“Just keep my secret for a few days longer. I assure you, it won’t be long before the real Lord William returns to Hanover Hall.”
Laughter bubbled up in her throat as she shook her head. Moving effortlessly, she quickly mounted and adjusted the reins in her hands. “I fear, my lord, that there would be no reason to tell anyone your secret. Everyone knows that I don’t like to gossip. Remember?”
She kicked the horse and rode off before he could stop her again. Irritated, he fisted his hands by his sides. Not often did he meet a woman who could turn the tables on him, but it appeared that Miss Hartwell was playing him at his own game.
Well, he would have to ensure she didn’t win.
Chapter Seven
Adrian had beenan utter nincompoop, and he didn’t like feeling this irritated knowing he hadn’t pleased a woman. Never in his life had he been rejected in such a way.
Usually, all he had to do was kiss the woman, and she melted into his arms. It had always been his habit to leave them after a few days or even weeks, and not think about them again. However, he didn’t know how to take Miss Hartwell’s blatant dismissal.
After he left her at the pond a week ago, he’d been determined to remove her from his mind. But many times, in the middle of the night, he would awaken after having a dream about her, and his chest would hurt with anguish. Men shouldn’t have to suffer in such a way, and he was determined to forget about their time at the ball.
It wasn’t as easy as he thought. Knowing the path where she and Collin traveled during the morning rides they’d been taking, Adrian had chosen that particular time to exercise his newest horse. He had tried to keep hidden so not to hear his brother’s lectures later in the day about spying on them, but Adrian couldn’t seem to stay away.
When he rode into town, he would always see Bridget or one of her sisters. How was he supposed to get the woman off his mind now? She was like a fungus that wouldn’t go away. And those brief times he thought about moving out of the town entirely, a heaviness settled in his chest, and he knew he had to see her on a daily basis whether it frustrated him or not.
During the times he saw Bridget out in the open, she acted as though she didn’t notice his presence, but he knew differently. Although their gazes hadn’t met, her back stiffened and her expression tightened. He didn’t need to be the most intelligent man in England to know she acted that way because of him.
Her attitude toward him should have kept him away. Indeed, her subtle refusal should have made him seek out other women to charm. Instead, it did the complete opposite.
Each morning, he waited for his brother to leave the house, and Adrian quickly saddled his horse and followed. As he waited in the thicket of trees near her home, he watched in anticipation, fidgeting in his saddle as though he stood on an anthill. It was as if he had some ailment or addiction. He couldn’t wait to rest his eyes on the loveliest woman he had ever met.
In essence, he was a pathetic man, and he didn’t know the cure. Yet waiting for the moment he would see her each morning came with moments of guilt. Although he tried pushing them aside, it had only made his mood worse.
Now, he sat atop his horse, watching through the trees as Collin, Bridget, and one of her sisters sat on a blanket in a meadow, having a picnic lunch. Adrian studied the oldest Hartwell sister, who still seemed to be stiff and proper. Of course, Collin had never tried to touch Bridget, except those times when he helped her up on her horse.
Something seemed off about the whole situation. Bridget was finally being courted by a wealthy man with an impressive title, yet her eyes didn’t sparkle when she looked at Collin, not as Adrian recalled happening when he had held her in his arms. Her laugh seemed forced, as well. He received the impression that she wasn’t enjoying herself, and since she and Collin had been together nearly every day this week, one would think the woman should act differently around the earl by now.
Adrian wanted to think that she still desired him and not his brother, but then he scolded himself for those improper ideas. These thoughts would only prolong his yearning for her, and he couldn’t have that.
Sighing, he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. This insanity needed to stop. He should just give in and let his brother have her. Why would Adrian want a woman who didn’t return his feelings? Then again, he didn’t know why he felt this way. Indeed, he had gone mad.
Behind him, the leaves rustled and the ground crunched from the sound of a horse stepping into the alcove. Adrian sucked in a breath of panic and swung around on his saddle. The sun shone on the rider, momentarily blocking Adrian’s view from the person interrupting his solitary afternoon.
The rider chuckled, and immediately, Adrian recognized the voice. He sighed heavily, letting his shoulders relax.
“Trey,” Adrian groaned, “what in the blazes are you doing sneaking up on me like that?”
Trey rode out of the sunlight and stopped his horse beside Adrian’s steed. The grin on his face was sickening, because Adrian knew that Trey had caught him spying on Bridget, which was quite embarrassing.
“I thought to pay you a visit, but your butler mentioned you had ridden this way.” Trey shrugged. “I had nothing better to do than to find you, however…” He arched an eyebrow. “I’m dying to know why you are secretly watching your brother with Miss Hartwell.”
“You know Miss Hartwell?”
“No, but at the ball, Judith noticed you chatting with the lovely miss, and my sweet wife decided to find more information about the maiden.” Trey’s lips twitched as though he struggled not to laugh. “I must say, I’m shocked that you are spying on the two. If you are that interested in the lady, then pay her a visit. Your brother hasn’t asked for her hand in marriage yet.”
“How do you know that?” Adrian tried to keep his mind focused.
“Because I know your brother is also paying visits to two other women in the village.” Trey shrugged. “Actually, my wife discovered that yesterday and told me about it.”
Adrian shook his head and maneuvered his horse around to leave the thicket of trees. “You don’t understand,” he said over his shoulder as his cousin followed. “Miss Hartwell is not interested in me at all. She loathes my very presence, in fact.”
“Impossible,” Trey said with a bit of humor in his voice. “All women adore you.”
Adrian rolled his eyes. “No, they don’t.”
