Chapter Four
There. She hadsaid it. Whether that would deter him from whatever Lord Primrose thought he was doing here, she knew naught.
“If ye dinna mind me asking. Why is your cousin so insistent?”
Surely, he knew that she was of marrying age. At this point, she might as well be headed toward spinsterhood. At least that is what he must think, considering her age. He had no idea she was previously married. Really, he knew naught about her.
Maybe if she told him of her past, he would run for the hills.
She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.
“Mayhap we should sit for a time?”
“Of course.” He hurried her over to a stone bench shaded by a large oak tree.
Joan stayed within eyesight, but out of earshot, and Willamina rubbed her hands down the skirt of her gown, the material soft under her fingers.
“I am unsure of what my cousin has told ye. But my past is a storied one. I am no innocent maiden if that is what ye are in search of. If that is the case, ye should leave now.”
To Lord Primrose’s credit, his expression remained passive. There was no look of condescension. He remained quiet, his eyes set on hers and waited for her to continue.
How much should she tell him? Everything? Something? The bare minimum? She was not sure. Though she appreciated that he was not pressuring her in any way.
“I was married,” she blurted out. She did not mean to say it that way, but it just happened, the words slipping from her lips before she could stop them.
His brows lifted slightly in surprise, but he still said naught.
Even with the sun hidden behind the clouds, the air was so hot out here. Willamina did not have her fan with her, so she waved her hands in front of her face to try to cool down.
Lord Primrose’s proximity. The impending conversation. It was too much to deal with. What she said to him would surely scare him away.
The thought both saddened her and made her happy.
For one, she did not want this. But for the other, he was incredibly handsome. Strong, tall. Titled, not that she cared for that. She already had hers. But what would it feel like being held in his strong arms?
Divine. That was what it would feel like. A feeling completely unknown to her.
He coughed, and she was sure it was to bring her wandering attention back to them.
A blush crept up her neck and she gave him a small smile. Why was it so hard to speak to him of this subject? Never in her life had she had a hard time speaking her mind.
Lord Primrose did things to her body and mind that made her feel incompetent.
“My husband passed away a few years ago.”
His blue eyes darkened and a frown dipped the corners of his mouth. “I am verra sorry to hear that. My condolences on your loss.”
She shook her head. “Nay, ’tis all right. Thank ye, though.”
“Is that why ye are under your cousin’s guardianship?”
“Aye. Nay.” She pushed off the bench and continued down the path they had been strolling along earlier. Heavy footsteps crunched the gravel behind her and soon Primrose was matching her strides at her side.
“When my husband passed, our assets’ oversight fell to my father. Late last year, he and my mother were killed when their carriage overturned. Since Gil is my only remaining relative, he now controls all my assets.”
Primrose nodded. “I can understand that, but why the rush?”
“Honestly, I dinna ken,” she shrugged. “I think he doesna care for the added responsibility. We didna really know each other until this happened, and I believe he sees it as an encroachment of his privacy.” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “He could have just left me in Inverness. I was perfectly happy there.”
