Page 9 of Persuasions of an Earl's Daughter

“And...well, I…” She scrabbled for the rest of her defense.

Damn the man. It was barely a compliment. A mere two words. Simply because they came from a man who looked more like a Greek God than a regular Englishman should not mean anything. She was no simpering debutante for goodness’ sake.

“And I cared for Icarus whenever we were at Cheltenham,” she managed to finally spill out. “Your uncle knew I would look after the horse well should anything happen to him.”

“But surely—”

“Sir!” Lilly spotted a man in the gardens tending to a flower bed. “Sir,” she called again and dashed over.

The man rose to his knees and nodded toward the flower plot. “Probably no point in tending to them. If the new master has his way, even the flowers shall be torn from their roots and sold for a penny.”

Lilly struggled for a response. She didn’t disagree.

“Where’s the stablemaster, Dorridge?” Lord Blackthorpe asked.

The man’s face warmed, his eyes crinkling deep in the corners. “August! I didn’t know you were coming. Come to put a stop to your cousin’s ransacking?”

“I wish I could, but Percy can do what he wishes with the estate now.”

The gardener tutted. “A damned shame. Your uncle would hate to see this happening.”

“My uncle knew full well what Percy would do as soon as he discovered he was ailing. That’s why he gifted the best pieces before he passed.”

The man’s bushy grey brows lifted. “I always wondered where the Hercules statue vanished to.”

Lord Blackthorpe leaned in. “You might wish to come and look at the garden at Kineton one day.”

“Ah.” The gardener chuckled. “I might well do just that.”

“You could do one better. I have need of a fine gardener. If you decide there is no place for you here anymore, I would be grateful indeed if you would come work for me.”

Lilly swung her gaze between the two men. A warmth existed between them that she might never expect from a marquis and a servant. She certainly would never anticipate any act of charity or friendship from a man known for his arrogance and disdain for other’s feelings.

She’d never visited the Kineton estate, but the gardens were renowned having been designed by Humphry Repton not long ago and she doubted Lord Blackthorpe had let it go to fallow.

“I shall have a think on it, my boy,” the gardener promised. “As for stablemaster, he took off a few days ago. Reckon Brown realized he’d be out of a job before long anyway and found himself a new position.” He shrugged. “You’ll have a time finding anyone who knows anything around here. It’s all gone to chaos since the arrival of your cousin.”

Lilly forced herself to remain still whilst August wished the man farewell, and she offered a swift, polite goodbye before marching off through the gardens. Icarus had to be here somewhere, and she’d waited too long already to be at his side.

Besides, the sooner she found Icarus, the sooner the disconcerting Lord Blackthorpe would cease shadowing her steps and the sooner she would be able to cease thinking of him.

∞∞∞

If August didn’t know better, he’d suspect Lilly had previous experience as a private investigator with how she marched about the gardens and courtyard looking for someone who might know something.

Of course, he should be annoyed at being accused of stealing a horse that didn’t—but should—belong to him. Instead, he found himself mildly amused at this slim woman barking demands at various members of his uncle’s household about a horse. Most looked entirely perplexed. A few suggested finding one of the stablehands though where they were was anyone’s guess.

“Perhaps we should ask your cousin.”

August snorted. “Percy? The man can’t keep track of time with a clock in his hand let alone a horse that doesn’t belong to him.”

“Rather uncharitable of you.” She stilled halfway across the lawns still damp from yesterday’s rain.

Her hems were muddy again. He couldn’t fathom why but he liked her muddy hems. It reminded him of when he first set eyes on her, he supposed, but that still did not really make sense. All she’d done was refuse to negotiate and ride off. There was nothing about that interaction that warranted some strange, warm feeling.

In fact, none of this made sense. The horse should be here, it should be his, and Lilly Musgrave should be back in Bath riding astride her horse across her father’s estate and not getting in the way of his plans.

Plans that had been set in place. He and his uncle were going to build a fine course at Kineton and use Icarus’s renown to bring in the crowds and competition. What changed since his uncle had fallen ill, he didn’t know.

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