Page 85 of The Viscount in her Bedroom
“A railing,” he echoed doubtfully.
“A railing could follow a path and lead you to the lake. Another one could lead you to the stables. You wouldn’t have to be confined to the house.”
Simon looked thoughtful. “You are good to think of me, Louisa, but surely that would be too much trouble—”
Manvil interrupted. “Trouble to put up some pieces of wood? It’s not terribly difficult work. I think it’s a brilliant idea, and I’ll talk to the head gardener about it.”
“I already mentioned it to him,” Louisa said. “Once I have your approval, I only have to lay out some paths, and they’ll build whatever I want—whateveryouwant, my lord.”
Manvil looked between them. “I have some ideas for paths. I’ll go consult.”
He left them, and Louisa watched Simon. She wasn’t sure what he was thinking. Was he upset that she hadn’t spoken to him first? She wanted to take his arm, to lean into him, to have him confide in her. Instead, she repeated his name softly.
He glanced her way. “It is an idea with merit, Louisa. I appreciate that you want to help.”
“So you will let the staff build this for you?”
He grinned. “I will think about it.”
“Then I will have to convince you,” she said firmly.
He took a step closer to her. “And how will you do that?”
“I will show you all the places you could go unassisted about this large estate.”
“Go with you, you mean?”
His voice had deepened, roughened, and it made her think of intimacies they could share.
“Not with me,” she quickly said, trying not to let him hear how flustered she was. “I’ll leave you clues.”
“Clues,” he repeated dubiously.
She lifted her chin. “Be patient, Simon. You’ll see.”
~oOo~
An hour later at the archery field, Louisa stood back, watching Georgie take aim with her bow. The sky was overcast, and occasional drops of rain had begun to fall, but Georgie had stubbornly wanted to finish her lesson. She was becoming quite skilled at the sport.
She released the arrow, and it hit the target only inches from the center. “Soon,” she mumbled.
“Soon what?” Louisa asked.
Georgie glanced at her, wearing a cool smile. “Soon I’ll be able to challenge Leo.”
Louisa laughed. “That’syour goal? Not self-improvement, or the satisfaction of knowing you’ve succeeded in challenging yourself?”
“Those things are nice, but I really want to defeat Leo.”
“I have another way you can show up your brother,” Louisa said slyly.
Georgie released another arrow and glanced at her with interest. “How?”
“At the village assembly this weekend. Dancing and socializing are some of Leo’s talents. To defeat him atthosethings would really bother him. Now before you say you don’t want to attend—”
“I’m attending.”
“—I think you should—oh.”
