The Formidable Earl (Diamonds in the Rough #6) - Sophie Barnes Page 0,85

on the air he was breathing. “All right. I’ll ask you about her again in a month from now when you figure out how you really feel.”

“What are you—”

“Give it time. It will come to you. Probably with as much shocking force as it did to me.” He patted Simon’s arm. “I’m headed in this direction. It was good seeing you again.”

Simon watched his friend walk away in baffled confusion. Was he not aware of who Ida was? Surely Hawthorne would have mentioned the incident at the ball. Or if not, Yates must have read about it in the papers.

But maybe Yates was so happy right now, floating along on his own fluffy cloud, that he’d missed it. Simon sighed and continued on his way. His encounter with Yates had instilled a peculiar sense of discomfort within him that made him feel worse than before, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why.

Chapter Sixteen

Staring across the dining room table at Simon that evening, Ida felt like an ocean existed between them. Whatever pain she’d experienced when he’d told Guthrie he couldn’t marry her, the argument that followed had exacerbated it. She loved him and she hated him. Both at the same time. The need for self-preservation told her she ought to cut ties with him now, and yet what she longed for most was for him to hold her, kiss her, make love to her until she forgot what they’d argued about in the first place.

It was awful.

She’d been so afraid of giving herself to him because she’d feared for her heart – for the suffering she would have to endure when she finally lost him. What truly stung was knowing she’d never really had him. He would always belong to another woman – the one he’d eventually marry.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Simon said once his plate had been filled. He stared at his food for a moment before he raised his gaze and looked straight at her, “and for the assumptions I made. It just never occurred to me that you didn’t know where I stood. Which seems foolish now, in retrospect.”

“You’re not the only one in the wrong.” She’d had time to think as well, to reflect over what she’d said. “I know enough about Society and what’s expected to realize you’d never consider marrying me.”

“Ida, I—”

“And that a woman would not give her innocence to a man unless she believed they had reached an understanding, albeit an unspoken one. As such, your assumption about me agreeing to be your mistress was not misplaced. If anything, it was wrong of me not to tell you I’d no intention of ever assuming such a position.”

He watched her for a long moment before he asked, “Were you serious earlier, about not wanting me back in your bed?”

The very idea of it caused her pulse to leap. She took a steadying breath. “It’s not that I do not want you, Simon, but rather that I shouldn’t. I refuse to share you, you see. And that means we’ll have to part ways at some point. Best then to get it over with quickly instead of drawing it out, wouldn’t you say?”

He ate in silence for a long time before saying, “We have nothing planned tomorrow, so let’s take the day for ourselves. There’s something I’d like to show you.”

Exhausted by the emotional day she’d had, she shook her head. “Simon…”

“Please, Ida. Indulge me. It would mean a great deal.”

Unwilling to quarrel with him any further, she forced a smile and nodded. “All right.”

“You’ve been awfully quiet since we left London,” Simon said as they rolled along a country road the next day. “Everything all right?”

“Oh yes,” she lied, her heart heavy with the promise of loss. Although much of yesterday’s turmoil had been put to rest and they’d somehow managed to reacquire a sense of camaraderie, their relationship was now missing its luster. She shoved another piece of shortbread into her mouth and chewed to hide her unhappiness. “I’ve just been enjoying the tasty meal you provided.”

He’d bought two small chicken pies – one for each – along with some shortbread and blueberry tarts. Everything had been fresh out of the oven and utterly delicious.

“I’m glad to hear it. Now you’d best finish up. We’re almost there.”

There turned out to be a large property consisting of a grandiose manor house, a collection of stables, and several fenced riding rings. Ida’s stomach contracted just looking at it. The fall she’d