She held her breath.
“Your apology is appreciated,” he finally said. “But you do not have to make amends. It was just a dog, doing what dogs do.”
Relieved that he was at least in a forgiving mood, Mattie shook her head. “But he ismydog,” she said. “If you will give me your breeches, I will be able to repair them quickly.”
His eyes disappeared from the window and she thought he’d stepped away, but she could still see his head moving a little. That black, glossy hair was catching the light. She wasn’t sure what he was doing, so she thought that, perhaps, he might not have faith in her tailoring abilities.
“I promise that I do excellent work,” she said, trying not to sound as if she were pleading. “You needn’t worry.”
He finally looked at her again. “I do not doubt you,” he said. “I was simply looking at the breeches to see if they are even worth salvaging. I am afraid you would be wasting your time. I think they are beyond repair.”
“May I at least try?”
He sighed. “Lady, they are the most foul pair of breeches you have ever seen in your life,” he said. “I will be truthful and say that I do not want you touching them. I would be ashamed.”
Mattie wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, but she knew that, somehow, she felt hurt by his refusal. “Very well,” she said reluctantly. “I will again apologize for my dog. I have tied him up in my chamber. He shan’t bother you again.”
With that, she lowered her gaze and turned away, but he stopped her. “Please do not think I am not grateful,” he said. “I am very grateful that you should want to repair what was damaged, but I am not being dramatic when I say those breeches are horrific. I would not want your lovely hands touching them.”
Lovely hands. It sounded suspiciously like a compliment and Mattie could feel her cheeks flushing. It was the first nice thing he’d ever said to her. She came to a halt and turned to him.
“May… may I ask you a question, my lord?” she said.
“Of course.”
“Do you even remember me from those years ago?”
He nodded. “Of course I do,” he said. “You were being set upon by Percy de Vries. A nasty man.”
“Still?”
“He’s dead,” Gar said frankly. “Killed by one of his own men, I heard. Not surprising considering the entire House of de Vries is full of questionable men.”
She looked a little surprised. “I hadn’t heard of his death,” she admitted. “After your visit those years ago, I never saw any de Vries ever again. My father said that they had become our mortal enemies because we had insulted them.”
“How?”
“Lord de Vries wanted a betrothal between me and his son,” Mattie said. “My father refused because he wanted you instead.”
Gar hadn’t known that. He’d been removed from the betrothal negotiations and, being firmly against the betrothal itself, he’d never thought to ask how it came about. Now, the entire situation was starting to make a little sense.
“Ah,” he said. “Your father was hunting for a Wolfe.”
Mattie shook her head. “I would not know,” she said. “Like you, I was simply told about it. I was not involved in it.”
Gar’s gaze lingered on her for a moment. “You did not ask your father to pursue me?”
“Never, my lord.”
He had no reason not to believe her, but he was starting to think that she truly didn’t realize how undesirable the situation was for them both. She was young and perhaps the least bit naïve.
“Youdorealize I am a good deal older than you,” he said.
“I am aware.”
He frowned. “And that does not trouble you?”
“Should it?”
