‘And you haven’t seen your brother since you left England all those years ago?’
He shook his head. ‘Twenty-five years is a long time. We write, of course, but there is only so much you can learn about someone from a letter.’
The park was still quiet, with the odd couple strolling in the distance; they had this stretch of path by the lake completely to themselves.
‘Thank you,’ Beth said quietly.
Mr Ashburton turned to her and gave her a puzzled look.
‘For distracting me. I know it was your intent, and it has worked.’
He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners just a little. Beth felt the need to take a deep breath, as if there weren’t enough air to sustain her in the immediate vicinity.
‘Happy to be of service, Lady Elizabeth.’
‘I should be getting home. Would you be so kind as to escort me?’ She didn’t want to leave; if she could have her way she would continue strolling round Hyde Park with Mr Ashburton all day, but soon her mother would rise and Beth knew if she wasn’t home by then she would have to endure another lecture about how she should behave, and that would not include leaving the house at daybreak for a walk unchaperoned in the park.
‘Of course. Now, how do we get out of here?’
They both looked around for a moment, disorientated by the different paths they had taken. Beth didn’t want to go back the way they’d come, that would mean passing through the area she had been attacked in, and so she pointed for them to continue the way they’d been walking.
‘I’m sure there will be a gate this way.’
They continued to stroll through the park, eventually coming upon a gate that allowed them back onto the streets. It didn’t take long for Beth to orientate herself once they were back on more familiar territory and within fifteen minutes they had turned the corner into Egerton Gardens.
‘Thank you,’ Beth said as they paused at the bottom of the steps that led up to the house.
‘You’re welcome, Lady Elizabeth.’
Beth waited a moment longer, unsure why she was hesitating. He had delivered her home, just as he’d said he would, and now here they were. Really there was nothing more to say, nothing more to wait for, but wait she did, unable to break the force that seemed to hold them together.
Looking down at her shoes, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves and stepped in a little closer to Mr Ashburton at exactly the moment he did the same. Their bodies collided with a soft bump and Beth felt the tautness of Mr Ashburton’s muscles beneath his clothes. His arms came up and steadied her, holding her firmly just above the elbows until he was sure she had regained her balance, and even then he lingered a little longer.
Beth’s heart was pounding, her body overcome with an unfamiliar heat, and she had the urge to rise up onto her tiptoes and brush her lips against his. Even as she had the thought she knew it could never be, but her body swayed closer to him rebelliously.
She saw a flash of something that looked very much like desire in Mr Ashburton’s eyes before he dropped his hands from her arms so quickly it was as though she’d burnt him.
‘Goodbye, Lady Elizabeth,’ he said, taking a step back.
She couldn’t reply, not trusting her voice to come out as anything more than a squeak. Instead she nodded briefly and hurried up the steps, only allowing herself to breathe once she was inside the house with the door closed behind her.
Chapter Four
Josh paced in front of the unlit fireplace, aware of the tension in his shoulders and the minute clenching of his jaw. He knew exactly why he was worked up but he didn’t want to admit it to himself. In half an hour Leo would leave for his evening with Lady Elizabeth. He would spend the next few hours strolling through Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens with Lady Elizabeth on his arm, discussing the world and the future.
‘Stop it,’ he murmured to himself. It wasn’t right for him to feel this dash of jealousy. Lady Elizabeth was promised to Leo and he had no right to think of her as anything more than his future sister-in-law.
Leo walked into the room, holding a letter in his hand and frowning deeply.
‘Is there a problem?’
‘There could be. Lord Abbingdon has been taken unwell. He’s summoned me to his bedside immediately.’
‘Do you think it is serious?’
‘He’s not a young man and the tone of the letter is grave, but I suppose I will not know for sure until I get there.’
‘Do you want me to accompany you?’
‘No, I’ll ride until nightfall and complete the journey tomorrow.’ He shook his head. ‘Of course, it means I will have to cancel my plans with Lady Elizabeth.’
‘I’m sure she will understand.’
‘Unless...’
Josh looked up, seeing the question in his brother’s eyes.
‘Unless?’
‘You could go, take Lady Elizabeth to the gardens. It may work better than cancelling. I only have six weeks, after all, to make my decision. You can be my eyes and ears, let me know what you think of her.’
He knew he should say no, he should tell Leo to send a message to Lady Elizabeth cancelling their excursion, but Josh hesitated for just a second.
‘Wonderful. I knew I could rely on you.’
‘Surely it would be better to postpone. You may be back in a few days and you could take her then,’ Josh said as he finally found his voice.
‘I trust you, Josh. I know it’s a bit of a bore, but it means a lot to me. Thank you.’ Leo clapped him on the back and Josh could see his brother’s mind had already moved on, probably planning his imminent trip to Lord Abbingdon’s country residence. ‘I’ll try not to be long in Kent, hopefully
