her thoughts to circle back to his stunned reaction. One would believe he was unaccustomed to such defense. Much like she was unprepared for his offer to return a favor. In her experience, few men offered such things without an ulterior motive. But, in his expression, she saw only sincerity and gratitude.
She shook her head, unwilling to contemplate the earl’s motivations any longer. She couldn’t allow herself to be swayed by a few kindnesses. For all she knew, he had staged everything for her benefit.
Why he would go to such lengths, she didn’t know. All she knew in that moment was she had given him an opportunity to tell her the truth about Jeffrey’s murder, and he’d chosen yet again to remain silent. Not one flicker of regret had crossed his handsome face.
She had been watching.
Closely.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Ashcroft.”
Catherine halted mid-stride, startled by the groomsman’s greeting. “Hello, Jasper. Could I trouble you to bring out Gypsy?”
“Ain’t no trouble at all, ma’am.” He leaned the pitchfork against the side of Lord Somerton’s enormous barn before disappearing into its depths. Two minutes later, he led Gypsy to the mounting block and rubbed the mare’s nose until Catherine was settled onto the saddle.
Jasper handed the reins up to her. “Did you see his lordship, ma’am?”
She patted Gypsy’s neck. “Indeed I did, Jasper.”
“Do you think his lordship will see to things?”
Known for his gentle nature, the groomsman rarely spoke his mind. That he did so now confirmed the deplorable state of Mr. Blake’s management. “Yes,” she said. “I think Lord Somerton will see to many things.”
He nodded. “Some folks have it in their heads that his lordship agreed with Mr. Blake’s way of taking care of concerns.”
“But you know better. Isn’t that correct, Jasper?”
“Aye, ma’am.” He scratched the back of his head, making his hat go askew. “Though some folks wonder why it took his lordship so long to return.”
Damn men and their infernal habit of being absent. “Lord Somerton is a busy man, with many responsibilities. If he had known what was happening here, I’m certain he would have returned posthaste. His lordship hires individuals, like yourself, to care for his properties, because he cannot be in more than one place. Unfortunately, not every member of his staff has the same love of their job as you do.”
The barrage of words had barely left her lips before Catherine cursed her wayward tongue. If she could have done so without an excessive amount of blood, she would have bit the troublesome appendage off.
What on earth was she doing defending the earl yet again? She did not even know if he deserved such support. For all she knew, the man was an excellent candidate for a cell in Newgate.
The groomsman smiled. “I knew it had to be something like that, ma’am. My uncle used to be his lordship’s head gardener. You’d never meet a more surlier, hard-to-please man than Uncle Henry, but he often spoke well of his lordship.” He tipped his hat in her direction. “Thank you for setting my mind at ease. I’ll let the others know.”
Catherine nearly groaned. The earl had better have been sincere in his outrage over Mr. Blake’s lack of attention. If he wasn’t, she’d have a lot of explaining to do. “Be sure to say hello to your wife.”
He released Gypsy and stepped back. “That I will, Mrs. Ashcroft.”
The ride back to Winter’s Hollow gave Catherine time to wrestle her tumultuous thoughts back into their proper place. She rather liked Mr. Cochran’s idea of keeping an eye on Lord Somerton, even though the process was clearly spying. But her mind seemed willing to overlook that fact for two simple reasons. One, if the earl was found innocent of treason, he—along with Cochran—might be able to solve the mystery of her husband’s death; and two, just being near Lord Somerton made her feel sensations she hadn’t felt in a long time. And God forgive her, she didn’t want to give that up yet.
To think Lord Somerton would be the one to awaken her body came as a surprise, considering his penchant for isolation and avoidance of finer feelings. But it had always been so with him. Even while Jeffrey was still alive, much to her shame. She had never acted on the deep yearnings of her body, nor had she given the earl reason to suspect she carried them.
They had felt wrong, all the same.
Her first opportunity to observe him would be in two days, when they discussed Jeffrey’s