Chapter Eighteen
Ryan was told at breakfast that Gabriel would remain at Mayapple while they sorted out some solution to the imposter prince.
The announcement came from Mr. Crewes; an off-hand comment as he’d salted his eggs. It was clear to Ryan that Elise Crewes already knew, but she launched into an odd battery of questions—“Did you invite him to stay or did he ask to stay?” “How long will he remain?” “Where is he now?” “Will he join us for breakfast in future; will he come to any meal at all?”—but her husband deflected them all.
“I’ve told you everything I know on the matter,” Killian said. “He means to stay and get Lady Ryan sorted.”
Ryan stared into her plate, riding out the galloping hooves that had replaced her heart. Gabriel would leave the forest. Gabriel would be here, with her—or at the very least,nearher. Gabriel had arranged for this with Mr. Crewes but not discussed it with Ryan. She’d come all this way, she’d drummed him from his seclusion, she’d caused him to admit his real identity, she was his bloody fiancée—and she was the last to know.
Even Gabriel’s nieces seemed to know more about his intentions. The girls trundled through the breakfast room to pilfer scones and little Marie announced: “When Uncle Gabriel returns from checking onhishorses in the forest, he will live withPapa’shorses in the stable. And every day he will teach us something new about being horsewomen.” She ticked off future skills on her fingers. “How to tie actual knots in actual ropes. How to braid the tails of the horses without danger from their powerful hind legs. How to examine their teeth.”
“We mustn’t overwhelm Uncle Gabriel, girls,” said Mr. Crewes. “But will you eat your scone at the table? With a proper plate and napkin in your lap? Where is Nanny?”
“Nanny has eaten undercooked fish,” reported Marie, walking out the door, a scone in each hand. Sofie hurried behind her.
“I worry Nanny has a weak constitution,” tsked Elise, watching them go.
“That’s the problem, is it?” drawled Killian from behind his newspaper.
Ryan smiled, in spite of herself. The Creweses were generous hosts, warm and accommodating; and their obvious affection and mutual respect made Elise feel safe and inexplicably hopeful. They talked openly about the work of running Mayapple and of raising their girls. If Ryan felt a trickle of homesickness for her sisters and her busy life at Winscombe, she reminded herself that she’d come to England to restore that busy life and protect those sisters. If she also felt a stab of longing for a family of her own, a husband and children, she pushed it away. Her life was so veryfull. She was under attack at the moment, but things were looking up. And Gabriel would (apparently) be nearby. Whether he’d simplyobserveRyan from the safe distance of the stables or actually interact with her—she couldn’t say. But she left breakfast feeling bolstered, and eager, and ever so slightly annoyed.
She made a silent vow to expect nothing from Gabriel Rein. She needed less disappointment and anxiety in her life, not more; and Gabriel was unpredictable and uncommunicative. And he would never leave Mayapple with her, he would not share any part of his life with her, regardless of what happened in their shared time on the estate. The fewer expectations meant less heartbreak in the end.
And then, just after breakfast, she saw him.
He stepped into a passageway in the servants’ corridor and they came face-to-face. Agnes had been working her magic on Ryan’s gown, a new-to-her frock given to her by Elise. The fit was good except for the sleeves, which needed lengthening, and the hem, which should be let out.
“Hello,” Gabriel clipped, taking in the sight of her with a long, hard look. He stopped five feet from her.
Ryan wouldn’t have been more surprised if the Prince Regent had appeared in the corridor. He wore buckskins and a jacket; both of which had seen considerable wear but were clean, unlike the rumpled, dusty clothes of the day before. He held his hat in his hand, exposing his hair, which was less uneven than she remembered. His beard had also been trimmed. He looked... if not, gentlemanly (or even civilized), then neat and respectable. He looked like a verylarge, very fit woodsman. Which she supposed he was. Was it wrong that she also found him devastatingly handsome? Ryan couldn’t say; she knew only that the sight of Gabriel in tan buckskin and chocolate leather put her off of brocade waistcoats or linen cravats for life.
Beside her, Agnes gasped. Agnes hadn’t liked the look of Gabriel when she’d seen him from the distance of the carriage the day before, and a closer view was unlikely to improve her opinion.
“That should do, Agnes,” Ryan said, dismissing her. “I’ll be mindful of the lace. You can sew it in earnest tonight.”
The maid didn’t waste time closing the door behind her and flipping the lock.
Ryan turned back to Gabriel. His initial appraisal of her had faded, and his regard for her now seemed detached. He was suspicious and remote, like he’d come upon a distrusted acquaintance. Only he could appear so very handsome and so very rude at the same time.
Ryan narrowed her eyes. She was accustomed to being overlooked by men, but she wasn’t used to fickleness.Expect nothing, she reminded herself. Her new policy.
Finally, she replied to him. “Hello.”
He said nothing. He loomed in the corridor, staring at her.
“How do you find the stables?” she continued.
Silence.
“What brings you belowstairs?” she asked.
“A stable boy led me to the kitchens,” he said. “I’m due to meet Killian and Elise in a parlor.”
“Ah. We’re bound for the same destination then. I followed my maid to the sewing room to save her the trip.”
“I hoped to keep away from the family and their guests until strictly necessary,” he said.
“Well, your hopes have been dashed, because here I am.”
