Annis’s worry didn’t show on her face. Her wonderful eyes were as bright as the summer sky, and her skin shone with health. There were several new, tiny freckles scattered across her nose. The jaw he had once thought too masculine now appeared merely well cut, a decisive feature in a strong face. It was ridiculous to think he had once found her plain. “You look as if you’ve been riding, Annis.”
“Oh yes! Lady Eleanor encouraged me, since we remain here, to take advantage of your stables. I do hope you don’t mind.”
“Which horse did you ride?”
“Why, I’ve ridden them all, James—well, all except Breeze, because she’s yours. And of course Jermyn flatly refused to let me ride Seastar, which I very much wanted to do.”
“You’ve even ridden Shadow?”
“Oh yes, Shadow is easy, isn’t he? I mean, he’s a stubborn boy, but once he knows you mean business, he’s perfectly fine. His trot is a bit rough, but his canter is lovely.”
James had nothing to say to this. Shadow was a horse only he and Jermyn were ever able to persuade past a stolid walk. They had given up trying to use him for guests.
Annis burbled happily on. “Today I took Dancer out. She practically begged me to, nodding over the stable gate and whickering at me when I came in. I felt quite honored! She has the most delightful running walk, doesn’t she? We went along the coombe, then had a lovely gallop in the upper pasture.” Her cheeks went pink as she described the wildflowers she had seen and the many birds that were unfamiliar to her. “Do you know there’s a bed of mallow along the stone fence in that pasture? Mallow is good for inflammation. I would have picked some if I had thought of taking a basket with me.”
She seemed to become aware that she had been chattering, and sank back in her chair, wrinkling her freckled nose. “I didn’t mean to rattle on so,” she said. “I will tire you.”
“Not at all,” he said. “I’m glad of the diversion. Tell me what else you’ve been doing.”
“I helped Cook with the kitchen garden. There were root vegetables ready to be pulled, and the pea vines were more than ready for the picking.”
“You didn’t pick them yourself, surely?”
She laughed. “Well, a few. The kitchen maids did most of it. Our kitchen garden at home is a marvel, because Mrs. King—that’s our cook—is insistent on only the freshest produce. She knows a great deal about cultivation, and she taught me. I also made two calls on your mother’s behalf, which was great fun. One was to one of your farms. There’s a brand-new baby, the most precious darling, called Rosemary. Lady Eleanor wanted to send a gift for the little one but was too busy to go herself. The other was in the village, a few things she needed at the greengrocer’s. I was going there anyway.”
“I’m sure my mother is grateful for your help.”
“She’s been so good, since my stepmother’s illness, insisting we stay on until Frances can travel. She’s been very kind.”
James didn’t answer that. He put his head back and let his gaze drift out again to the emerald fields and the sapphire sparkle of the sea. It wasn’t usual for him to hear his mother described as “very kind.” Annis’s youth and energy must be helpful to her just now, with two invalids in the house, but she had never wanted help before. He had no doubt his mother had a motive. She invariably did.
He said, “I’m glad you’ve found things to occupy you, since you’ve been stuck here through no fault of your own.”
He heard her small, sharp intake of breath and cast a quick glance her way. Her cheeks paled, and she dropped her gaze as if she were embarrassed by something. Or ashamed of it.
A little silence stretched between them until he said, “I believe, Annis, that you didn’t want to come here in the first place.”
Her color returned, and she gave an apologetic shake of her head. “All of this was my stepmother’s idea, James. I did object, but my father ordered me. I’m so sorry you were deceived. I have explained this to Lady Eleanor and apologized on Frances’s behalf.”
He knew she was trying not to hurt his feelings, but they were wounded just the same, all over again. He couldn’t speak past the knot suddenly tightening his throat.