Page 13 of A Kiss to Stop a Wedding
As for Flora Warenne, if he could make a friend of her, she would be a useful ally. The fact that he found her devilishly attractive was irrelevant.
Or so he told himself.
CHAPTER FIVE
It was the Farnleighs’ custom, if the weather was fine, to walk to the Sunday morning service at the parish church in Whilton. Flora was therefore surprised when her uncle announced that this particular Sunday they would be using the carriage.
‘I have business that will not wait and it will save time if we leave the church directly after the service,’ he explained over breakfast.
Flora was not convinced by his airy manner, nor by her aunt’s fulsome agreement.
‘You are afraid Mr Talacre will be there,’ she said, bluntly. ‘You want to bundle me into the carriage before he can strike up a conversation.’
‘No, no!’ exclaimed her uncle, looking most uncomfortable. ‘Good heavens, Flora, we would not—that is…’
‘My dear sir, I am not in the least in danger of falling in love with Mr Talacre.’
‘He is a very charming gentleman,’ said AuntFarnleigh, nervously pleating and un-pleating her napkin. ‘It would be quite understandable, with Lord Whilton being away, if you were to find yourself…drawn to him.’
Flora reached across to place her hand over her aunt’s restless fingers.
‘You need have no fear of that, Aunt. I am aware of Mr Talacre’s charms and there is no possibility of my succumbing to them. He is pleasant company, but he poses no threat, I assure you.’
Her uncle harrumphed. ‘Well, well. I am very glad to hear that, Flora. However, the carriage is ordered and I think it best that we use it. With His Lordship away we feel responsible for keeping you safe.’
She felt a familiar impatience—irritation at being so hedged about, but at the same time knowing that they were acting like this because they loved her.
She said, ‘My dear sir, this is Whilton. I am quite capable of keeping myselfsafehere.’
‘Pray now, my dear, do not get on your high ropes,’ her aunt begged her. ‘We are only thinking of what is best for you. If Lord Whilton should hear that you have been dallying with Mr Talacre, he will not be pleased.’
‘Dallying?’Flora laughed. ‘What nonsense is this? Why, I have only—’
She stopped. She had been about to say she had only met the man once, and under their roof, but the memory of that first encounter returned and herconscience would not allow her to lie. She stifled her ignoble feelings and smiled.
‘Dear Aunt and Uncle, you are always so thoughtful, so considerate. I am a monster to fly up into the boughs when you are only thinking of me. Of course we shall take the carriage and I shall be careful not to…todallywith anyone after the service. There, will that do?’
Uncle Farnleigh looked relieved. ‘I knew you would understand, my love. Whilton is such a small place and you know how people love to gossip, and drag up old scandals—’
‘Not that there is any danger of that!’ his wife interrupted him quickly.
‘No. No, of course not, my dear.’
‘However,’ Flora went on, ignoring this interchange, ‘Mr Talacre says he has business to discuss with my fiancé and Quentin might be grateful if I could find out just what that business was. It is even possible I could help.’
This made Uncle Farnleigh laugh heartily.
‘Whatever the matter may be, I am sure Lord Whilton would not want you to worry your pretty little head about it, my dear!’
She did not reply, but a flicker of rebellion inside Flora had been fanned into a flame by the remark.
* * *
By the time she climbed into the carriage after her aunt, she had decided that if she should see MattTalacre at church, she would give him her friendliest smile instead of the cool, distant acknowledgement she had originally intended.
* * *
In the event, her plans came to nothing. There was no sign of the gentleman at the church. Flora thought that Sir Roger Condicote might mention Mr Talacre when her uncle spoke to him after the service, but he did not, and as they made their way home in the carriage Mrs Farnleigh expressed the hope that perhaps the gentleman had already left Whilton.
