Page 35 of Refining the Debutante
They had nearly caught up with Jane and Hannah when Ethan asked, “Do you have any plans for your future now that you are free from your uncle?”
“I... I have not taken time to think about it.” Not unless he wanted to hear about her plans to become a maid in Scotland. “I assure you I will put my mind to it right away.”
“Excellent,” Ethan said. “I hope you will let me be of assistance.”
“Thank you.” His gaze warmed her, but she still had to force a smile. How wonderful it would be for the man she loved to help her findemployment. How quaint. Miranda did not want to lose the peace she felt inside, but there were some aspects of being with Ethan that would not settle in her mind. Perhaps she could spend her time at Stonebrook Hall trying to prove she was a better Miranda—too irresistible to send away. Only, if it did not work to her advantage, wasting her hopes on such an idea could crush her even more. She pushed away her conflicting thoughts and said, “Shall we catch up with your sisters?”
“Race you there?” Ethan gave her a mischievous smile and spurred his horse to a gallop.
Any discomfort Miranda had for racing disappeared with Ethan’s teasing smile. It was familiar, comforting, and confusing all at once.
* * *
Ethan paced back and forth in his father’s study. He was walking a fine line. Miranda had been there only two nights, but by keeping her at Stonebrook, he was clearing his conscience of any obligation he might have owed her. He was also sleeping better than he had since he’d jilted her in London. However, the image of Miranda that first night—thinner, yes, but dressed in finery with her golden hair curled just so—kept pressing upon his mind. Now, seeing her through the window, finishing her walk, with her cloak wrapped tightly around her small form, tugged at his heart.
He dropped his arms to his sides and shook them as if to rid her from his thoughts. Tomorrow night would be their dinner party, and Miss Withers’s beauty would dispel any thoughts of his houseguest from his mind. The front door opened and closed. Ethan cleared his throat and rallied his courage. He exited his father’s study and smiled all too readily at Miranda.
“Ah, you were out walking, I see,” he said, acting as if he had not just been spying on her.
“Yes,” Miranda answered. She smiled unabashedly, dispensed of her cloak to the butler, and just like that, Ethan’s cheeriness dissipated.
Her dress and appearance were not so altered from yesterday in style or comeliness, but he recognized the aubergine-colored gown. It sent him mentally back to a moment when he had been trying to win her over and brought his conflicting feelings right back to the surface. Her beauty did more than rival Miss Withers’s, and her confident smile was back. It was hard-fought for him not to openly admire her. He had spent too many months hoping to secure her as his bride before their unfortunate parting.
Oblivious to his tortuous thoughts, she added, “I find walking, even in this early-autumn air, quite refreshing.”
Ethan cleared his throat and attempted to continue the conversation. “It’s far too cold for this time of year. If I may advise you, as perhaps an elder brother would, I encourage you to take every precaution to bundle up before you go out.”Elder brotherwas a bit thick, and even he knew it.
“I will do just that, thank you.” She eyed him suspiciously. “And what tasks have you been about this morning? Surely not planning Hannah’s debut with the same eagerness as Jane?”
“Ha!” Ethan said, already searching for a reason to retreat. “I am compiling a few notes for a meeting with my father’s land steward. I hope to spare my father as much work as possible while he is away.”
“I am impressed you would so easily think of how to ease his burdens. You have had a taste of your future responsibilities, then,” Miranda said. “Do you enjoy managing an estate?”
“I do, actually,” Ethan admitted. He enjoyed overseeing the tenants and refiguring numbers in his father’s record books. All sorts of ideas about risk and profit played in his mind even now. “I only wish my father was alongside me and I could benefit from his experience.”
“Are there any challenges you are facing in his absence?”
Ethan found himself motioning for her to sit on a bench in the entry hall that usually sat more for decoration than use, but he made sure not to sit by her. He had lost his opportunity to retreat, but her questions had distracted him, and he was suddenly eager to talk. No one else seemed the least bit interested, and he felt his mind could explode with his thoughts if he did not speak of them to someone.
“This cold front—it has caused all sorts of havoc. My father would know exactly what to do, and yet I am reluctant to write and ask.” He began to pace in front of her. “The last thing I want is for him to rush back here. I assured him he need not come to Stonebrook Hall this summer. It took months to convince him I was capable.”
“I see your dilemma.” Miranda pursed her lips as if she were thinking of a way to help. “Have you tried chocolate?”
Ethan put his hand on his hip. “You would suggest that. I heard you asked for a glass of chocolate only this morning.”
“You heard?” Miranda said, raising a brow. “Does the role of host include monitoring your guest’s choice of drink?”
Ethan chuckled. “The role of host includes listening to his exasperated sister complain about absolutely everything. I think she is creating complaints about you. But that being said, I do not think chocolate the cure for my troubles.”
“Well, I will show my appreciation for your service by helping you. I insist you start your day off tomorrow with chocolate, and I defy you to not have a better outlook on your situation.”
Ethan bowed deeply and waved his arm in front of him, as he had done many times in the past for her. “Your challenge is accepted.”
“Marvelous!” Miranda laughed. “If only I had a wealth of knowledge on the subject to help you further.”
He stared at the vacant spot next to her and willed himself not to sit down. If he sat, he would want to touch her hand, and such a gesture would open ideas to him that he needed to smother.
She stood, catching him off guard and ending his mental debate. Her smile rather dazzled him. “I am afraid I am more chilled from my walk than I thought and must retrieve my shawl. My elder brother would not want me to catch cold sitting so close to the door.”
