The Last Eligible Bachelor - Ashtyn Newbold Page 0,45
smoothing out my skirts on my lap. After Mrs. Ollerton was seated, Mr. Hill stepped in and sat beside me.
“I must confess, I hardly recognized you in the morning light without mud on your face.” His smile tipped to one side, and he studied my features, as if to decipher whether or not I accepted his teasing. I was much more comfortable with his teasing than his seriousness, so I allowed myself a small smile.
“Take care not to offend me, Mr. Hill. You know I can say nothing amiable this early in the day.” I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.
He chuckled, looking over his shoulder at Mrs. Ollerton before picking up the reins and leaning closer to me. My breath caught as his whisper met my ears. “You mustn’t say anything amiable while our chaperone is listening. She may suspect that you are actually flattered by my attention.”
I cast him a scowl from beneath my lashes as the gig moved forward. “Are you suggesting that I am flattered?”
“No, but the color of your cheeks is suggesting you are.”
Dash it all, why could I not control the way Mr. Hill affected me? Each time he whispered in my ear or smiled that lopsided grin I couldn’t help but blush. It was almost as if Mr. Hill’s charming smiles were just as involuntary as the darkening of my cheeks.
I sighed, covering the cheek facing him with the palm of my hand. The leather of my glove was smooth and cool against my warm skin. “I would be flattered, Mr. Hill, if I didn’t know your true motives behind this ride with me.”
He raised his eyebrows. “My true motives?”
I lowered my voice to evade Mrs. Ollerton’s attention. From her place behind us, I doubted she could hear much when our words were mingled with the heavy horse footfalls and the rolling of the gig’s wheels over the rocky path. “First, to make Miss Downsfield envious.”
He groaned, maintaining his smile.
“And second, to force me to tell you the truth.”
“I will not force you to do anything,” he said in a firm voice, meeting my gaze. “You have a will of your own.” He glanced at the road ahead, then at my face. “A strong one at that.”
A will of my own. When was the last time I had felt like that was true? Since becoming Sophia’s maid, I had been loyal to her will, to her demands. When had I last considered my own? Even here at Winslow House I had been acting according to how Sophia would have me act. I had known acting above my station would be dangerous—I could already feel the effects of freedom and respect making me long for the life I used to have.
I cleared my throat, unsure of how to respond. “Thank you.”
Mr. Hill shifted his grip on the reins. “But—but I would very much like to hear the truth on my points of curiosity, if you are willing to give it.”
If his questions from the day before had been simpler, then I wouldn’t have been nearly as reluctant to answer. He had asked why I had spent a full day behaving like Miss Downsfield. He had also asked why I had been avoiding him. There were so many layers to each potential answer—so many things that I couldn’t properly explain.
“I am willing…if you will answer some of my questions honestly as well.” I folded my hands together in my lap, watching them with feigned interest.
“That is a steep price, but I will agree to it.” The smile in his voice was unmistakable.
“Where are we going?” I asked, surveying the passing trees with their white and pink blossoms. The fragrant scent of flowers wafted through the breeze, and I took it all in, absorbing the scents and sounds and visions of spring like the plush grasses that had absorbed the overnight rain.
“I thought I might show you my childhood home.” He met my eyes, his dark lashes casting a shadow over his cheek as the sun peeked out from the clouds. “It is not far from Winslow House, and I thought you might like the gardens.”
Mrs. Ollerton’s voice made me jump a little. I had forgotten she was there, and Mr. Hill hadn’t been whispering that last sentence. “Oh, yes, the gardens at Hill Manor are quite astonishing,” she said. “They are even more lovely than the ones at Winslow House.”
Mr. Hill pressed his lips together, staring straight ahead.