Page 8 of Married to the Rake

“I have it on good authority that the boundary has been moved again.”

Inwardly, Chloe sighed. She knew it was but she had said nothing to her father. The last thing she needed was for him to get angry and go storming down there. She wished he would just give up on the matter and let it be. What a waste of time it was squabbling over such a thin slice of land.

“I need you to ride over and check on it. If it is true, I shall have to send men out straight away. I give that Waverley one second and he will try to gain even more land.”

“I do not think that is true, Papa. I am sure it can be left for a day. Besides, as you say I am ready.” She indicated down herself. “I’m hardly dressed for riding.”

“But you are the fastest rider, Chloe. You have plenty of other gowns. I’m sure you can change as soon as you get back.” He gestured vaguely with the stick in his hand. “Or else I shall have to send Freddie.”

“You cannot send Freddie. He is not a good enough rider.” Her ten-year-old brother would probably love the adventure but she was certainly not letting him get involved in this whole mess.

Though he was already aware of the argument between the families, she was determined that he would grow up not hating the Waverleys like every other male member of the family had done.

“I shall miss my friends’ arrival,” she said softly, knowing it was pointless to argue.

“I would go, Chloe, but our guests are arriving anytime soon and I must be here to greet them,” her papa explained. “And everyone is preparing for this dinner party. They cannot spare a single second away, apparently.”

“I know, Papa,” she said on a sigh. She did not wish him to go to the border anyway. If any of the Waverleys were there, it might well start a fight.

Maybe Mr. Waverley was right… No, she shook her head to herself. There was no way that scoundrel could be right.

Chloe paused to give her father a kiss on the cheek. “I will go check what is happening.”

So, she knew what she would have to report back. Or else she could lie. But her father would find out eventually. So she had better make a show of going to the border. If she had realised she would be sent on such an errand, she would have reported back to her father already on the state of the border. The last thing she had wanted was for him to be annoyed on the evening of the dinner party, especially when her friends were going to be in attendance.

Oh, why could she not have a normal life?

Riding hard, she reached the border in no time. She brought the horse to a halt before reaching the fence and her stomach sank. He flashed a grin at her and she narrowed her gaze as she dismounted from the horse.

“What are you doing here?” She demanded.

“Twice in one day. How lucky I am.” Mr. Waverley’s grin expanded.

“The fence is as yet unmoved. You do not need to be here.”

Mr. Waverley grimaced. “My father has set up a patrol. He was waiting for one of you to come down here but I did not expect it to be you.”

“Well, as you can see, it is me.” She gestured down herself. “And now that you’ve seen that the border is not yet moved you may go.”

He moved closer to the fence, propping his elbows on it and leaning over. Chloe kept her distance, maintaining several feet between them. She tried to keep her gaze from his exposed forearms, where his shirtsleeves were rolled up. Unlike her, he was dressed for the occasion and while she should have felt superior in her finery, she felt a fool.

“Are you doing something pleasant tonight, Miss Larkin?” he asked, his lips askew.

Chloe folded her arms as though they might provide some sort of shield against him. How was it he read her thoughts almost exactly? She forced her expression to remain neutral and not reveal any of her surprise. “A dinner party. Some of my friends are attending.”

“Yet, here you are, dressed rather inappropriately for riding.”

She lifted her chin. “Yes, well, no one else would come.”

“But you already knew the fence was moved. Why is it you needed to come again?”

Lord, she hated his smug tone. How she wanted to rip that smile off his face with her bare fingers. “My father wanted me to come,” she muttered.

“I see this border matter is becoming quite an inconvenience to you.” He moved further forward. “Join forces with me, Miss Larkin, and we can put an end to this. No more traipsing out in your finery to check on this fence. And, best of all, I will plague you no longer.”

Grinding her teeth together, she eyed him. He was not wrong, unfortunately. This border scenario was getting beyond preposterous and here she was missing out on greeting her friends so that she could march back and tell her father and he could get riled. He would have men sent out in the morning to move the posts yet again but within a week she could guarantee they would be back to where they were originally.

The trouble was, she would have to work with Mr. Waverley to fix this.

---