“Love looks not with the eyes.”
Ijerked back, nearly tripping on a cobblestone.
“Charlotte.” James stopped walking. A smile melted over his face.
“Ja—er—Mr. Wortham.” I swallowed hard, my eyes shifting to the pair of servants passing to my right.
“Where, may I ask, is your chaperone?” James asked with a raised eyebrow.
I lifted my chin slightly. “That is none of your concern.”
He seemed amused by that, dipping his chin beneath his collar. Was he smiling under there? I couldn’t quite tell. His eyes lifted to mine.
I ran through my list in my mind.Never admire the color of his eyes.My gaze flickered to his face.One, two, three.I looked away.
Never look at his face for more than three seconds.
I cleared my throat. “What brings you here?” I tried to brush a strand of hair from my eyes but there was nothing there. My hand dropped awkwardly to my side.
He looked confused—and somewhat entertained—by my behavior. His expression smoothed over and he smiled. “I came to oversee my men, but I am pleasantly surprised to have found you instead.”
My cheeks tingled with heat against my will.Do not let him make me blush.Blast it all. I had already broken three of my rules in a matter of seconds.
He stepped forward and offered me his arm. “Are you on your way home? I ought to walk you there since your chaperone appears to have vanished.”
I tentatively took his arm, grateful he had offered me the side of my undamaged hand. I kept my gaze forward and my expression neutral. “We ought to be careful of gossip. People may think it odd that we are walking together like this.”
“Why would I ever object to being seen with a lady on my arm?” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Especially one so lovely.” I tried my very hardest not to visibly react, but I still avoided looking at his face.
We walked slowly, in no hurry and bound for no specific direction. I didn’t speak for at least a full minute, and the only noises I heard were the sounds of people as they rushed past—small segments of conversations that didn’t make sense, a cool breeze ruffling my hair, costermongers shouting, and in the distance, those blasted fishing traps being hauled out of the water, scraping against the sand.
“You are quiet today,” James said. “Is something amiss?”
I gave myself three seconds to look at his expression. He was still smiling, but he also looked confused.
“Nothing is amiss.”
I felt his gaze on the side of my face. “You are acting rather cold.”
“I am not acting any colder than you acted before leaving Clearfield House a fortnight ago.” My voice was clipped and hard. I hadn’t meant to sound so hurt, but I was.
I heard him release a slow breath. “I had forgotten the time.”
“No. You simply wanted to escape me.” My eyes flicked to his. “Why?”
“That is not true.” He stopped walking near the doors of a milliner’s shop. “Not in the slightest.”
I released my hold on his elbow and turned to face him. “You stopped calling upon me.”
“Because I thought you didn’t want me to.”
I looked down at the cobblestones. “I never said that.”
He crossed his arms in front of him. “I have other responsibilities here I can’t abandon. Surely you understand. I need to make a living somehow, Charlotte, modest as it is.”
“And you didn’t care to see me these past weeks because you have paid me enough favors?”
James shook his head. “I didn’t mean that. I just?—”
