Page 32 of An Icy Christmas Engagement
Caroline looked out the window again, letting the silence settle between them once more.
“I do enjoy sleeping in as well,” Lord Sotheby spoke up as well. “But I rarely get the chance to do it, you see.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, yes, I am quite busy during the day, so at night, I go to bed quite early.” Lord Sotheby chuckled at some joke she was not privy to. “Some of my peers say I am far too dull for a gentleman of my age but I simply value the importance of rest.”
“Rest surely is important, my lord,” she responded with a fleeting smile.
“Yes, yes. Quite important.”
Caroline didn’t bother responding again. She hoped he would not bother with any more small talk and was granted that wish up until they made it to the park.
As the carriage came to a rolling halt, Lord Sotheby said, “You look beautiful this morning, my lady.”
She blinked at him, taken aback. “Thank you, my lord.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiled warmly at her. Caroline could only stare. It was a kind smile. He was a kind and gentle man who clearly liked her. And yet, she felt nothing.
Thankfully, they were interrupted by the door opening by the coachman. Lord Sotheby indicated that he went first only so that he could offer his hand to her as she alighted. Caroline would have appreciated the chivalrous gesture if she didn’t already feel so bothered by everything.
On the bright side, it wasn’t nearly as chilly a morning as she’d expected it to be. Still, much of the snow from a few daysago had not yet melted, most of it weighing down the trees lining the paths. Just as Lord Sotheby had predicted, there were not many going for a morning stroll, which meant they were mostly by themselves.
They set off down a path in silence, the only sound being the crunch of ice and stone under their boots. It was a picturesque view, Caroline decided. Perhaps it was not such a bad idea to come out here. Sceneries such as this one often served as inspiration for writing, so perhaps she would be able to apply it to the scenes she was already planning in her head.
She could see it already. Her heroine making her way down the snow-lined path with her lady’s maid by her side, talking about what she should wear to the upcoming ball. Mundane and frivolous topics that only underscored her heroine’s natural femininity.
“The trees are lovely, aren’t they?”
Her train of thought came to an abrupt halt at Lord Sotheby’s voice.
She nodded politely. “Yes, quite lovely.”
“They remind me of the trees at my ancestral home in the countryside. My favourite pastime is gazing upon those trees while I have a steaming cup of coffee in my hand. You never know peace until you have experienced that.”
“Perhaps one day I would be given the honour,” Caroline said politely.
She didn’t realize the error of her words until they were already out her mouth.
“Perhaps you could,” Lord Sotheby said with what could only be described as childlike excitement. “We could visit there, if you wish.”
Caroline hastily racked her mind for an excuse to get herself out of the hole she’d just dug. “Well, I do not know how possible that could be, my lord, considering the fact that my mother is here to visit and I have already made previous arrangements to volunteer at an orphanage. So I will be rather busy in the coming weeks.”
“Ah, I see.” His excitement visibly deflated. “Then perhaps when you are no longer so busy. Like after Christmas, perhaps.”
“I will be visiting family in the countryside,” she said quickly, neglecting to mention that that family was her mother. She didn’t want to risk him asking Elizabeth for permission for Caroline to visit him, since she knew her mother would not hesitate to accept.
“And when will you be returning?”
“Likely not until spring,” she answered arbitrarily.
“At springtime then!”
“Perhaps,” she hummed noncommittally.
“In the meantime, I would love to tell you all about Hanson Abbey. It dates back as far as the thirteenth century, but there have been a number of changes over time. Both to the infrastructure and the families that owned it. But it has been the ancestral seat of my family for the past five generations, which I inherited when I assumed the viscountcy.”
Caroline tried her best to listen. The truth was, Lord Sotheby was a nice gentleman. The kind of gentleman that any lady would deem herself lucky to marry. Wealthy, kind, gentle, and not at all hard to look at.
