Chapter Three
AFTER SEEING MISS HOLLYOAKsafely to her room, George made his way to his own bedchamber, located on the other side of the house. Once there, he poured himself a large glass of brandy and took several sips while pondering his most recent conversation with her.
By God, she’d made him angry. He’d been so looking forward to spending his evening with her, but when she’d suggested he’d gotten Miss Granger with child, it was as if the person he’d thought Miss Hollyoak to be had vanished. He’d no longer seen her as someone he might find happiness with, but rather as the worst sort of judgmental female imaginable – a woman who would always ignore her own experience with him in favor of thinking the worst.
Until she’d explained her reasoning.
In truth, she was right to be cautious - to safeguard her heart until she was certain the man to whom she chose to give it was truly deserving. Given her age and her lack of experience in the world, this was of even greater importance.
He downed the last of his drink and rang for his valet so he could get ready for bed. It was easy for him to forget she was so much younger than he when they were together. Talking to her was so natural. It didn’t feel like there were eleven years between them. But there were, and when it came to making informed decisions based on complete objectivity, the difference showed. So he’d do his best to remember that from now on, and rather than chastise, he’d make an effort to offer guidance.
#
THE DEW STILL CLUNGto the grass when George set off with Miss Hollyoak the following day after breakfast. He’d informed their parents that he would be giving her a tour of the estate, and while he had thought to mention the idea of bringing a chaperone, he rather fancied being alone with his lovely guest, so when no one else said anything, he’d kept quiet. If it came up later, he’d simply say it hadn’t crossed his mind since they would be riding and having a mounted chaperone wasn’t something he’d thought to consider.
“If you look hard enough,” he told Miss Hollyoak once they’d crossed a couple of fields, “you can see the top of a steeple in the distance.”
She raised her hand to shield her gaze from the sun. “Oh yes.”
“That’s the next village and where our property ends.”
“How many estates do you have?”
“Just the one, along with a property in the Lake District. My grandparents used to take us there when my siblings and I were little.”
“You have two younger brothers and a sister, correct?”
“That’s right. Rose, Ben, and Lucas are all happily married with nurseries of their own. Which has made Father more determined than ever to see me wed. I have a duty toward the continuation of the title, yet here I am, shirking it, as he would say.”
“On the contrary, it looks like you’re making an effort to find a wife.”
“Hmm...” He glanced at her and instantly grinned on account of the mischievous sparkle in her blue eyes. “Perhaps you’re right. Do you ride well, Miss Hollyoak?”
“Well enough for a race, if that’s what you have in mind.”
“You’re certain?”
Her smile became a challenging smirk. “I bet you can’t catch me.”
Before he had a chance to contradict her preposterous wager, she’d spurred her horse into a furious gallop. Good lord. He sat for a second, utterly stunned by her proficiency and the elegance with which she sat in the saddle, before he thought to follow.
“Yah!” George dug his heels into his horse’s flanks and leaned forward to meet the air like a spear. Nothing invigorated him more than a hard ride, the beat of the hooves vibrating through him until he felt at one with the beast.
Racing faster, he grinned with wild abandon as he came up alongside Miss Hollyoak. She turned her gaze toward him and laughed. The hat she’d been wearing when they’d set out must have fallen off at some point, and stray locks of hair dislodged from their pins streamed out behind her. The gleam in her eyes went straight to his heart, filling it with an incredibly strong sense of unity. He felt a natural connection with her - a chance for understanding and like-mindedness he’d never before experienced with anyone else.
Perhaps because they’d quarreled?
Instead of pretending an interest in marrying him, she’d told him outright that she had none. More than that, she’d told him why. And later, when she’d thought she’d found evidence in support of her reasoning, she’d confronted him. What followed had made him feel closer to her, as if somehow by arguing, they’d broken down the barriers between them. Of course, he still had to tell her the truth, but he was confident that once he did, it would only strengthen the bond they were already forming.
“I won,” Miss Hollyoak said with a gasp of breath when she drew her mount to a halt moments later.
George sent her a teasing smile. “You’re welcome to be as delusional as you like.”
She gaped at him. “Delusional? I got here first.”
“Of course you did,” he said, applying his most serious tone.
“I did!”
