Page 46 of Much Ado about a Widow

“They are, my lady. I don’t know what I would do without Lulu.” Georgie smiled, unsure how they had gotten off on the subject of pugs. At least Lady St. Just liked dogs. That was one obstacle Georgie wouldn’t need to overcome. Perhaps Lulu would prove a way to stay in the marchioness’s good graces.

“Why don’t you go on out to the maze, my dear? Robin can bring Lulu out to you.”

“Thank you, my lady.” Relieved at being given leave to go, Georgie curtsied and hurried from the room. The butler, not quite so silent this time, assisted her with her pelisse and showed her which door led to the maze. The sunlight, so bright earlier, had dimmed a little as the day progressed, but still shone cheerfully on the tall boxwoods. She must make sure not to get lost in there, although she assumed Rob could find her and rescue her again. That made her smile as she walked cautiously into the maze.

The sensation of being swallowed up by the trees on either side gave her a moment’s concern, but her sense of adventure took over, and soon she was striding forward excitedly, turning first left, then right, until she came to a dead end. Perhaps it was designed that way, for there was a clever little stone bench set against the wall of trees, the perfect place to rest, or to step up and take one’s bearings. Climbing up swiftly, she peered over the tops of the hedges, looking for a glimpse of Rob.

“There you are.”

Georgie whirled around, too fast as it turned out. She windmilled her arms to keep from falling off the bench.

With one giant step, Rob reached her, grasped her around the waist, and steadied her.

When she had her balance, she rapped him sharply on the shoulder and jumped down. “Why do you insist on sneaking up on me?”

“Because there’s no fun in it otherwise.” He laughed and whistled, and Lulu came sailing around the edge of the hedge. “I had no idea she would come to a whistle.”

“Neither did I.” Georgie crouched down to pet the dog.

“Lulu, have you taken to Rob at last? He can whistle, and you’ll come?”

Lulu yipped and took off after something rustling in the boxwoods.

“Well, I certainly hope she will,” Rob said, helping Georgie to her feet, “because I for one do not wish to spend the night searching the maze for a dog. I’d do it,” he added quickly. “I just wouldn’t enjoy it very much.”

“I can’t say that I would either.” Georgie smoothed her pelisse down as best she could. It was the same light blue one she’d put over Rob to keep him from freezing, and it had not been right ever since. Neither had she.

“So how do you find Castle St. Just?”

“Absolutely lovely, Rob.” Not wanting to meet his gaze, she spread her arms and turned around. “Your castle is like something out of a fairy story. That is not always the case with castles, I’ll have you know. I grew up in one that was more of a nightmare.”

“And you’ll go back there once your brother arrives? You’ll marry Travers?”

The very thing she did not wish to think of. Not here, in this beautiful place. Not with Rob so close. “I am betrothed to him, Rob.” Summoning her courage, she turned to look at him. “I agreed to the marriage of my own free will. Not for love, no, but for my father and my family. When I disobeyed Father and broke from him to marry Isaac, I lost all connection with my brothers and sisters. My father forbade them from having any contact with me. He disowned me and vowed to treat me as if I were dead to him.” Desperate to move, she paced around the tiny circle. “I could live with that censure while my husband was alive. He was all that I needed. But when he died, I lost everything. My family could not or would not take me in, so I had to beg to live with my sister-in-law who despised me because my marriage had cost her father his living. Isaac’s father was our parish vicar, and when he married us, without Father’s approval, he was turned out of the vicarage almost overnight.”

“Georgie—”

“No, Rob.” She blinked back tears she didn’t want to fall. “You have to listen. You have to understand how it was. Mrs. Robinson took me in, out of common Christian charity, she said, but she treated me worse than any servant in my father’s house. I wore my mourning clothes long after my period of mourning was officially over, not only because I still missed Isaac, but because I had no money for new clothes. My friend Elizabeth took pity on me and had some of her gowns made over to fit me, else I’d have been wearing those hideous dresses still.” Rubbing away the tears that had insisted on falling, Georgie came back to stand in front of Rob. “So when my father sent for me and said he’d take me back if I agreed to marry Travers, I had no choice but to say yes. My mother’s inheritance does not come to me until I am thirty. Do you know a gentleman who would wish to wait so long, who would take me with nothing to my name?”

He took her hands, which made her want to cry all the harder. “Georgina, they would line the streets of London if only you would say the word. And I would be at the head of the line.”

“What?”

“Do you think your father would change his mind if someone else offered for your hand?” He grinned down at her like a lunatic. “Someone with more wealth and better social position than Travers could ever hope to have.” Loosening his hands from hers, he stroked his thumb down her cheek, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. “Someone you would prefer to marry.”

Scarcely able to make sense of his words, Georgie gasped as Rob tilted her face up to his and pressed his mouth to hers. As though the world around her had stopped, she knew only the touch of his lips and the fierce longing that their gentle touch awakened in her. She slid her hands up to cup his face, to keep them together as long as she possibly could.

He must have taken that as a signal, for he immediately deepened the kiss, his tongue stealing into her mouth, exploring her, tasting her, teasing her. Promising more if she wished it. A more secluded spot could not be found for a passionate tryst. And she did wish for more. But not quite yet.

With a sadness that was almost physical, she backed away and let him go.

To her surprise, he smiled as broadly as if she’d just given him the moon. “I shall write directly to your father, Georgie. I am an eligible parti with a good reputation. He should consider my suit.”

“I am already betrothed, Rob.” Oh, but she did not wish to get her hopes up. “Besides that, my father never changes his mind.”

Grinning even more widely, Rob took her arm and whistled for Lulu. “I think we shall have to see about that.”

Chapter Fifteen