Page 28 of Romancing the Scot
She was quotingHamlet.He was impressed. Hugh saw her gaze drift back to the gondola.
“You faced fear in that basket,” he said. “Come up with me. Come on my next flight.”
He was shocked at the sound of his own invitation.
Grace wrapped her arms around herself. She was thinking about it, and he was encouraged that she didn’t immediately refuse.
“Do you mean it?”
“I do. But I should tell you this is the first time I’ve ever invited a woman to join me aloft.”
“I have no memory of the past,” she said, her eyes sweeping over the contents of the barn. “But I believe I would recall ever doing something this reckless.”
“Then you must come. What better way to replace a terrible memory than with an exhilarating one.”
“You are a master of persuasion.” She laughed. It was the first time he’d heard her laugh. Hugh decided he’d never heard a lovelier sound.
She glanced up at him, her eyes flashing with interest. “When are you planning to fly again?”
“I’m hoping to take this new equipment aloft in about a fortnight.”
The sound of Jo’s voice reached them.
“Then I accept.”
It took a moment for her words to sink in.
“Truly? You’ll go in that basket alone with me? High into the air?”
“I already said it’s a good way to die.” Her face was composed, but that hint of a smile was back. “When you’re ready to fly again, if I’m still here at Baronsford, I’ll do it.”
Hugh watched Grace touch the basket one more time as they made their way out.
Her words echoed in his mind.If I’m still here.He’d been thinking that the length of her stay would depend on how long it was before she remembered. Or as long as it took for his clerk to come back from Antwerp with information regarding her identity. Now, for the first time, it occurred to him as he followed her out into the afternoon sun that his man might just return with a family member who would claim her.
“Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?” he asked.
“I’m afraid not, m’lord,” Grace said. “I can see I’m going to need to rest and build up my strength.”
He was disappointed that she wouldn’t be joining them.
Jo was waiting beyond the equipment scattered around the open doors. “It’s all arranged for tomorrow. I chose a lovely mare. You’ll be safe.”
Hugh decided it would be best not to mention the balloon ride. “What are you planning for tomorrow?”
“I thought we’d ride down to the loch in the deer park after breakfast.”
“I’ll join you.”
Grace’s gloves slipped from her hand. Hugh picked them up and waited until she met his gaze before handing them back.
The warmth in her look confirmed his impulse.
“Until tomorrow, then,” he said with a bow.
Chapter 9
“Drat, double drat,” Grace murmured under her breath.
