“We’d best hurry then,” Miss Howard said. She strode forward with long strides, a caricature of elegance in her billowing evening gown and his much-too-large jacket.
Griffin forced back a grin and hurried after her. She was an interesting person: beautiful, independent, and very determined in her pursuits. Which of course made him wonder if she would approach all things in life with the focus she’d given to convincing her mother she needn’t marry on account of a kiss before heading off on a cross-country journey with the very same man who’d just compromised her. Would she dedicate herself to making love with equal zeal?
Not the right question for him to be asking while trying to give her protection.
He set his jaw and glanced across at her profile. Her gaze was fixed upon the horizon with fierce determination, her chin jutting slightly forward beneath a full pair of rosy lips, and her cheeks flushed by vigor. Strands of loosened hair tangled in the wind, flung out behind her in a haphazard display of careless abandon.
Most people who saw her like this would likely say she looked a mess, but Griffin disagreed. In his opinion he’d never encountered a lovelier woman, nor one he’d rather take a walk in the rain with.
And it was raining now. Only a little, but enough to warn him that more was to come. “We’ll be soaked before we get there,” he said, stating the obvious.
“Do you not like the rain?”
A flash of light lit up the sky, followed shortly after by a boom in the distance. The drizzle came faster and heavier until it became a rapid downpour.
Griffin was drenched before he’d taken another five steps.
“I like it well enough as long as I’m sitting inside by a blazing fire.”
She laughed in spite of the wind and the rain streaking over her face, which made Griffin laugh as well. Miss Howard was good company. There was a carefree honesty about her that most people lacked.
“That does sound lovely, but since we’ve still got some way to go, I would suggest finding pleasure in our current circumstances.”
“My clothes are clinging to my skin, Miss Howard.”
“So are mine. But if you try to ignore that for a moment and direct your attention toward the drops of water spilling onto your face and the wind blowing over your cheeks, you should start feeling revived. The energy found in nature should lift your spirit, not repress it. It should wash away all restrictions and make you feel free.”
God, he wanted to kiss her right now. He wanted to taste the raindrops on her face and feel the drenched fabric of her gown bunched in his hands as he pulled her against him.
He took a deep breath, conscious of the water trickling over his own lips. It cooled there in response to a harsh gust of wind blowing in from his left. Griffin’s senses sharpened, bringing about a new awareness and appreciation for how the cool air mixed with the rain invigorated every cell in his body.
“I never considered that before.”
“When we allow ourselves to abandon the rules we’ve been taught to adhere to, like taking shelter at the first sign of rain, we open ourselves to new experiences and a freedom that cannot exist as long as we let ourselves be restricted.”
“Do you know how revolutionary that sounds?”
She swiped some water from her eyes with her hand and said, “It is the most compelling argument for my present situation.” A grin tugged at her lips. “We would not be here together like this, you and I, if we’d chosen to follow the rules.”
“We’d likely be arguing with friends and family about the repercussions of our kiss.”
“Which would have been a dull way to spend a Monday, would you not agree?”
He laughed. How could he not when she was so marvelously refreshing? “You make an excellent point, Miss Howard.” Spending a brief reprieve with her at Clearview would not be so bad. In fact, he was rather glad things had turned out the way they had, for it meant he would now have a chance to get to know her better.
But to what end?
You don’t wish to marry and you plan to leave England.
He chose to ignore that nagging thought for the moment and simply enjoy the company of a woman who was proving to be far more entertaining than he’d ever anticipated.
In spiteof what she’d said to Lord Griffin, Emily was actually quite glad to arrive at Clearview when they did because she’d still been wearing her silk slippers from the night of the ball, and they weren’t meant for walking through mud and puddles.
“I wish you could see this place in a few weeks when daffodils bloom,” she said as she entered through the garden gate.
“I imagine it must be very picturesque.” The gate squeaked on its hinges as he closed it. “I’ve always been fond of daffodils myself.”
“They’re my favorite flowers. Along with peonies.” Turning right, she made her way toward the cottage where Caleb had stayed during his time there.
