Page 61 of Shining Knight
She sat down at the table and put her face in her hands. She had made a muddle of everything yet again. All she had wanted was some time alone to think– to make her own decisions. And now she had made a mull of someone else’s life. Perhaps she should just return to London and agree to be Farnsworth’s broodmare. Apparently he was able to overlook everything else for a chance of his own heir.
She would either have to marry Farnsworth or be ruined. What a stupid, stupid society they lived in, where her word of honor and purity meant nothing! Part of her wanted to defy their dictates because it was so very wrong.
“But you would break your aunt’s heart,” she said, feeling more miserable by the moment. “Yet can I make this right?” she argued with herself. “There is no good answer.”
Regardless of these concerns, she could not leave until Cleo had a new shoe, so she hoped Graham was able to find the farrier in the village. If they returned to London that day, perhaps no one would be the wiser.
In that moment she really wished she were a male. Everything was so unfair for women. Standing, she went to look out of the window. The rain was still coming down and she felt bad that Graham was out in it. She could not even tell the time because the sky was dark and heavy with clouds.
Her stomach growled, reminding her that she had not eaten since the day before. Thankfully, Graham should be back soon with some food. She wondered what he would say if she told him she was ready to return to London. He might strangle her and put her out of her misery.
“There you are, pet,” Graham said, coming through the door and startling her.
“Here I am,” she remarked.
“I have good news. I have food and the farrier is replacing Cleo’s shoe as we speak.”
Graham pulled out a block of cheese and a fresh loaf of bread from his saddlebag and began cutting her a slice. “Why so maudlin?” he asked as he sawed back and forth with a knife he had taken from a drawer before handing her a jagged piece of the cheese.
“I cannot speak before I eat,” she said and placed a chunk of cheese in her mouth.
He laughed. “Grumpy in the mornings duly noted.” He leaned forward to impart more personal knowledge, causing an errant blond lock to fall over his brow. “I am grumpy before I partake of coffee.”
She smiled a little, unconscionably wanting to cry at the thought of being married to someone else and missing these moments with him.
She finished her cheese and bread and watched as he took a second helping. Now she was noticing all the little things about him as though she had never seen him before.
“You are far too serious, my dear. Should we see what the scandal sheets say?” He wagged his brows.
She looked up at that. “You found a paper?”
“Bexley is not so far from London. I was able to purchase one at the tavern where I found the cheese and bread.”
She stole it from his hands and flipped open the pages greedily. He knew she read them every morning, mainly because she was always in them.
He sat back and folded his arms, watching her.
She groaned. It was much worse than she had thought. A beaten Ravenhill was shown begging at Eugenia’s feet with one of her brothers dragging him away at gunpoint, while Graham was shown as a knight in shining armor charging in to save her.
“Well?” he asked impatiently.
She tossed the paper at him. “As usual you are made out to be chivalry itself.”
“And what, pray tell, is wrong with that?”
“Because I am always the one you are having to rescue!” She stood hastily and ran out of the door. Eugenia hated losing her temper. She liked being merry… but nothing was going well these days and it was hard to think clearly with Graham in close proximity. She took a deep breath, preparing to go in and apologize, when she heard the thunder of horses approaching. She closed her eyes and braced herself. The herd had arrived.
*
Graham heard thestampede coming. “Well that took less time than I expected,” he said, as he slowly stood up from the table. He stepped through the door at about the same time Rowley pulled up in front of Eugenia.
“What is the meaning of this?” Knighton demanded as he dismounted, Heath and Edmund close behind.
Instead of raging at her brothers, Eugenia turned to berate him. “How could you, Graham?”
He met Knighton’s gaze.
“Tinsley did not tell me your locale. When I read that you had left with him, this was the first place I thought to look.”
