“But you’ll get wet.”
“I expect so. Yes.”
“But–”
“You told me you want that fish. The reel is done for, so this is the only way.” He leaned in close to her and quietly murmured, “Most women would have settled for the bouquet. I must confess you’re quite unusual. Interesting, I should say.”
“You really don’t have to do this.”
Matthew merely smiled and headed for the water. It no longer mattered if Miss Townsbridge retracted her request. He was still going in. Because nothing ever got the better of him. Not even a damn fish.
Chapter Three
SARAH COULDN’T STOPsmiling. It was ridiculous how happy she was right now in light of how irritated she’d been with Brunswick earlier. The superior tone he’d used as he’d presented her with the roses had grated on her every nerve, prompting her to completely forget her reason for wanting to see him again. The comment he’d made later about not wanting her as a friend or confidante but solely as a means by which to secure his lineage hadn’t helped.
His stance on marriage had bothered her to the point where she’d wished herself a million miles away from him. Perhaps because it stood in stark opposition to everything she wanted for herself. Allowing high emotion to guide her actions had not been the least bit useful. Thank goodness, he’d followed her. Otherwise she’d be cursing herself right now for wasting the chance she’d been given to further her acquaintance with him – to give him the friendship he’d clearly stated he did not want.
She glanced at him now. Drenched from head to toe, he walked beside her, a sack containing the carp he’d harpooned with his knife flung over his right shoulder.
A smile threatened to capture her mouth. “Thank you for catching that for me.”
“You’re welcome.”
She bit her lip, told herself to resist the urge to tease him, only to find herself saying, “We should do this again sometime.”
He glared at her. “I don’t think I’m ever going near a lake again.”
She understood. Even though the water had only reached his waist, the lakebed had been slippery, the carp impossible to wrestle while keeping his balance.
Sarah laughed, earning her another glare. It wasn’t funny. It really wasn’t. But the memory of him splashing about in the Serpentine made her laugh once more. “I’m so sorry.”
His only response this time was a grunt.
“At least you got it in the end.”
“Indeed.”
