Page 35 of A Cinderella to Redeem the Earl
‘I was thinking I could use a walk. I would like to see if there are any mushrooms in your woods and there is a chestnut tree I have been meaning to have a look at over near the river. Unless you prefer your own company.’
‘Not at all. You would be more than welcome.’ It couldn’t be better. He had been thinking of broaching the matter on his mind over dinner, but he had a sense she might be more amenable to his proposal while wandering outside in the woods. As long as he didn’t overplay his hand.
‘Do you think it will rain?’ she asked. ‘It looked pretty overcast when I looked out earlier.’
‘It might. I can lend you an oilskin, if you wish and some boots, too. I think there are some smaller ones, left from—’ Damn it, he did not want to think about his mother.
‘No need. I have my own. I am quite used to tramping around in the wet.’
Of course she was. He kept forgetting she was supposed to be a servant, because she did not talk or act like a servant.
‘If you can give me some time to clear up here and get ready,’ she continued, ‘I will accompany you.’
‘No need to hurry. I have to clean my gun and that will take a bit of time. I’ll meet you outside in, say, an hour?’
‘Perfect.’
And suddenly the day, although gloomy, seemed much brighter.
He must be losing his mind. He left before he did something stupid.
When she entered the courtyard, Pamela discovered Dart waiting, leant against the stable wall, his gun beside him looking like a typical English nobleman off on a hunt. Sensibly clothed in raincoat and hat, his hunting accoutrements slung on straps crossways over his chest, he looked ready for anything. Not unlike herself. In addition, he wore a pair of gaiters to protect his trousers above his walking boots.
Seeing him so dressed reminded her of when she used to go with her father on the occasional shoot. Not that Dart was anything like her father. Not in the least. Even in his heavy rain gear, he looked fit and healthy and terribly attractive.
Gah. Not something she should be thinking about her employer.
He greeted her with a wave, shouldered his gun and side by side they set off across the park.
It had rained the day before so the long grass was wet. ‘This would be a beautiful lawn, if it was mowed,’ she said.
‘There is no one here to see it.’
True. His guests never arrived before dark and were gone long before the sun rose. At least, at this time of year. ‘Still, it seems a shame. It looks more like a hayfield than a lawn.’
‘Yes.’
She sensed he was not pleased with her line of conversation.
There was no pleasing the man. If she owned a house like this, she would want it to look its very best. Not only did he not seem to care, he seemed almost opposed to any sort of restoration that did not directly relate to his parties. To the making of money, in other words.
Rooks cawed somewhere ahead. ‘Noisy creatures. They must have a rookery nearby.’
‘Yes.’
Why had she bothered to walk with him? She would have been better company alone. She might not have bothered trekking as far as the woods either. No doubt she would have found a few field mushrooms hiding in all this long grass.
They reached the edge of the beech woods to the west of the park. Wet leaves slid underfoot, making the path treacherous.
Here and there brambles stretched long barbed tendrils to grab on to her skirts and his coat. Clearly this path was rarely used, though at one point it must have been a well-trodden route to the river.
They walked in single file and now and then he would turn to hold back a bramble or an encroaching thorn bush.
The air smelled of earth and damp. A typical autumn scent, dark yet not unpleasant. She kept her gaze peeled for any signs of fungi. They loved this sort of environment.
She spotted a blood-red ox tongue fungus clinging low on the trunk of one of the few oak trees in this woods. It was not a flavour she preferred and passed it by, remembering its location in case she did not find something more appetising.
Dart halted without warning. Looking for mushrooms off to the side, Pamela bumped into him. ‘Oof,’ she said. ‘What is wrong?’
