* * *
The first walking expedition Lord Stonehaven led Gemma on was a roaring success.If one counted success by the number of granite intrusions one had discovered.
And since Lord Stonehavendid, Gemma was counting it as success.Even if tramping through the woods in knee-high Wellington boots, swatting at insects and getting her hat ribbons tangled in briars was her current, updated definition of hell.
She set herself to smile and bear the day’s fresh torture with a good grace, because the earl had decided to extend his stay for a couple of weeks.
“And we all know what that means,” Lucy said, waggling her straight, dark eyebrows in the small looking glass over Gemma’s shoulder as she tied her corset laces.
Somehow, despite the strides they had made in turning the inn into a welcoming place where anyone might like to spend the night, the two sisters were still sharing a room.
Or perhaps it was because of the changes they’d wrought, Gemma mused with some satisfaction, as at the minute, every empty room on the second floor was filled with a paying guest.
“What it means,” Gemma replied, turning from the glass to lift her day dress from the back of the chair where it hung waiting, “is that today will be another long, hot, dirty meander up hill and down, looking at rocks.Joy.”
Lucy frowned.“If you don’t like Lord Stonehaven, you can always throw him back.Another fish will come along soon enough.”
The past few weeks had convinced Lucy that the well would never run dry, that every sunrise would see a new suitor rumbling up to the coaching inn to try his luck, but Gemma was by no means so sanguine.
What the past few weeks had taught her was that men she could actually contemplate marrying without wanting to run screaming were thin on the ground, indeed.She’d never admit it aloud, but she did in fact consider that Hal had done her several very large favors by scuttling those previous romances before they could progress.
“I do like Lord Stonehaven,” Gemma declared firmly.“How could I not?He is a treasure.Everyone likes him.”
Henrietta adored him because he made a point of complimenting her hats and asking about her painting in his quiet, sincere way.He’d won Lucy over by asking serious questions about her plans to capture the Gentle Rogue, and what she’d do with the highwayman once she had him.Bess liked him because he polished off whatever plate she put in front of him, and begged her to come cook for him in London.
He was wonderful.
“Lord Stonehaven is everything I could have possibly hoped for in a prospective husband.”
“And we have every reason to suppose that an offer of marriage will be forthcoming,” Lucy pointed out.
Gemma nodded, sighed, and sat on the chair to roll on the woolen stockings that were her heels’ only protection from the incessant chafing of the dreaded Wellington boots.
“Then why aren’t you pleased,” Lucy demanded, throwing her hands in the air.“All of your dreams are about to come true!”
Leaving aside the fact that it was not precisely her “dream” to cynically pursue and wed a gentleman for his wealth and influence, Gemma sought to reassure Lucy.And perhaps herself.
“Iampleased, of course.It’s only that these geological surveys Lord Stonehaven lives for are so very exhausting, and then there’s still the inn to run, with all its various chores during the day and guests to greet and serve in the evenings.And I’ve been thinking it’s time to refurbish the snug as a private parlor for guests who can pay a bit more, wouldn’t that be nice?A lot of work, though.I suppose I must be a trifle worn out.”
Surely that was why everything felt so…flat.
Certainly it had nothing to do with the way Hal seemed to have actually taken her at her word when she’d told him it was over between them.
He avoided the inn during the day, showing up to work behind the bar at the last possible moment and maintaining a comprehensive and silent distance for the entirety of his time there before disappearing into the night the instant the inn was closed.
Which was what Gemma wanted, of course.
“Well, that’s simple,” Lucy said pragmatically.“Stop working so hard on the inn.Forget the new private parlor.It doesn’t matter anymore, now that you’ve landed the best trout in the pond.”
Gemma’s brow crinkled.“Where on earth are all these fishing metaphors coming from?”
“Hal is teaching me to fish,” Lucy informed her.“He says it’s a life skill.”
Gemma ignored the deep pang in her chest along with the mention of Hal.“Perhaps I could let some things go when it comes to the inn, but there is no formal understanding between Stonehaven and myself.And as we’ve seen before, there are many eventualities that can befall a gentleman while courting.It would be reckless of me to let the inn fall to wrack and ruin after all our hard work, and before a marriage proposal has actually been made.”
Pausing in the act of brushing out her long, wavy dark hair, Lucy pointed the silver-backed brush at her sister.“That’s not it.I think you like it.”
“Like what?”Gemma turned away, fussing with her sleeves.
