Page 65 of A Match Made On Duchess Square

“But I am not Andrew.”

“Thank heaven you’re not,” she said, casting him a hesitant smile. “I do not need to give my heart to another bounder. One is more than enough for me.”

“Ah, Gwen. Do not attempt to coax me out of my sulk.”

“Is it working?”

He gave a mirthless chuckle. “Maybe.”

She smiled at him again, this time brighter and sweeter in relief. “We’ll have weeks together before the party guests arrive. I promise you that I shall stay at Milbury Hill throughout the month and give you an answer to your marriage offer by the end of the party, assuming you are not sick of me by then and wish to rescind said offer.”

“You think I will beg out?”

Her shoulders sagged, for she was feeling the weight of what had just transpired. “I don’t know what to think about any of this.”

Agatha was waiting for them when they arrived at the bakery just as the distant clock struck three. “I had the loveliest day,” she remarked with genuine delight as they climbed into Milbury’s carriage for the ride home. “My cousins would like to pick me up on my next afternoon off. They want to show me more of Brighton, although we tore around the entire town today, so I’m not sure what else there is to see. We walked by the Royal Pavilion and then they took me to a nearby tea shop. We walked along the beach. And stopped in too many shops to count.”

Gwendolyn smiled at her companion. “I’m glad you enjoyed your day.”

“I did, my lady. Ever so much. Did you accomplish all you needed to do?”

Gwendolyn nodded. “Oh, yes. We were unstoppable. Well, almost unstoppable. We did not have the chance to purchase bathing costumes for me.”

Milbury let out a breath. “Oh, Gwen. I’m sorry. We should have taken care of that chore right after we ordered the invitations.”

“I enjoyed walking around Brighton. We’ll put it on our list for our next trip here.”

He managed a smile. “We’ll place it first on our list of priorities.”

Gwen maintained a light banter with Agatha on the ride back, since Milbury did not appear to be talkative.

Well, she had given him a jolt with this Andrew business. She knew he was upset because even though he remained cordial, he was not at all engaged.

Then he excused himself the moment they arrived at Milbury Hill, muttering something about seeking out his sons. “I promised them an afternoon swim.”

“Yes, of course,” she replied, feeling him retreating and perhaps wishing he had never declared his affection for her. “I’m sure they are eager to see you.”

He gave a curt nod and left her to entertain herself for the remainder of the afternoon.

Agatha was now yawning, so Gwendolyn suggested she take a nap.

“My lady! And leave you on your own? Who am I to take a nap in the middle of the day?”

“You are my companion now,” Gwendolyn reminded her again. “I think I’ll take a walk along the beach and perhaps later nap before supper. Will you help me out of my gown? I’ll put on one of the light muslins. In fact, I know just the one.”

She dug into her wardrobe upon returning to her room.

“This one,” she said, pulling out a white muslin with no adornment other than a decorative band that circled her body just below her bosom. The band was embroidered with butterflies.

If that did not send a message to Milbury, then she did not know what would.

Of course, she did not know exactly what message he would receive from it. Or what message she was trying to send him. But she had told him about the butterflies in her stomach fluttering whenever she was around him. He was clever. Should he not understand that she had no intention of dismissing him even if Andrew did charge back into her life? She was no longer a wide-eyed girl and would not treat Andrew’s abandonment of her as nothing serious.

After changing, she walked down to the beach, where she knew Milbury had just gone with his sons for their afternoon swim. She wasn’t going to interrupt them, just watch from a distance and absorb a little sunshine. The darkening clouds over Brighton must have passed earlier over Milbury Hill and then moved on, because the sky over Milbury’s home was now a vibrant blanket of blue dotted with puffs of white clouds.

A soft breeze blew off the water, but it was not very strong and the afternoon was too hot to enjoy unless one stood in the shade or took a dip in the water, as Milbury and his sons were now doing.

She saw them the moment she reached the beach steps. But she stopped suddenly and let out a sharp breath.