have a clean gown into which I may change. I am not a complete pauper.’
‘Nevertheless, you are not the heiress that General Forrest has assumed, are you? What has happened between you and your aunt? Why do you have to go out and work for your living? Will you not tell me?’
‘It is not your affair—at least not my part of it.’
She was not going to confide in him. It shook him. Most people were only too ready to pour out a litany of woes in the hope that they might persuade him to bail them out.
He had already told Lady Thrapston that he admired her, but if he were to say it again now it would be with far more conviction. For he realised that he really did.
‘That damned pride of yours,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Nevertheless, Miss Forrest, you have to admitthat it is entirely my fault that your clothing has been ruined. As Lady Thrapston pointed out, I should not have returned to the house by this route when I knew that visiting ladies like to take their exercise in the shelter of the shrubbery. Please,’ he said, stepping forward and grasping her by the elbows, ‘allow me to make amends.’
For once he would like to be able to do a small thing for someone he suspected had suffered some kind of financial reversal. And what was the cost of a coat to him?
Esau, as though sensing the tension between them, bounded over and sat at Helen’s feet, gazing up at her with his head on one side.
‘It would be quite inappropriate for you to do so,’ she pointed out.
It felt as though the sun went behind a cloud when he let go of her arms and stepped back.
‘But thank you for your kind offer,’ she said, in a desperate attempt to undo the offence she could see he had taken at her refusal.
It was no use. His face had closed up.
Which was ironic, considering the last time they had spoken he had complained that people only came to him because they wanted something!
‘No very great harm has been done by your dog. In fact,’ she said, reaching out one hand and tentatively patting the great shaggy head, ‘I am rather grateful to him for putting such an abrupt end to my walk.’
‘You do not like the gardens?’
‘The gardens seem very pleasant, My Lord, from what little I have seen so far.’
‘Perhaps you would enjoy seeing more of them,’ he said, as though he had just been struck by a brilliant idea, ‘if you had a more congenial escort? I confess, though I generally only permit Esau to accompany me on my morning ride, I—’
He pulled himself up short, frowned, and made her a stiff bow. ‘Miss Forrest, since you will not permit me to replace the clothing Esau has ruined, perhaps you will allow me to make amends in another way. Let me show you these gardens tomorrow, early. Before anyone else has risen. Before the sun has burned the frost away.’
‘Oh.’ Helen blinked up at him. ‘I thought you said you preferred to be alone…’
‘To ride alone,’ he corrected her, with some signs of irritation. ‘But I have not asked you to ride with me. Just to walk. Will you?’ He clutched his riding crop between his hands, his whole body tensing as he added, ‘Please?’
For one wild, glorious moment Helen had the feeling that her assent would really mean something to him. She wondered, given all that she had learned about him, how long it had been since he had asked anyone for anything.
Her heart went out to him. How sad to think that he might be so lonely that he was more or less begging her for an hour or so of her time. She suddenly saw that it was a rare thing for him to come across a person with whom he might spend time safe in the knowledge she would not be pestering him for some kind of favour. Lord, he must be one of the loneliest men on earth.
Especially if he had to resort to asking her to go for awalk with him. She was a virtual stranger to him. And whenever they had met they had ended up arguing.
She chewed on her lower lip. Going for a walk with him, unchaperoned, would be a
‘Nevertheless, you are not the heiress that General Forrest has assumed, are you? What has happened between you and your aunt? Why do you have to go out and work for your living? Will you not tell me?’
‘It is not your affair—at least not my part of it.’
She was not going to confide in him. It shook him. Most people were only too ready to pour out a litany of woes in the hope that they might persuade him to bail them out.
He had already told Lady Thrapston that he admired her, but if he were to say it again now it would be with far more conviction. For he realised that he really did.
‘That damned pride of yours,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Nevertheless, Miss Forrest, you have to admitthat it is entirely my fault that your clothing has been ruined. As Lady Thrapston pointed out, I should not have returned to the house by this route when I knew that visiting ladies like to take their exercise in the shelter of the shrubbery. Please,’ he said, stepping forward and grasping her by the elbows, ‘allow me to make amends.’
For once he would like to be able to do a small thing for someone he suspected had suffered some kind of financial reversal. And what was the cost of a coat to him?
Esau, as though sensing the tension between them, bounded over and sat at Helen’s feet, gazing up at her with his head on one side.
‘It would be quite inappropriate for you to do so,’ she pointed out.
It felt as though the sun went behind a cloud when he let go of her arms and stepped back.
‘But thank you for your kind offer,’ she said, in a desperate attempt to undo the offence she could see he had taken at her refusal.
It was no use. His face had closed up.
Which was ironic, considering the last time they had spoken he had complained that people only came to him because they wanted something!
‘No very great harm has been done by your dog. In fact,’ she said, reaching out one hand and tentatively patting the great shaggy head, ‘I am rather grateful to him for putting such an abrupt end to my walk.’
‘You do not like the gardens?’
‘The gardens seem very pleasant, My Lord, from what little I have seen so far.’
‘Perhaps you would enjoy seeing more of them,’ he said, as though he had just been struck by a brilliant idea, ‘if you had a more congenial escort? I confess, though I generally only permit Esau to accompany me on my morning ride, I—’
He pulled himself up short, frowned, and made her a stiff bow. ‘Miss Forrest, since you will not permit me to replace the clothing Esau has ruined, perhaps you will allow me to make amends in another way. Let me show you these gardens tomorrow, early. Before anyone else has risen. Before the sun has burned the frost away.’
‘Oh.’ Helen blinked up at him. ‘I thought you said you preferred to be alone…’
‘To ride alone,’ he corrected her, with some signs of irritation. ‘But I have not asked you to ride with me. Just to walk. Will you?’ He clutched his riding crop between his hands, his whole body tensing as he added, ‘Please?’
For one wild, glorious moment Helen had the feeling that her assent would really mean something to him. She wondered, given all that she had learned about him, how long it had been since he had asked anyone for anything.
Her heart went out to him. How sad to think that he might be so lonely that he was more or less begging her for an hour or so of her time. She suddenly saw that it was a rare thing for him to come across a person with whom he might spend time safe in the knowledge she would not be pestering him for some kind of favour. Lord, he must be one of the loneliest men on earth.
Especially if he had to resort to asking her to go for awalk with him. She was a virtual stranger to him. And whenever they had met they had ended up arguing.
She chewed on her lower lip. Going for a walk with him, unchaperoned, would be a
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