harm!”
“Of course you didn’t. Darling, it’s lovely to be friendly, but all I’m saying is that we must not be intrusive. The man’s been through a war. If he moves into the village, we’ll need to respect his privacy, not crowd him. Let him come to us, if and when he’s ready. We’re going to have to be patient.”
Callie winced. They both knew this was not her strong suit. “I am sorry; I didn’t mean to bother him.” She lowered her head with a chastened pout but finally seemed to get the point. “You really think I made a fool of myself?”
Grace said nothing for a moment, letting her draw her own conclusions. Then she shrugged. “Maybe a match is possible between you; maybe it’s not. Only time will tell.”
The young belle seemed bewildered. “Gentlemen don’t usually find me annoying! I’m sure that one little visit from me would not have chased him off, surely.”
“I suppose we’ll soon find out. What’s done is done. Until then, we won’t know his decision about the farm until he makes it.” Hoping that this small taste of rejection would not simply spur Callie to chase him harder in the future, Grace glanced toward the drive up to the parsonage. “I’ll walk from here. Can you take Bitsy home on your way? Her mother will be wondering where she is.”
Callie nodded absently, still pondering the error of her ways with a look of distraction.
Grace said good-bye to Bitsy with a gentle half hug around her shoulders. “You go with Miss Callie, little duck. See you tomorrow?”
Bitsy nodded, still twirling the daisy that Lord Trevor had given her.
“Don’t drive too fast,” Grace instructed as she got down from the gig. “One good bump, and this little one could go flying.”
“I know. ” Calpurnia turned to make sure Bitsy was safe in the back, then hesitated, eyeing Grace reluctantly. “I didn’t really mean it when I called you an old maid. You know that, right?”
Grace forced herself to nod as she cupped her hand over her brow to visor her eyes from the sun. “Of course.”
A pastor’s daughter had no choice but to forgive.
“Good.” Callie nodded back, avoiding her gaze, then clucked to her horse. “Well, good-bye, then.”
Grace remained standing for a moment in the intersection of the country road and the drive up to the parsonage. She watched them go jaunting away, and after a moment, glanced back at the Grange.
Did he really forget even meeting me?
Every shy, plain, too-tall bone in her body tended to believe it, but her heart argued that such a claim was impossible. Don’t forget, we are dealing with a spy, she reminded herself. What he says is not necessarily what he thinks or what he means.
Which was troubling in itself for a woman who valued honesty. On the other hand, he had been rather forthright with her ever since she had jabbed him with her hairpin.
She smiled at the memory.
Finally starting to recover from the verbal punch in the gut Callie had given her, she certainly didn’t think he had acted like a man who had forgotten her.
Indeed, she dared to think he had seemed as happy to see her again as she was him. But maybe that was just vanity on her part, wishful thinking . . .
Grace heaved a sigh, then she turned and started walking up the drive, wondering if he was really about to become her next-door neighbor.
It was going to be agony waiting to hear his decision, but she vowed that whatever happened, she’d wear the mask of her usual decorum, never mind the fact that inwardly, she felt as giddy over his arrival as Callie had outwardly behaved.
Chapter 6
D inner was pushed back as late as possible at the parsonage, and still Lord Trevor did not come.
Grace nearly jumped out of her slippers every time she thought she heard him at the door, but it was only the night breeze. She could not seem to settle down. She tried to quiet her mind by sewing, but nerves made her all thumbs, until she finally cast her needlework aside.
Lud, she
“Of course you didn’t. Darling, it’s lovely to be friendly, but all I’m saying is that we must not be intrusive. The man’s been through a war. If he moves into the village, we’ll need to respect his privacy, not crowd him. Let him come to us, if and when he’s ready. We’re going to have to be patient.”
Callie winced. They both knew this was not her strong suit. “I am sorry; I didn’t mean to bother him.” She lowered her head with a chastened pout but finally seemed to get the point. “You really think I made a fool of myself?”
Grace said nothing for a moment, letting her draw her own conclusions. Then she shrugged. “Maybe a match is possible between you; maybe it’s not. Only time will tell.”
The young belle seemed bewildered. “Gentlemen don’t usually find me annoying! I’m sure that one little visit from me would not have chased him off, surely.”
“I suppose we’ll soon find out. What’s done is done. Until then, we won’t know his decision about the farm until he makes it.” Hoping that this small taste of rejection would not simply spur Callie to chase him harder in the future, Grace glanced toward the drive up to the parsonage. “I’ll walk from here. Can you take Bitsy home on your way? Her mother will be wondering where she is.”
Callie nodded absently, still pondering the error of her ways with a look of distraction.
Grace said good-bye to Bitsy with a gentle half hug around her shoulders. “You go with Miss Callie, little duck. See you tomorrow?”
Bitsy nodded, still twirling the daisy that Lord Trevor had given her.
“Don’t drive too fast,” Grace instructed as she got down from the gig. “One good bump, and this little one could go flying.”
“I know. ” Calpurnia turned to make sure Bitsy was safe in the back, then hesitated, eyeing Grace reluctantly. “I didn’t really mean it when I called you an old maid. You know that, right?”
Grace forced herself to nod as she cupped her hand over her brow to visor her eyes from the sun. “Of course.”
A pastor’s daughter had no choice but to forgive.
“Good.” Callie nodded back, avoiding her gaze, then clucked to her horse. “Well, good-bye, then.”
Grace remained standing for a moment in the intersection of the country road and the drive up to the parsonage. She watched them go jaunting away, and after a moment, glanced back at the Grange.
Did he really forget even meeting me?
Every shy, plain, too-tall bone in her body tended to believe it, but her heart argued that such a claim was impossible. Don’t forget, we are dealing with a spy, she reminded herself. What he says is not necessarily what he thinks or what he means.
Which was troubling in itself for a woman who valued honesty. On the other hand, he had been rather forthright with her ever since she had jabbed him with her hairpin.
She smiled at the memory.
Finally starting to recover from the verbal punch in the gut Callie had given her, she certainly didn’t think he had acted like a man who had forgotten her.
Indeed, she dared to think he had seemed as happy to see her again as she was him. But maybe that was just vanity on her part, wishful thinking . . .
Grace heaved a sigh, then she turned and started walking up the drive, wondering if he was really about to become her next-door neighbor.
It was going to be agony waiting to hear his decision, but she vowed that whatever happened, she’d wear the mask of her usual decorum, never mind the fact that inwardly, she felt as giddy over his arrival as Callie had outwardly behaved.
Chapter 6
D inner was pushed back as late as possible at the parsonage, and still Lord Trevor did not come.
Grace nearly jumped out of her slippers every time she thought she heard him at the door, but it was only the night breeze. She could not seem to settle down. She tried to quiet her mind by sewing, but nerves made her all thumbs, until she finally cast her needlework aside.
Lud, she
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