Miles dropped his arm to his side but remained close. “Wecan do this… together,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers. “But you will need to trust me.”
“I thought we already established that I did,” Edwina replied lightly.
“Yes, we did, but now youreallyneed to trust me,” Miles said, his lips curling into a tight smile.
Despite her anger towards her uncle, Edwina couldn’t help but feel a flicker of amusement at Miles’ persistence.
Miles turned his head towards the direction of the village, his gaze searching the horizon. “How far off is the village?”
“Not too far,” she replied, following his gaze. “We should be able to walk there in under twenty minutes or so.”
“Are you up for a walk?”
Edwina felt her lips twitch. “Do we have a choice, considering you sent the carriage up ahead?”
“It was so Lord Dallington wouldn’t see us,” Miles explained, his tone slightly defensive.
“I never said it was wrong,” Edwina said. “It is a good thing that I wore my boots today.”
Miles held out his hand towards the road, gesturing that she should go first. “After you, my lady,” he encouraged.
“Thank you,” Edwina said as she brushed past him.
Once they started walking down the road, Miles asked, “Shall we play a game to pass the time?”
“We could, or you could practice your whistling skills,” she teased.
Miles let out an exasperated sigh as he glanced heavenward. “Not this again,” he muttered.
The sound of a carriage approaching from behind caught their attention and they quickly moved to the side of the road to let it pass. It came to an abrupt stop a short distance ahead and the door swung open, revealing Miss Bawden.
With a smile on her face, Miss Bawden asked, “Would you care for a ride into the village?”
“We would greatly appreciate one,” Edwina replied.
“I can’t help but wonder why you were walking in the first place,” Miss Bawden remarked.
As they approached the coach, Edwina explained, “We sent our own carriage ahead of us to the village.”
“Well, that certainly explains it,” Miss Bawden joked before settling back into her seat.
Miles offered his hand and assisted Edwina into the coach. She sat next to Miss Bawden while Miles took a seat across from them.
With a jolt, the coach began its journey and Miss Bawden shifted in her seat to face Edwina. “I suppose you have no intention of enlightening me on your reasons for walking.”
“You are correct in that assumption,” Edwina confirmed.
Miss Bawden regarded her with a curious look, and Edwina worried she might persist with the matter. Fortunately, to Edwina’s relief, Miss Bawden tilted her head and remarked, “I can accept that… for now.”
Edwina exchanged a glance with Miles before she turned her attention towards the window. She would eventually tell her friend why they had been forced to abandon their carriage and continue on foot, but now was not the time. She needed more answers before she would be comfortable telling anyone.
One thing was certain, she was grateful for Miles. His strength had comforted her, leaving her feeling stronger than she was before. She did have a problem, though. Her feelings for him had started to deepen the more time they spent together.
She was setting herself up for heartache when he left, but, for now, she was just going to cherish every moment she had with Miles.
Miles adjusted his cravat as his valet removed a speck oflint from his jacket. A distant chime echoed through the manor, beckoning everyone to gather in the drawing room for dinner.
Bailey took a step back. “Will there be anything else, my lord?”
