He didn’t want to sound arrogant and confess that most womendidgive him doe eyes whenever he was nearby. But he didn’t care about those women. Only Bridget. He wished he knewwhyhe only cared about her and not the others. The only explanation was that insanity had taken over his mind.
“So tell me, my good man,” Adrian quickly added before his cousin could continue this awkward conversation. “What brings you to my manor?”
Trey rode side by side with Adrian. “I hope you have invested in some of Lord Hawthorne’s speculations, because a few of them paid off. If you indeed invested, then you will be a wealthy man very soon.”
Adrian should be overjoyed at the moment, and although he smiled at his cousin, it was difficult to feel the full effect of the wonderful news. “I was wise and invested. I’m happy to know your friend came through for me.”
“Hawthorne came through for both of us.” Trey grinned. “Being the youngest brother, I also need to rely on my friend for good advice.”
“Then we shall drink a toast to our successful venture once we reach the manor and can pour glasses of port.”
Trey laughed. “It’s too early in the day to start drinking, my good man, and you had better not take up the habit. You’ll never find a wife that way.”
Adrian snorted. “I’m not looking for a wife.”
“Indeed?” Trey motioned with his hand in the direction from which they’d come. “That is not what it looked like to me.”
Adrian tightened his fingers around the reins and grumbled under his breath. Curse his cousin for pointing out the obvious, but a double curse on Bridget for making Adrian act this way.
“If you must know,” he quickly tried to explain, “I act this way because I’m looking out for Collin. Miss Hartwell is not the right woman for him.”
Another laugh burst from Trey, who exploded into fits as he tried to catch his breath. Adrian scowled. His cousin didn’t need to havethatkind of response, and the more Trey laughed, the angrier Adrian became.
“Oh, my good man.” Trey shook his head. “You are being very humorous today.”
“You think I’m lying?”
“On the contrary.” Trey took a deep breath as his laughter subsided. “I think thatyoubelieve you’re telling the truth.” He shook his head. “My good man, have you forgotten how Judith and I fell in love? I too denied my feelings for the longest time.”
If Adrian’s anger grew any worse, he feared his head would explode. Not very often did he and this particular cousin disagree, and this was one of those times Adrian wanted to punch the man in the face. But he wouldn’t. He would save that for his brother.
Exhaling slowly, Adrian tried to regain his control. “I fear, dear cousin, that your head is filled with foolish ideas. I’m sure that happens to every man who falls in love and marries, but I assure you, I do not have feelings for Miss Hartwell… unless, of course, they are feelings of guilt.” He nodded once, coming to the realization. “Yes, that is what I’m feeling. Guilt.”
Trey pulled his horse to a stop, which made Adrian do the same. Trey’s eyes narrowed and a serious expression crossed his face.
“Guilt? Oh, Adrian. What have you done?”
Adrian wasn’t certain he wanted to confess everything. “Let’s just say that something happened at the ball last week that shouldn’t have happened.”
Trey’s face tightened. “You didn’t… take her virginity, did you?”
Adrian rolled his eyes. “Absolutely not. Give me some acclaim for having control over my desires.”
His cousin’s shoulders relaxed as a deep sigh escaped his mouth. “Well, thank goodness for that.” He tilted his head. “Did you just steal a kiss?”
“Actually, I didn’tstealanything. However, as I was trying to hide from Aunt Beatrice, I ran into Miss Hartwell. And, well… when she heard my aunt calling for Lord William, I knew I had to hide Miss Hartwell with me, so we hid in the pantry.”
A loud gasp ripped from Trey’s throat. “The two of you were in the pantry?”
Adrian nodded. “Nothing should have happened, but she wouldn’t stop asking me questions, and the only way to silence her was…” He shrugged. “Needless to say, she was very cooperative while we were in the pantry.”
Trey’s humor returned, and he laughed loudly. “Forgive me, but I can’t control myself.”
“I wish you would stop laughing at my expense.”
“But you look so… serious.”
“Iamserious!”
