Page 40 of The Moonstone Major
Chloe felt Fionn’s gaze on her as she began to set out the contents of the basket. “There’s chicken and potatoes, cold ham, and freshly baked bread. Oh, and some apples and cheese for lighter fare.” She removed her straw hat and set it aside as she dug deeper into the basket. “And strawberry tarts. Oh my. How splendid.”
The girls were giggling again as they removed their dainty walking boots and wiggled their toes in the grass.
Chloe offered a plate to Mr. Hawke and Phoebe’s maid, a shy girl by the name of Molly. “That basket is for you, Lady Chloe. Mrs. Hawke prepared one for Molly and me. Once you’ve finished, we’ll pack up your basket and then have a bite to eat ourselves while you explore the cave.”
It did not sit right with Chloe, but she knew better than to protest. Mr. Hawke and his wife had been in service at Moonstone Landing for a decade, and despite their genuine fondness for her and the girls, it was obvious they were not about to become chummy with those they deemed above their station.
Molly, being young and shy, was never going to contradict Mr. Hawke on this matter, so Chloe was not going to insist. Still, she felt awful about it.
She briefly thought of Lord Claymore and his friends, knowing they would call her a nitwit for stewing over the comfort of servants. But how could she ignore their circumstances?
She watched a moment as Mr. Hawke unhitched the horses and led them to a stream that meandered through the meadow down to the sea. Molly sat upon a rock in a shady spot in the copse of trees and kept an eye on the girls…and Fionn. A lot on Fionn. Who could blame her? It was all Chloe could do not to sit there gaping at him, either.
The man was too splendid for words.
The girls nibbled on chicken legs while she took a piece of thigh. Fionn cut himself a piece of chicken breast and began to eat it. Terribly naughty thoughts swirled in Chloe’s mind the moment he sank his teeth into the tender meat. She wanted to turn away before he caught her blushing, but his gaze was on her and had her riveted.
She could not move.
When had eating a chicken ever been so naughty?
But…dear heaven…she felt as though he was eatingherwith his every bite. When he ran his tongue over the crispy chicken skin to lick up the delicate spices Cook had rubbed into it, she almost knocked over her lemonade. She caught her glass in time to prevent a spill, then guzzled the lemonade and gave herself a coughing fit.
Fionn set down the remains of his breast and came to her side to hold her until she calmed. “Better now, Chloe?”
She leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling spent and humiliated. “I hate chicken.”
He laughed. “It was the lemonade that got you.”
She was almost certain he then placed a light kiss on her forehead. But it was soft as a whisper, and she could not be sure.
She eased away and dabbed her lips with her table linen.
His gorgeous silver eyes held tender amusement. “Diamond of the first water, that’s what you are,” he said, and tweaked her nose.
Her face was flush from all the coughing, and she imagined her nose was a bright red, too. Not quite the tempting siren, and certainly notondiamond.
They quickly finished their meal, all of them inhaling the strawberry tarts that must have been baked fresh this morning and acquired from Mrs. Halsey’s tea shop. Afterward, she helped the girls on with their boots, and they all made their way to the stream to wash their hands.
Imogen had strawberry crumbs at the corners of her lips, so Chloe dipped her handkerchief in the crystal water and gently wiped off the crumbs. “Let’s go explore,” she said, tucking the damp handkerchief in her belt.
Mr. Hawke and Molly waved as they marched off.
The girls were little gazelles and easily made it down the slope.
She commented on it while standing hesitantly at the top of the incline that appeared much steeper now that she was staring down at it.
Fionn paused when he noticed she was not following them. “You can do it, Chloe. Just mind your ankle.”
“It is all healed.”
“But it will take nothing to sprain again. Is this what has you worried?”
She nodded, knowing she was not as secure in her footing as the girls and needed Fionn’s help to make it onto the sandy strip without falling. He guided her down while holding on to both of her hands. “There you go.” His voice was deep and reassuring, shooting tingles through her as she inched down the incline. “See, you made it just fine.”
“With your help. One would think I was an eighty-year-old matron. Some dreaded Moonstone Marauder I turned out to be.” She would have slid down the entire way on her rump if he had not been there to steady her. The girls might be gazelles, but she was more of a clumsy donkey.
He tucked a finger under her chin, tipping it upward slightly so that their gazes met. “You are fierce and beautiful, my Moonstone Marauder. Fearsome queen of oceans, lakes, and puddles.”
