‘I’m sorry,’ he said quietly after the carriage was moving. ‘You shouldn’t have had to see that.’
‘You don’t need to apologise.’
‘I do. I should have stayed away, let you meet Miss Culpepper without my dislike of the woman getting in the way.’
‘You needed to confront her, and I doubt she would have agreed to meet you otherwise.’
He was silent for a moment. ‘I did need to confront her. What does that say about me?’
Beth leaned forward and placed her hand over the top of his, feeling the warmth of his skin even through her gloves. It was an intimate gesture, one of friends or lovers, but it felt right to try to comfort this man who had come to mean so much to her.
‘Of course you’re going to have questions for the woman who could have changed the course of your life.’
‘I don’t understand why I’m still so angry. It turned out well for me. I got a loving family, a life of adventure, and soon I’ll be in charge of one of the most successful businesses in India. I should be thanking her for setting me free.’
‘It did turn out well,’ Beth said slowly, ‘but I think you’re angry for two reasons. The first is she separated you from your brother when you needed him the most. And the second is she did it all without knowing it would turn out well. It was only luck that Mr Usbourne stepped up and took you in—when Miss Culpepper refused you she didn’t know what life she was condemning you to.’
‘You have a logical head on you, Lady Elizabeth.’ As he looked at her she could see some of the pent-up anger seeping from his body. His shoulders began to relax, his jaw unclench, his posture soften.
The journey was short and already the carriage was slowing to a stop in front of her town house. She shifted in her seat to prepare herself to step down, but Joshua Ashburton gripped her hands and stilled her.
Beth looked up, her eyes meeting with his, and for a moment it felt as though their thoughts were as one. She felt every hurt and every hope of the man sitting opposite her. She knew he wanted to kiss her, wanted to take her into his arms and forget the world outside the carriage window, but she also knew he would respect her request to not jeopardise her chances of marrying his brother. For a moment she cursed herself for making the request and wondered how foolish she would be if she leaned across the space between them and kissed him.
‘I will see you in Sussex, Lady Elizabeth,’ he said softly.
With a great effort she nodded and tore her gaze away from his. As she stepped out of the carriage she made the mistake of glancing back, and felt the sudden realisation that it was something much deeper than pure desire that filled her heart. Quickly she pushed the thought aside, but she knew it had lodged somewhere deep down as she felt her heart squeeze at the thought of this man leaving her life for ever in a few short weeks.
It took a gargantuan effort to compose herself enough to enter the house, knowing her mother would be waiting just inside the door for a detailed account of exactly what had passed. Beth didn’t know if she could recount it all without letting slip her feelings for the wrong Ashburton brother.
Chapter Nine
The salty breeze swept Beth’s hair from her face and whipped it around her neck. When she’d left the house she’d been perfectly groomed but the weather was conspiring to make her look less than poised and perfect, although Beth couldn’t bring herself to care. It was one of those beautifully warm days where in sheltered spots it felt as she imagined tropical climes to be, but when the wind blew you were reminded you were still in England, not nearer the equator.
Gently pulling on the reins, she turned her horse’s head and tapped lightly with her feet to urge her into a trot. They moved parallel to the cliff edge, climbing the slope until they had a fantastic view of the chalky cliffs and the blue-grey sea beyond. This was where Beth felt at her happiest. She loved the sea, loved watching the crashing waves in winter and the lapping tides in summer. She loved how the clouds above changed the colour of the sea below and the way the weather was more dramatic at the coast.
‘Good morning,’ a voice called out from behind her. Beth almost fell from her saddle. She would have sworn she was alone on the clifftop.
‘Mr Ashburton.’ Mr Joshua Ashburton, the man she hadn’t been able to banish from her mind no matter how hard she tried.
‘I’m sorry to startle you. I was keen to catch a glimpse of these famous cliffs.’
‘When did you arrive?’ Beth knew she was being blunt, rude even, but his sudden appearance had unsettled her.
‘Half an hour ago.’ He gave a little smile as he saw her peer around him. ‘I’m alone.’
‘Your brother...?’
‘Is freshening up. Something he tells me every gentleman should do after travelling on horseback for any period of time.’ He shrugged and Beth felt drawn to his carefree attitude. ‘I didn’t think the sea would mind my ruffled appearance.’
He looked anything but ruffled. Even the wind suited him, tousling his hair and whipping at his clothes.
‘My mother is going to be livid,’ Beth murmured as she glanced towards home. She couldn’t see Birling View from here but already she could imagine her mother’s ire at Beth being out when their guest of honour arrived. ‘You weren’t meant to be here until this afternoon.’
‘Blame me. Leo calculated the time it would take in a carriage but this morning I persuaded him to complete our journey on horseback.’ He turned his horse so he was alongside her and for a long moment looked out at the sea. ‘I
