Page 34 of When the Marquess Was Mine
“Oh.” Color flooded her face that she had been thinking... and he had meant something completely different. “This was a mistake, wasn’t it?”
“On the contrary.” He started forward again. “I’m looking forward to being caught.”
Georgiana blushed with pleasure, then realized what she was doing and resolved to keep her mouth closed. She would take greater care to watch the path and warn him before he could stumble again. That, after all, was preferable to having to catch him in her arms every time his steps faltered. She snatched up the blanket she’d dropped and walked on.
They reached the end of the garden, where the landscape turned into a narrow track through the meadow. Beyond it lay a small wood, with the pond nestled in the middle. Georgiana had been there before; it was a very pleasant spot to sit and read, where she could take off her shoes and stockings and sit with her feet in the water watching dragonflies glide over the pond’s surface in the sunlight. She adored this little pond of Kitty’s, and before Rob’s accident had been fond of walking out to it every few days.
Today, of course, it seemed a dozen miles away as Rob leaned on his cane more heavily with each step. When her eyes fell on a small cart, left by the side of the path, she gave a chirp of relief. “Here! Let’s take this.”
“To what purpose, precisely?” Rob pushed back his hat and wiped his forehead. His hair was damp with sweat. It was a very warm day, and she felt another pang of remorse for encouraging him to walk out in it.
She put the blanket on the back of the cart. It was a low cart, with staves forming open sides. It was the sort of cart a gardener might use in the garden, with two long handles and a single wheel at the front. “Sit on the front and I’ll wheel you to the pond.”
Rob looked at the cart incredulously, then at her. Georgiana took up the handles and pushed the cart back and forth in illustration.
“You can’t really mean to push that all the way to the pond,” he said.
She laughed. “Of course I can. Really, Rob, I’m not a helpless maiden.”
“I never thought you were.” He eyed the cart. “But neither am I. By all means push the cart, but I shall walk.”
“Don’t you trust me?” She grasped the handles and trundled the cart forward. “You’re already limping. Or does it offend your sense of propriety?”
His frown vanished at that word. “Of course not.”
“Then let’s have a spot of fun,” she said impishly.
He eyed the cart. “You’ll tell me at once if your arms hurt. And you’ll go slowly.”
“Oh, you prefer to move sedately and gingerly?”
“When you’re pushing the cart, yes.” He put the cane up beside him.
“Too bad!” she cried, and leaned into it, driving the cart forward.
With a loud exclamation Rob seized the staves beside him for balance. He looked over his shoulder in alarm, but his face eased into a grin as she laughed. It was not hard work; the track sloped gently downhill and the wheel ran easily over the packed dirt. She charged forward, pleased with herself for having spared him the walk and thrilling to the challenge. She’d been cooped up far too long in the sickroom.
And then he caught the spirit of it, too. “I say, madam,” he said over his shoulder, “your driving is rather dangerous.”
“It’s more exciting that way!” She ran the cart over an exposed rock in the path, giving him a bump. He threw up his arms in exaggerated upset, and gave a whoop. All the way to the pond he teased, and she responded by wheeling him from side to side wildly, almost dumping him over at one point and leaving him clinging to the staves.
By the time they reached the pond, both were red-faced from laughing. Georgiana stopped the cart in the clearing. “We’re here,” she said gaily, grabbing the blanket and unfurling it on the only clear patch of ground. Her heart pounded from the exercise and the feeling of freedom, away from the house.
“I see what you mean.” Rob came up beside her. “Exceptional beauty.”
“Isn’t it?” She inhaled a deep, happy breath. “Well worth the trouble of getting here.”
“Yes,” he murmured, but when she glanced at him, he was watching her with open desire.
It sent a bolt of pleasure through her, hot and intense. She could almost feel the flush rising to her skin as her blood raced in undeniable excitement. This time there was no laughter or gratitude in his face, only pure attraction. He’d called her beautiful, but this was something else—not mere appreciation but passionate hunger. Sterling never looked at her that way...
With a start she looked away, yanking at the ribbons of her bonnet. “It’s very warm out! Thank goodness for the shade...” She cast aside her bonnet, stripping off her gloves to toss them into the crown before sinking down onto the blanket.
He followed, lowering himself beside her and stretching out his leg with an audible exhale. Georgiana recognized the opportunity she’d been both seeking and dreading.
“Does your leg hurt terribly?”
He wiggled his boot from side to side. “No. I fear it may give out at any moment, but the pain is mild. Weakness more than aches.” He tossed his hat behind him.
