Page 28 of Snapdragons
“I don’t think my mother would believe you.”
She couldn’t always find reason for lightness when thinking of her mother’s opinion of her, but she did in that moment. Niles likely didn’t realize the kindness he had managed with his jesting response.
A drop of rain splashed on her nose, then her sleeve, followed quickly by several on her gloves. “It seems the heavens are of the opinion that we are too dry.” She looked up to the thick clouds, and a raindrop crashed against her cheek.
Then the heavens split open. In an instant, they were in a deluge.
“The gazebo is closer than the stables,” Niles said through the downpour.
She didn’t need any urging. A roof over her head was far preferable to waiting for the rain to soak through her wool redingote.
They rode quickly over the narrow strip of land out to the lake island. The gazebo was larger than it had seemed from across the water, which was to their advantage, because the horses were able to be sheltered there as well.
“A shame,” Penelope said. “I had hoped to ride longer.”
“You can ride Midnight again when the weather is better.” It wasn’t exactly regret at not getting to ride longerwith her.
She refused to be entirely discouraged. “Would you and Morwenna join us?” She offered a smile she knew was a little bit flirtatious.
He shrugged. That was all. A shrug.
Invitations to ride were apparently not an effective approach to this attempted courtship. She needed a different idea. He had enjoyed the game of ground billiards.
“Ground billiards was a great deal of fun.” She let her enthusiasm show. “I think we made a good team during the game.”
He looked genuinely confused. “Did you consider us a team?”
They hadn’t been in the truest sense, but she’d hoped to emphasize that the afternoon had been enjoyable and that they’d both been good at the game and shown themselves well able to work together to share their mallet. “I suppose we weren’t, were we?”
What other things did gentlemen propose when attempting to court a lady?
Another possibility occurred to her. Hopeful again, she said, “Perhaps Mr. Layton would allow us to borrow a pony cart.” She opted for a smile that wasn’t quite as flirtatious as she’d employed when asking if he would ride with her again, but she still felt confident he would see a small hint of it. Subtlety might prove a better approach. “We could go for a drive around the estate.”
He tucked his hands into his pockets. His gaze remained firmly on the rain-pelted lake. Everything about him spoke of discomfort. “Violet would enjoy that, I’m certain.”
“I suspect you know the estate better than she does.”Please accept. Please.
“Digby knows it better than I do.”
Decidedlynotan acceptance. “I suppose he does.” She managed not to sigh, but only just.
All around them, rain pelted the lake. The usual rings that flowed from rain hitting water were so frequent and so forceful that it created small, rippling waves. The trees along the shoreline rustled in the stiff breeze. It was beautiful and peaceful. And she was a little miserable.
She and Niles had discovered they shared an interest in horses, and he didn’t seem to care. She’d coquettishly invited him to ride with her again, and he’d answered with indifference. A reminder of their enjoyable day of ground billiards hadn’t seemed to please him. A suggestion that they take a cart around the estate had seen her passed off first to Violet and then to Mr. Layton.
The silence between her and Niles drew out long. Quiet didn’t usually bother her, but she wanted to feel like she’d madesomeprogress in winning him over. There had to be something she could say that he would respond to encouragingly.
“Mr. Layton has a picturesque estate,” she said.
Niles nodded. “He is very fortunate.”
“Your family’s homes in Cornwall are lovely.”
“They are also very fortunate.”
Something about the longing she heard pushed her to ask a question that hadn’t occurred to her before. “Do you have a home of your own?”
“I don’t.” His cheeks pinked a little, though that might have been from the chill in the air. “I will someday though.” His gaze shifted out over the lake. “I will.”
