The Last Eligible Bachelor - Ashtyn Newbold Page 0,32

spoke, his voice was deep and musical and quite close to my ear. “Keep your arm straight.”

What had been the breeze rustling my hair before was now his breath, sending yet another string of shivers over my neck and shoulders. What had I been thinking asking him for this? I hadn’t expected it to affect me, but I could hardly think and breathe with him standing so close. His fingers shifted away from mine, sliding up my arm to straighten my elbow. “Turn your body so you are standing perpendicular to the target.”

Before he could take me by the waist and straighten me himself, I obeyed. All my planned giggles and flirting had entirely slipped my mind.

“Precisely,” he said. “Now, the arrow.” He set the arrow in my right hand, guiding it into place.

His arms surrounded me, one straightening my grip on the bow, and the other on the arrow. When his hand moved to my back to adjust my posture, my breath caught in my chest. Did he realize the effect he was having on me? Did it amuse him? I had been determined to pretend his assistance delighted me, but it unsettled me more than anything else. I should not have felt anything for Mr. Hill but dread at the thought of him being near me, smiling and speaking close to my ear.

“Have you taken your aim?” he asked.

I almost nodded but worried I would lose my posture.

“Then release.”

I let go of the arrow, keeping my bow upright until the arrow sank into the second ring of the target. I gasped. How had I managed to shoot almost as accurately as Miss Taplow? A broad smile pulled on my cheeks as I turned toward Mr. Hill. “Look!” I pointed at the arrow, still unable to believe it was mine. My genuine delight had been a mistake. Mr. Hill smiled down at me, his eyes warm and gentle.

“Er—Oh, Mr. Hill, you are a most talented instructor.” I batted my lashes, drawing one step closer to him with a laugh. “I could not have possibly hit the target without your expert touch.”

His smile faded and he lifted one eyebrow. “I believe there was a condition to my assistance.”

My own smile fell, and he walked away without another word. Just that simple raise of one eyebrow told me my charade had not fooled him as I had hoped. It had left him confused, to be sure, but that was all.

Over the course of the hour, Miss Taplow became increasingly less skilled with her bow, eventually asking Mr. Hill for assistance just like I had received. I had tried my very best not to be envious when Mr. Hill touched Miss Downsfield’s hand like he had touched mine, but I couldn’t help it. What was wrong with me?

If Mr. Hill had not been fooled yet, he would be. If I persisted for long enough, he might begin to believe that he had been wrong about me.

Throughout the day, I maintained my act, but with less flirting. I lacked the energy. Instead, I simply spoke like the other ladies and carried myself like them. By dinner, Mr. Hill seemed to be surrendering his claims that it was all an act. He even chose a seat beside Miss Benham after dinner rather than beside me. He did not ask me to sing. He did not wink at me or tease me.

But he did watch me.

He watched me throughout the evening, as if searching for something very important. Perhaps he was waiting for me to make a mistake, to show that I was simply pretending. But I maintained my act the entire day, until I made my way back to my bedchamber, utterly exhausted.

Chapter 10

Rather than risk finding Mr. Hill in the gardens the next morning, I chose to seek my early morning adventures elsewhere. The hours just before dawn had become my favorite of the day. It was a time when the world was much quieter, when the birds sang the loudest, and the sky seemed to wake from a slumber of its own. With Jessie by my side, we made our way toward the village where I had met Mrs. Roberts and her several children two days before. I held Sophia’s reticule securely around my wrist, heavy with coins.

I walked quickly over the path. Perhaps this good deed would help counteract the deceit I had undertaken. I shushed my worries. I had been forced into it, just as I told Mr. Hill. I