I often go for walks alone. Nothing has ever happened to me.”
His frown deepened.
“You mean, you’d go on walks through London, unaccompanied?”
“Yes.”
“And no one ever said anything?”
“Well, no. My sisters never could keep up as I tend to walk rather quickly, and my grandmother would usually be asleep when I went out—”
“You went at night?” he asked incredulously, cutting her off. She gave him a perplexed look.
“Yes.”
He let out a quiet curse, though Hope still heard and she tilted her head. Why was he so put out by this information? Yes, it wasn’t the most proper thing to do, but it was something she hadn’t been able to help. Sometimes a woman just needs to walk alone, to sort out her own mind.
“And you don’t see any issue with that?”
“No, I don’t.”
“How have you survived this long?” he asked, shaking his head. “Don’t you know what could’ve happened? What couldstillhappen if you go off alone around these parts? Even if no one bothers you, you could still fall into a river, crack your head on a rock, be attacked by a stag, trip off a craig—"
“Well, you’re making me miss London.”
“But that’s even worse! Pickpockets, cutthroats, thieves, murderers, all lurking about your door step, waiting to make a mark.”
“I lived in a perfectly safe neighborhood in London, thank you very much.”
“Oh?” he said, unbelieving. “And I suppose if anyone did cross your path, you’d give them the benefit of the doubt?”
Hope squinted at him.
“What is your aversion to believing in people?”
“Reality.”
“Excuse me?”
“I have an aversion to believing in people because I live in the real world. Where no one does anything for anyone for nothing.”
Hope lifted her chin.
“Well, that’s a very cynical outlook to have.”
“It’s the only sensible outlook to have,” he countered, taking a step towards her. “And the fact that you somehow have managed to go through life unscraped just makes you the exception. Not the rule.”
That was an unfair assumption on his part. Hope had delt with a great deal of tragedy in her life and she wasn’t going to let him minimize it simply because he had decided to let his obstacles defeat him.
