me. I’m not like you. I’m impulsive. Once an idea pops into my head, I’m off and running.”
He smiled at this. “Are you implying that I like to plan everything down to the last detail?”
“Hugh, I’m not finding fault with you. I’m just pointing out how different we are.”
He said dryly, “My immediate plans did not include taking a hasty trip at this wretched time of year yet, here I am.”
“I’m grateful for your concern, but it was quite unnecessary. I know how to look after myself. And as for—how did you put it?—‘a hasty trip?’ You never do anything hasty. Your coachmen drive at a snail’s pace because that’s the way you like it.”
“I’m only thinking of my horses. And I always send a groom ahead on one of my fastest steeds to reserve a room in my name. So you see, there’s no need to travel at breakneck speed.”
Her indignation was genuine. “Send a groom ahead! Reserve a room in your name! Hugh, only you could think of such things.”
“And I’m glad I did or I’d be sleeping in my coach right now, and we wouldn’t be here, eating our dinner in comfort. So what’s wrong with that?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it,” she said in a tone of voice that suggested the opposite. “All I’m saying is that most people aren’t as cautious as you. We don’t expect inns to be full at this time of year, and they wouldn’t have been full if the mail coach hadn’t overturned and the weather hadn’t changed.”
“You don’t have to wave your knife under my nose, Abbie. I get your point.”
She looked at her knife, blushed, and quickly lowered it. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
His eyes narrowed on her bent head. “Abbie,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about your room in the attics.”
Her head came up. “I wondered when you would bring that up,” she said. “Hugh, just because you’ll be sleeping in luxury, and I’ll be sleeping in the attics doesn’t prove that your way is better than mine. I don’t care about spacious bedchambers. In fact, the Castle is too luxurious for my taste, not to mention overpriced.”
“Then why didn’t you try to find a bed at one of the other inns in Marlborough?”
“How do you know that I didn’t?”
There was an interval of silence as he searched her face. “Because I know that you never stay at the Castle if you can help it, so I made the rounds of every inn and tavern before I came here. You weren’t registered at any of them. No one remembered you.”
She’d stayed at the Castle because “they” had told her to. “I didn’t try any of the other inns,” she said, “because I thought … I thought …”
“Yes?”
“I thought it might be fun to give the Castle a try just this once.” She laughed. “But my grand scheme came to nothing. No taste of luxury for me, I’m afraid. I still ended up in the attics. It seems to be my fate in life.”
Their waiter arrived at that moment and whispered something in Hugh’s ear. Hugh looked over his shoulder. Abbie followed the direction of his gaze. A matronly lady in a striking azure blue ensemble with a matching silk turban smiled and raised her hand in greeting. It was a friendly gesture that seemed to include Abbie, and she smiled warmly in return.
Abbie’s eyes then shifted to the lady’s companion. This young woman—she couldn’t have been more than eighteen or nineteen—was a beauty: heart-shaped face framed with tiny dark ringlets, rose petal complexion,and huge shy eyes that were at that moment staring wistfully at Hugh.
Hugh rose. “Good God!” he said. “Little Hetty is all grown up. I wouldn’t have recognized her if she hadn’t been with her mother. I’ll be right back.”
Abbie wondered if her own expression was as wistful as the young Beauty’s. She hoped not. Age and experience should have taught her something. But she understood Hetty’s confusion only too well. Youth, with all its insecurities, could be a horrible burden, and she
He smiled at this. “Are you implying that I like to plan everything down to the last detail?”
“Hugh, I’m not finding fault with you. I’m just pointing out how different we are.”
He said dryly, “My immediate plans did not include taking a hasty trip at this wretched time of year yet, here I am.”
“I’m grateful for your concern, but it was quite unnecessary. I know how to look after myself. And as for—how did you put it?—‘a hasty trip?’ You never do anything hasty. Your coachmen drive at a snail’s pace because that’s the way you like it.”
“I’m only thinking of my horses. And I always send a groom ahead on one of my fastest steeds to reserve a room in my name. So you see, there’s no need to travel at breakneck speed.”
Her indignation was genuine. “Send a groom ahead! Reserve a room in your name! Hugh, only you could think of such things.”
“And I’m glad I did or I’d be sleeping in my coach right now, and we wouldn’t be here, eating our dinner in comfort. So what’s wrong with that?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it,” she said in a tone of voice that suggested the opposite. “All I’m saying is that most people aren’t as cautious as you. We don’t expect inns to be full at this time of year, and they wouldn’t have been full if the mail coach hadn’t overturned and the weather hadn’t changed.”
“You don’t have to wave your knife under my nose, Abbie. I get your point.”
She looked at her knife, blushed, and quickly lowered it. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
His eyes narrowed on her bent head. “Abbie,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about your room in the attics.”
Her head came up. “I wondered when you would bring that up,” she said. “Hugh, just because you’ll be sleeping in luxury, and I’ll be sleeping in the attics doesn’t prove that your way is better than mine. I don’t care about spacious bedchambers. In fact, the Castle is too luxurious for my taste, not to mention overpriced.”
“Then why didn’t you try to find a bed at one of the other inns in Marlborough?”
“How do you know that I didn’t?”
There was an interval of silence as he searched her face. “Because I know that you never stay at the Castle if you can help it, so I made the rounds of every inn and tavern before I came here. You weren’t registered at any of them. No one remembered you.”
She’d stayed at the Castle because “they” had told her to. “I didn’t try any of the other inns,” she said, “because I thought … I thought …”
“Yes?”
“I thought it might be fun to give the Castle a try just this once.” She laughed. “But my grand scheme came to nothing. No taste of luxury for me, I’m afraid. I still ended up in the attics. It seems to be my fate in life.”
Their waiter arrived at that moment and whispered something in Hugh’s ear. Hugh looked over his shoulder. Abbie followed the direction of his gaze. A matronly lady in a striking azure blue ensemble with a matching silk turban smiled and raised her hand in greeting. It was a friendly gesture that seemed to include Abbie, and she smiled warmly in return.
Abbie’s eyes then shifted to the lady’s companion. This young woman—she couldn’t have been more than eighteen or nineteen—was a beauty: heart-shaped face framed with tiny dark ringlets, rose petal complexion,and huge shy eyes that were at that moment staring wistfully at Hugh.
Hugh rose. “Good God!” he said. “Little Hetty is all grown up. I wouldn’t have recognized her if she hadn’t been with her mother. I’ll be right back.”
Abbie wondered if her own expression was as wistful as the young Beauty’s. She hoped not. Age and experience should have taught her something. But she understood Hetty’s confusion only too well. Youth, with all its insecurities, could be a horrible burden, and she
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