Feeling slightly more confident because her lips had most definitely twitched, Harrison bowed her forward, watched her take her first step over the jacket, then another, and another, and then ... she dropped like a stone into what turned out to be not a puddle, but a rather deep hole.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
The second her feet finally hit solid ground, Gertrude looked down, relieved to discover she’d only fallen up to her waist in what felt like a vat of mud. Raising a hand, she took a swipe at her face, shuddering when clumps of something of a questionable nature became firmly attached to her glove. Peeling off the glove, and then the other, she flung them away from her, lifted her gaze, and found Harrison, along with Asher, standing frozen in place, their expressions so horrified she couldn’t help herself ... she laughed.
Once she started, she couldn’t stop, until the muck attached to her face began to dribble down her cheeks, and not caring to have it slide right into her mouth, she pressed her lips together, swallowed another laugh, then held out a slimy hand, which Harrison immediately took.
“On my word, Gertie, I don’t know how to go about even asking you to forgive me for this one,” he said, pulling her up effortlessly and keeping hold of her as she caught her balance, even though doing so stained his linen shirt with mud.
“It was my fault,” Asher said, stepping forward, pulling one of his ever-handy handkerchiefs from his jacket and handing it over to her. “I’m the one who convinced Harrison you’d be impressed with romantic gestures, but here we’ve scared you half to death, and then consigned you to an almost bottomless pit of mud.”
Gertrude wiped her face with the handkerchief, trying to ignore the fact her pulse was now beginning to race through her veins, a direct result of Harrison having called her Gertie.
She’d always longed to be familiar enough with a person where they’d adopt a special name for her, and that Harrison was the first person to ever call her Gertie—an adorable adaptation of her name if she’d ever heard one—well, it was enough to send her heart pitter-pattering in her chest.
That pitter-pattering hitched up another notch when Harrison took the handkerchief from her and started wiping mud from her forehead.
“I’m afraid I’m now responsible for ruining your dress, and I don’t know how to tell you this, but...” He stopped wiping her face and looked down. “It appears you’ve lost your other shoe.”
Gertrude waved that aside. “It’s of little consequence, Harrison. I’m much more concerned about what you’re trying to accomplish today. Forgive me, but the only instance I’m aware of where a gentleman willingly ruins what I thought was a very fine coat, even with its peculiar green color, is when said gentleman is trying to, again forgive me, woo a lady.” She caught his eye. “If you’ll recall, you stated quite emphatically only a few days ago that you and I were strictly friends, and ... you encouraged me to allow the ladies to take me in hand. Now, I’m not certain if you’re aware of this, butbeing taken in handmore often than not is simply a different way of saying it’s time to find a gentleman for a lady to marry.”
Harrison blinked. “Is it really?”
With those three little words, Gertrude felt her spirits lifting. “Yes.”
“I had no idea,” Harrison said, dabbing at her forehead again before he turned and handed Asher back his handkerchief. “It seems as if this is a day of discovery for me, and looks as if it needs to be a day of disclosure as well.”
“What kind of disclosure?” Gertrude asked, not wanting to allow herself to hope too much, but unable to stop the anticipation now racing through her.
“All in due time” was all Harrison said as he nodded to Asher. “I need to get Gertrude back so she can change out of these wet and muddy clothes. I may not have intended her to take a dousing today, but that’s exactly what happened and I certainly don’t want to see her catching a chill because of my less than dashing gesture. Will you see to Rupert while I see to Gertie?”
Asher inclined his head. “Of course.” He looked to Gertrude. “I cannot apologize enough, Gertrude, for my part in the distress that we caused you today.”
She smiled. “I’m fine, Asher. There’s been relatively little harm done, so do stop looking so solemn. Why, the events of this day will make great stories to tell my children someday, if I ever have any, so there’s no need for either you or Harrison to continue fretting. But do pass on my apologies to Permilia, since clearly I’ll not be able to meet with her now.”
“I will, although knowing Permilia, she’ll be over at Miss Snook’s before you have time to change.”
Sending her a smile, before seeming to wince at Harrison, Asher walked away, leading the two horses behind him. Oddly enough, even Rupert was looking a little solemn and didn’t bother to so much as toss his head when he passed Gertrude.
Taking hold of her hand, Harrison placed it in the crook of his arm, giving it a pat and refusing to listen to Gertrude’s protests about his not getting close to her because she was ruining his clothing.
“Asher’s of the belief this is an outfit best confined to the ragpickers anyway,” he said. “And I’m certainly not going to allow you to slip and slide all the way back without benefit of a steadying arm. You’ve now lost both of your shoes, which is going to make navigating down the sidewalk tricky.”
“I’ll be fine,” Gertrude said. “Although I am sorry you lost your jacket as well.”
Harrison smiled. “Asher was offended by the green, although I have to admit I was of the belief the jacket was orange.”
She returned his smile. “Asher is very fussy when it comes to fashions, but if you tell him I said that, I’ll deny it. However, as for the green, it was a somewhat bright green. There aren’t many men who can wear that color, but you were certainly one of the exceptions.”
Giving her arm another pat, Harrison leaned closer to her, his eyes turning slightly ... dangerous.
As all her breath got caught in her throat, he leaned even closer, but then, before his lips could touch hers, something she truly thought might happen, he blinked, shook himself ever so slightly, then straightened.
“Do forgive me, Gertrude. I have no idea what just came over me. Here I promised to see you directly home, and yet I’m dawdling.”
Opening her mouth to tell him she was perfectly happy to have him dawdle all he’d like, and that she now preferred him addressing her as Gertie, her words died a rapid death when he suddenly began walking, his long legs eating up the sidewalk so rapidly she found herself practically having to gallop to keep up with him.
