“At least Lord Noah does not seem dissuaded by any of your behaviors. You would do well to be on your best behavior today, Hannah. Do you understand me?”
It wasn’t Hannah’s understanding that needed fixing, but there was no use arguing that with her mother anymore. “Of course. Joyce will be there.”
“Is your maid sufficient? Or shall I come?”
“No!” Hannah nearly shouted. “No,” she added, more quietly. “That will not be necessary. Joyce is a wonderful chaperone. Very watchful.”
Mrs. Gibbons did not seem convinced, eyeing Hannah long enough that she wondered if her mother would come along regardless of Hannah’s reassurance. If she did, it would ruin the whole afternoon. They would have to play polite and bow their heads with restrained words. It would be unbearable.
Finally, Mrs. Gibbons nodded. “Very well. But I do hope Lord Noah will do the honorable thing and make his intentions known very soon. Much longer and his actions could be seen as scandalous.”
Hannah didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to start rumors that Noah was courting her, and yet, if she told her mother the truth, her outings with Noah would be done. “May I go now?” she asked.
Her mother only nodded, and Hannah spun about, a smile spreading across her face—as it always did when she got to see her friend.
The sea air had a way of clearing Hannah’s mind, and after her awful visit with Mr. Hodge, she needed it.
“It couldn’t have been that bad,” Noah said, crunching into an apple.
Hannah shook her head, her eyes closed as the fresh sea breeze brushed against her skin. She had left her bonnet in the barouche, and while Joyce gave her a lightly scolding glare, she said nothing.
“Itwasthat bad.” Hannah idly ripped up blades of grass, her gloves sitting beside her. “I knelt on the ground and wiped his boots. You should have seen his face when I looked up at him—” Her eyes flicked to Noah when she heard something strongly resembling a chuckle. “Are you laughing?”
He shook his head and put his hand lightly over his mouth. “Of course not.”
“I do not believe you.” She released her fistful of grass, letting the blades fall. “Let me see your mouth.”
He turned his head away. “No. That would mean you do not trust me.”
“Because I don’t. You are obviously laughing!”
His shoulders shook as he kept his back to her.
“Lord Noah Bradley, look at me this instant.”
He faced the sea, leaning back on his hands, no longer even attempting to hide his smile. “Very well. I am laughing. Happy?”
“No.” She scowled, ripping up another handful of grass. “I am frustrated. Why do I not behave normally in situations that do not allow time to think?”
Noah tipped his head back, making his topper fall to the ground. He didn’t seem to care, letting it lie in the grass as the wind tousled his brown locks. “I think that is logical. You made a mess and wanted to rectify it.”
“Except no one else sees it that way.”
“And what did your Mr. Hodge have to say about it?”
Hannah took a deep breath, remembering his face as he stared down at her. “He did not approve.”
“Then he isn’t worth your time.”
Hannah jerked her head toward Noah. “How can you say that based upon one moment? Is that not the same as him making a snap judgment of me?”
“If Mr. Hodge does not call on you again for attempting to help him, then yes, it is completely fair to say he is not worth your time.”
“And what of Margaret?” She had meant to say it, but now that her words hung heavily between them, she wished for nothing more than to pull them back. But she needed to know. Did he still think of Margaret? Love her, even?
Noah’s head slowly came forward. He did not meet Hannah’s eyes, instead his gaze lowered to the ground. “Are you implying that I am a hypocrite?”
Hannah swallowed in an attempt to bide her time as she chose her words more carefully. “No. I am only pointing out how quickly you are judging Mr. Hodge, and yet, your greatest desire is for Margaret to come back after she so coldly rejected you. If your logic applied to your situation, that would mean Margaret doesn’t deserve you.”
