Mr. Warren let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, but the wood still needs to be chopped if we want to eat or stay warm around here.”
Miles stepped forward, knowing that was something he could do. “I will do it.”
“I cannot ask such a thing of you, my lord,” Mr. Warren protested.
“You didn’t ask, I offered,” Miles remarked. “It would be silly to send for a servant when I am more than capable of wielding an ax.”
Mrs. Warren exchanged a look with her husband before saying, “You are kind to offer, my lord, but we do not wish you to trouble yourself. We can manage on our own.”
“I’m afraid I won’t take no for an answer,” Miles said firmly.
Edwina turned towards him and asked, “Do you even know how to cut wood?”
A corner of Miles’ lips quirked upward. “It isn’t an overly complicated process, but, yes, I do know how,” he responded confidently. “It is a skill any decent soldier should possess.”
“I thought I recognized a fellow military man when I saw you,” Mr. Warren said, his voice reflective. “I served in the Army myself.”
“As did I,” Miles responded.
Mr. Warren gestured towards the window. “The ax is out back. Just a few logs would do us just fine.”
As Miles moved to depart, Edwina placed a hand on his sleeve and said, “I will join you.”
“I would like that very much,” he replied.
Edwina’s gaze lingered on him, her expression a mixture of astonishment and pride. He felt his chest swell with a sense of accomplishment as he watched the admiration in her eyes.
Who would have thought that offering to do such a mundane task would have earned Edwina’s approval?
Chapter Nine
As Edwina followed Miles to the rear of the cottage, she couldn’t quite believe that he had offered to chop wood, which was a mundane task that was beneath an earl. Yet here they were, standing in front of a neatly stacked pile of logs and an ax propped against them.
Miles came to a stop in front of the ax, his tall figure casting a long shadow on the grassy ground. He removed his jacket and turned to face her. “Would you mind holding this?” he asked with a smile.
“It would be my pleasure, considering you are doing a great service to the Warrens,” she replied as she stepped forward to accept the jacket.
Miles reached for the ax. “It is of little consequence,” he remarked nonchalantly.
“But it is,” she disagreed with admiration in her voice. “You are an earl and I doubt you dirty your hands often.”
With an amused look, Miles responded, “You could almost say that I am not acting very ‘earlish.’”
She laughed. “Most definitely.”
“Good, because above all else, I am a man,” Miles said. “Besides, I used to chop wood all the time when I was younger.”
“Did you not have servants to tend to such things?” she asked curiously.
Miles nodded, his expression becoming more thoughtful. “We had servants, but my brother and I used to escape to our hunting lodge in the woodlands. It was just us two and we did what we needed to do to survive,” he shared. “It was the best of times.”
Edwina could hear the wistfulness in his voice and knew his admission came at a great cost to him.
“Unfortunately, John is no longer with us and the hunting lodge has been vacant for many years now,” Miles said.
Miles turned back towards the wood pile and picked up the ax. With a determined expression, he swung the ax in smooth, practiced motions. The sound of wood cracking echoed through the woodlands as he split log after log with impressive precision.
He came to a stop and placed the ax down. He picked up the split pieces of wood and stacked them neatly by the pile.
