“What a positive attitude, Lord Noah,” Hannah’s mother said. “I appreciate your outlook on life.”
“Yes.” Lady Chatham reached over and placed her hand over one of her son’s. “He always chooses to look at the good in things.”
Perhaps Lord Noah chose to look at the positive in life too much. Is that why he had misread that young woman’s intentions? After getting such an intimate look into a practical stranger’s life, she was on odd ground. She barely knew the man, and yet she knew one of his deepest secrets.
“Oh, I have a wonderful idea,” Lady Chatham continued. “Noah, why don’t you take Miss Gibbons down to the pond? Assuming you don’t mind staying a bit longer?” She turned to Mrs. Gibbons. “It’s just such a lovely day and I would hate for this weather to go to waste.”
“I quite agree, my lady,” Hannah’s mother replied. “What a splendid idea.”
Hannah tipped her head toward her lap, but her gaze darted to Lord Noah. His eyes had widened but his smile remained in place. This was indeed a horridly uncomfortable situation.
Finally, he swallowed and gave a quick nod. “Of course. I would be delighted.”
“Oh, but wait.” Hannah sat closer to the edge of her chair. “I’m afraid my maid has not come with us. And I would hate for Mother to have to escort us.”
“Nonsense,” Lady Chatham said. “The pond is just down there.” She pointed a short jaunt away from the courtyard where they sat. “We can easily see you from here.”
Hannah looked back at the other victim of their meddling mothers to find Noah already stepping toward her.
“Oh,” Hannah said as he held his arm out to her.
“Please, Miss Gibbons,” he said. “I would be honored to show you our . . . pond.”
She stood, taking his arm as she drew in a deep breath. There was no polite way to decline.
They walked in silence for a time until they were out of earshot, and even though she scrambled to come up with something, Hannah still did not know what to say. Should they move ahead in blissful ignorance? Pretend the night on the balcony never happened and forge a new path ahead?
“I can practically hear your thoughts.”
Hannah whipped her head toward Lord Noah, her mouth agape. “Excuse me?” She was giving him an out. This did not need to be discussed if he did not want it to.
“And you seem much surer of your path today.” He nodded toward her feet. “Perhaps because someone is leading you?” His eyes glinted, and a crooked smile appeared in the corner of his mouth.
Hannah’s shoulders sagged, and an awkward laugh slipped out. “I promise I am not always so untoward.”
“No?” His brow puckered as he feigned thought. “I don’t need to worry you will trip and fall into the pond?”
“No, I will not be falling into the pond.” Goodness, how embarrassing. Though Hannah could hardly blame him for saying so. It had not been one of her best moments. “Is that what you think of me?”
“I do not know what to think, if I am being honest.” He lifted his gaze, looking about the grounds. “It was a strange night, and it has become muddled in my mind. Not for a lack of thinking about it,” he added, his eyes dropping to his boots.
Their feet made a gentle swishing sound as they walked through the soft grass. “You wish to speak of it then?” This was his final chance to move on and pretend it never happened. And now, as it became more evident that he did wish to discuss it, Hannah wondered if she was truly being magnanimous after all. For her part in the ordeal was quite possibly the most embarrassing.
“I do not see how we can ignore it.”
“Rather easily, I would say. We simply speak of other things.”
Lord Noah stopped, turning toward her. His eyes went to the patio before fastening on her. “We could. But as I am a man with no answers to any of life’s questions at the moment, I feel it important to insist on clarification on this matter while I have the chance.”
Hannah’s gaze briefly flicked to his unkempt hair. And then she thought back to the strange conversation he was having with himself as he walked upon their party earlier. “Very well. What would you like to know?”
“You heard my proposal to Marg—Miss Lewiston,” he corrected.
Not a question, per se. “Yes, I did.”
He nodded, a soft pink filtering into his cheeks. “Very well. I assumed as much. But after that, you had mentioned noticing how preoccupied I seemed before you crashed into me.”
“Did I?” Hannah asked, looking toward the pond. Why had she said that? That was practically admitting her intentionality in the matter.
