“Edward and I have known each other for a number of years,” she told him. “We are close friends. We even talked some years ago about marrying each other, but we spoke of it as a possible but by no means certain event comfortably far in the future. We did not consider ourselves betrothed. At the time he was an earnest young student and I was—well, an earnest young woman. If either of us had ever heard the word
“Ah,” he said, his fingertips lightly patting her hand. “You were merely a
She slanted him a glance as they stepped between an ancient oak and a beech tree and walked on into the deeper shade of the grove.
“But when you were a student, Lord Windrow,” she said, “did you reinforce practical action with academic learning?”
“Ah, touchй,” he said. “You make a point. A rather barbed one, it is true, but a point nonetheless.”
“After Lady Angeline refused Edward’s marriage offer,” Eunice said, “she—”
“She did
“He could not assure her that he loved her,” Eunice explained.
“Ah,” Lord Windrow said. “
“Afterward,” Eunice continued, “she befriended me and then she conceived the idea that Edward and I love each other passionately but are held back from marrying by his sense of duty and his family’s expectations that he marry well. She saw us—she
Lord Windrow regarded her with laughing, lazy eyes.
“She is willing to give up the man for whom she pines to her new best friend?” he asked. “I assume she
Eunice gave him a speaking glance.
“Lady Angeline is very sweet,” she said, “and very kind and very confused. I like her exceedingly well, you know. If you think to mock her in my hearing, think again.”
“Mock a lady?” he said, his free hand over his heart. “You do me an injustice, Miss Goddard. You have wounded me to the soul.”
“She gave me her blessing a while ago,” Eunice said, “but she believes that circumstances have contrived to keep us apart—Edward and me, that is. And so she has decided that she must lend an active hand. She arranged to have me invited to this house party.”
“I must remember,” he said, “to thank her.”
“And she arranged,” she said, “to have
Their footsteps had already slowed as they progressed deeper among the trees. Now they stopped walking altogether, and he released her arm in order to turn to face her. He regarded her with half-lowered eyelids, beneath which his eyes looked both keen and amused.
“Ah,” he said. “But this brain of mine is dense, Miss Goddard. Perhaps I ought to have given more of my attention to academic learning when I was a student after all. We both have Lady Angeline Dudley to thank for bringing us here and, presumably, for throwing us together this afternoon—I never did for a moment believe the boulder-in-the-shoe story—so that we may end up here in this secluded and, ah,
Eunice sighed.
“Edward bristles at the mere mention of your name, you know,” she said. “You represent for him all that is most depraved in the ranks of bored aristocrats. He considers you a rake of the first order. And his opinion has
“Alas,” he said, one hand over his heart again, “I was guilty of a colossal error of judgment on that occasion, Miss Goddard. It was
“
His eyes laughed.
“Not all of us can be saints, Miss Goddard,” he said. “Some of us are sinners, sad to say. But even sinners are capable of redemption. Be gentle with me.”
She shook her head and smiled.
“What was supposed to have happened,” she said, “at least, what Lady Angeline expected to happen, was that Edward would come rushing to my rescue as soon as he saw us alone together and wrest me from your evil clutches and bear me off—well, here, I suppose, or somewhere just like it. Somewhere secluded and—
“And you were a party to this scheme, Miss Goddard?” he asked.
“Since this morning,” she admitted. “She feared that all her careful scheming would come to naught if I did not know that I was to lure you off when my cue came, so that Edward could come and rescue me.”
“But instead,” he said, “he rescued
“Edward is
“Ah,” Lord Windrow said, “what an excellent person you are, Miss Goddard. You are not only intelligent, but you have a female’s logic too.”
“I
He looked her over lazily from head to foot—from her unadorned straw bonnet and the smooth brown hair beneath it, over her plain but serviceable muslin dress of pale green, on down to her sensible brown walking shoes.
“Yes,” he said before lifting his eyes to hers, “I had noticed.”
“Well,” Eunice said after swallowing, “thank goodness for that.”
“And so Heyward is supposed to believe that I am having my wicked way with you in the forest, is he?” he asked.
“He is.” She smiled at him. “He knows better, though. He trusts my good sense.”
“Does he indeed?” His lazy eyes searched her face. “But does he trust
“He trusts my ability to handle you,” she said.
He took one step forward, and she took a half-step back in order to steady her back against the sturdy trunk of a tree.
“That sounds fascinating,” he said. “How