Page 16 of Three Weeks with a Princess
“Good Lord, such a fierce scowl,” Lia said when she reached him. “What’s put you in such a bad mood this early in the day?”
“I’m not in a bad mood. Just got a bit of dust in my eye.” She looked dubious, but he didn’t give her a chance to dispute it. “You’re out and about rather early. Have you had breakfast yet?”
“No, just a cup of coffee. I wanted to catch you as soon as I could.”
“Ah, then it must be important.”
She grimaced. “Rather, I’m afraid.”
“Come into the library and I’ll ring for something to eat. It’s never a good idea to discuss important matters on an empty stomach.”
She smiled as she fell into step beside him. “I won’t say no to a roll and another cup of coffee.”
“I think we can do better than that.”
“You’re up early yourself,” she said as they turned the corner of the house and headed along the main path through the ornamental gardens.
The day promised to be fine, with clear blue skies and a light breeze. Swallows flitted through the trees, twittering like mad, and bees darted from one heavily laden rosebush to another. It was the most bucolic scene one could imagine.
“I was awake early, so I thought I’d take a ride across the downs before starting my work day,” Jack said. They would be his only moments of peace before once more surrounding himself with ledgers, bills, and aggravating letters from his bankers.
“Yes, I know. I just missed you. I stopped by the stables to check on Dorcas.”
He cast a quick glance down at her lovely face. Lia had always had the run of the entire estate and countryside. Her roaming about so freely had never bothered him—until now. “You seem to be spending quite a bit of time in the stables. I know you like to assist Markwith, but it’s not appropriate.”
Her elegant brows winged up in an almost comical slant. “What in heaven’s name are you talking about? I’ve been helping out at the stables since I was a little girl.”
“But you’re no longer a little girl. You’re a grown woman, Lia. And you seem to wander around a great deal without a chaperone.”
She stared at him with complete incredulity. “It’s my home, Jack. Everyone knows me. And it’s the country, after all. I’m perfectly safe.”
He found her naïveté appalling. “Still, it’s not a good idea for you to be hanging about the stables. If you want to ride, simply send your maid up with a note to Markwith. He’ll have your mare saddled and ready for you.”
Lia stopped in the middle of the gravel path and regarded him with an expression that suggested she thought him dicked in the nob. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have my own maid. We have one young girl who helps Sarah, and the poor thing is run off her feet as it is. Goodness, Jack, what’s got into you this morning?”
As he struggled to find an answer that wouldn’t offend, a surprisingly cynical expression transformed her features. He’d seen that look on her face a few times yesterday afternoon during that gruesome talk at Bluebell Cottage. He didn’t like it.
“Afraid I’ll be dallying with the stableboys, are we?” she asked sardonically. “Dear me, Lord Lendale, such a vulgar assumption to make about your old friend.”
“For God’s sake, Lia, of course I’m not making such a ridiculous assumption,” he said, quickly becoming exasperated.
“Then what is the problem?”
“I don’t want anyone treating you with disrespect or making assumptions about your character. You’re safe on the estate, but the countryside is changing, especially with so many men coming home from the war. The world is a rough place, Lia. I won’t have you exposing yourself to unnecessary danger.”
When she started to roll her eyes, he scowled at her. “I mean it,” he said. “You’re more vulnerable than you know.”
“I’m not a peagoose, Jack. I know that Granny and I have very few resources at our disposal. I know how vulnerable we are.” She grimaced. “It’s a wretched situation, I’m afraid.”
“Sweetheart, there’s no need for drama. You and Aunt Rebecca have a home here at Stonefell for as long as you desire.”
She crossed her arms and regarded him with a thoughtful air. “Really? And what happens when you get married, Jack? I wonder how your wife will feel about having a former courtesan and her bastard granddaughter living in the dower house.”
Bloody hell.He’d had more than one tussle with his mother about Lia and Rebecca and what to do with them. But he hadn’t yet contemplated how a wife would react to them living on the estate.
“I’m not planning on getting married any time soon, so it’s not a problem,” he hedged.
“But you will eventually marry, and I’m sure the average aristocratic miss will look askance at the notion of having the Notorious Kincaids living just down the lane. You think people talk now? Just wait until you pitch a gently bred young lady into the middle of that mess.”
