Slowly, Adrian released a sigh of relief, hoping it wasn’t noticeable. Bridget wouldn’t be leaving yet.
“So, what do you say?” Collin asked her. “Will you and your sister stay for the meal?”
She nodded. “We will be happy to.”
“Miss Hartwell, Miss Priscilla, if you would follow me,” the housekeeper said, “I’ll take you to change back into your clothes.”
As the women stood, Adrian and Collin jumped to their feet until after the pair left the room. Collin walked to the decanter of port on the side bar and poured himself a glass.
“Do you want a drink?”
Adrian shook his head. He didn’t need spirits tonight. Having Bridget here, looking at him with sparkles in his eyes, was enough to have him floating around the room. “No. I’m fine, thank you.”
“I must say”—Collin took a sip of his port—“that you are different.”
“Different? What do you mean?”
“Whenever I’ve seen you with women, you are charming, but self-centered. Never have you volunteered to do something nice for them. Yet, in the past two days, I’ve witnessed you going out of your way to do things you don’t normally do. Yesterday, you rode after Miss Hartwell when her horse was out of control. If you had seen that happen a month ago, I doubt you would have been so bold. You would have given the reason of not rescuing the maiden because it would have gotten dirt on your new clothes. And today, you took in two women who were muddy and wet, and instructed the stable master to repair the wheel on their vehicle. The old Adrian would have had one of the servants take the women home without offering any assistance.”
Adrian rolled his eyes. “You have a very low opinion of me, and you always have. Just because I have done some selfish things in my life doesn’t mean I’m always selfish. And because we have never gotten along and stay away from each other as much as we can, I assure you, the man you describe is nothing like the man I was.” He didn’t want to admit that his brother was close, though.
“Then forgive me. However, that doesn’t change the fact that you have changed since we moved here. Perhaps the country life agrees with you after all.”
“Perhaps.” Adrian walked to the door and peeked into the hall. Of course, the women wouldn’t be changed yet. But chatting with his brother wasn’t as enjoyable.
“In fact,” Collin continued, “I think I know what brought on this change.”
Shaking his head, Adrian faced his brother. “And what, pray tell, would that be?”
“I think you are falling in love.”
Adrian snorted a loud laugh. “In love? Are you addled? Why would I fall in love with a penniless country woman?” After he said it, he glanced behind him, hoping Bridget wasn’t nearby and overheard. Thankfully, as he suspected, they were not dressed yet.
“I believe one of Hartwell sisters has captured your interest. I think it doesn’t matter if they are poor farm girls—you like them anyway.”
Sighing heavily, Adrian crossed his arms and walked toward the window. This topic was ridiculous, and he wished they would change the subject quickly. “Not to worry, brother dear. I’m not in love.”
Collin chuckled. “That’s not what our cousin Trey thinks.”
Adrian spun around. The feeling of betrayal came over him. How dare his favorite—hisex-favorite—cousin say that about him? “Trey is up in the night. His love-struck wife is too nosey for her own good. But Trey is wrong, and so are you.”
Collin poured himself another drink. “Then tell me why you haven’t excused yourself by now and left? You have had all the time to leave the room, yet you stay and continue to share stories with the Hartwell sisters. Why is that, I wonder?”
Adrian rolled his eyes again, tired of his brother’s overactive imagination. “Because I’m bored. I have nothing else to do but visit. I cannot go riding because of the rain, and playing cards with you isn’t something I like doing.”
Collin snickered. “If you say so, brother.”
“Of course I say so. You heard the words come from my mouth, so why wouldn’t they be true?”
Collin tilted back his head and laughed boisterously. “Trey was right. You are in complete denial.”
Grumbling, Adrian marched toward the door. “I’m going to check on the meal.”
Both his cousin and brother were wrong. Terribly wrong. He wasnotin love with Bridget. Of course, Collin never did name the Hartwell sister he believed Adrian was supposed to be in love with, but it didn’t matter. He was enamored with Bridget, but he wasn’t in love. Eventually, another woman would catch his eye, but until that happened, he was satisfied in Bridget. After all, he still wanted to kiss her again, and while that thought was foremost in his mind, how could he think of charming another woman?
*
Bridget stared atherself in the mirror as one of Adrian’s maids styled her hair. She wasn’t certain she liked someone else touching her hair and helping her dress. But, if by some odd chance, she became Lord Hanover’s wife, she would be expected to have many servants waiting on her constantly. How did titled women keep from getting bored? Already, just watching the maid in the mirror was quite tedious.
