Until they all stopped and stared.
Right. Ladies weren’t found alone on the road. What mustthey think of her?
Her cheeks were heating, but she turned her back on them andcontinued walking as if they meant nothing. The voices grew closer, until theywere on her heels. She refused to speed her steps, though everything in hercried out to run, to escape.
The first fellow passed her on the right with a respectfulnod. “Ma’am.”
Hester nodded in return.
The second edged around her on the left. “Nice day for awalk.”
Again she nodded, afraid her voice would come out in asqueak if she opened her mouth.
Three more followed behind him, avoiding her gaze.
The last walked up boldly beside her. “Care for somecompany?”
Hester caught her breath, taking in the saucy grin, warmgaze, and lean physique. Why, he wasn’t even wearing a cravat! She could seethe column of his throat between the wilting points of his shirt. She couldn’tseem to find her voice.
The first fellow circled back and grabbed his arm. “Sorry,ma’am. He’s new to the area, but he meant no disrespect.” He tried to tug hisfriend away.
Rob, being Rob, resisted. “Of course I meant no disrespect.What’s wrong with you, Hugh? The loveliest lass in all the land, and you won’teven allow me to say good day?”
The loveliest lass in all the land. She wasn’t. But shewould have liked to be.
“Don’t make a fool of yourself, Charles,” his friendcountered. “The lady’s far above our shoulders.”
“Speak for yourself,” Rob said. He swept her a bow, arm heldwide. “Rob Charles, at your service, my lady. And you would be?”
Introducing himself was so impolite. Her mother would not approve.Her uncle would thunder. The other young men were glancing from him to her tosee who would protest first.
Hester held out her hand. “Miss Ascot, of the WeymouthAscots, also recently arrived in the area.”
His friend frowned. Like the other lads with him, he hadn’tmet her, but perhaps he knew her uncle or had seen her in passing. She did herbest to ignore him.
Rob took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back. “MissAscot. You hold my heart in your palm.”
My word.
Her knees had wobbled, and her breath had caught anew, butshe’d done her best to keep the haughty smile on her lips as she retrieved hertrembling fingers.
“You go on, fellows,” he’d said. “I’ll just accompany MissAscot on her stroll. I wouldn’t want her to come upon low company.”
That set them all to laughing. With a wave, they’d boundedoff for better game.
And Rob had stayed at her side, that day and throughout mostof the summer.
Thinking back, she couldn’t believe she’d been so brazen.She’d found excuse after excuse to leave the house alone, usually after heruncle and Rosemary had gone collecting. She’d lied to her mother, bribed themaid at the time with pin money, made up stories of friends she must visit, urgentmessages she must take to the vicar, anything that might give her a few momentswith no chaperone.
Even then, she’d felt a twinge of guilt for hiding heradventures from her family, but that’s what time with Rob had been. Anadventure, stolen from the rest of her life. Something all her own, somethingshe didn’t have to share with anyone.
Only clever Rosemary had suspected. Hester could see it in hersister’s eyes when she had come home later than she’d planned and discoveredRosemary already in the bedchamber they had shared. But her sister hadn’tquestioned her until the day Rob had left, and Hester had come home unable tostem her tears.
Rosemary would understand now. All Hester had to do was makeit to Sunday dinner, when she would have an opportunity to talk to her sister.Sunday morning was challenging enough. Her insides were quaking at churchservices, but neither Rob nor the lady who had been at his side at the ballshowed up at St. Mary’s.
Then she had to sit through Sunday dinner with her brother,Larkin, and Jesslyn without blurting out her concerns. But Rosemary, dearRosemary, again divined something was wrong no matter how hard Hester tried tohide it. She drew Hester aside as they were preparing to return home.
“Has something happened?” her sister asked, clear blue eyessearching Hester’s face. “Please tell me you are not worried about me.”
“Of course I worry about you,” Hester said. “You are mysister. But you are right that something terrible has happened.” She glanced towhere their mother was hugging Jesslyn goodbye, Rebecca at her side, thenlowered her voice. “He’s back.”
Rosemary’s brows went up until they nearly met the line ofher warm brown hair. “Rob Peverell has returned? Areyou certain?”
Hester nodded. “I quite literally bumped into him at theball on Friday. Oh, Rosemary! He attempted conversation, and I was horrid tohim.”
“As well you should be,” Rosemary encouraged. “He pretendedto be something he was not, raised your expectations, then disappeared withouta word. The fellow is a scoundrel.”
Hester dropped her gaze, fingers tugging at her glove. “I amnot without blame. I pretended to be someone else too, thinking it so romantic.What a fool.”
Rosemary took both her hands. “You are no longer that fool.He cannot weasel his way back into your good graces.”
Hester managed a feeble smile. “No, of course not.”
Rosemary gave her hands a squeeze before releasing them.“The Peverells rarely leave their monstrosity of a house on the few occasionswhen they are in residence. You probably won’t have to face him again.”
Now, why did some part of her find that thoughtdisappointing?
~~~
He must be mad that he kept thinking of ways to see HesterTodd again. The Harvest Fair was the logical choice. Saturday was the last halfday. It was just the sort of place he enjoyed. But Elizabeth was blue-devilled,so Rob remained at the Lodge.
Not that he found the Lodge particularly welcoming. Anancestor had originally built the house of brick imported to the area.Successive generations had added here, expanded there, until it was a sprawlingcomplex with far too many wings and corners. Most rooms and corridors werepaneled in dark wood, making the house seem even more like a labyrinth. And nowNapoleon’s troops were massing just across the Channel, howling for a wayacross. Not the most
