Page 63 of The Gentleman's Confession
“Did they hold this man back as a surprise?” Lord Felcroft asked in wonder. “Someone had better get some runs off him, or we will lose indeed.”
Miles was next up as striker.
Jemma’s finger went to her mouth, her nail catching between her teeth. “Come on, Miles,” she whispered to herself. “You can do it.” For all his fallacious romantic nonsense, she wanted him to soundly beat the Bradford bowler.
The large man’s first bowl hit Miles in the leg.
The crowd yelled their opinions to the umpires, who stalled in their call. They stood apart from the other players in their jackets, cocked hats, and long bats in their hands.
“It’s a run!” several called.
“It’s an out if I ever saw one,” someone next to Jemma yelled back.
“You’re wrong!” she cried back to the man. “It’s a run, fair and square!”
When the umpire called the hit a run, the ruddy bowler stomped his foot in rage.
“Is he really sulking?” Jemma asked no one in particular. She dropped back against her seat with a humph.
Lisette laughed. “I forget how competitive you are, but you cannot be worried about Miles. He is an excellent batsman.”
“I am not worried,” Jemma said, suddenly flustered. “I merely wanted the call to be just.”
Lisette humored her with a smile.
It is true!
The next three overs scored them another two runs.
“Well done, Miles!” she called. Her voice blended with the other cheers, specifically Lisette’s next to her.
A sudden realization dawned on Jemma. She had notably cheered louder for Miles than for any of the other players. Would her cousin notice? Miles’s letter was right. She couldn’t look away from him, despite all her efforts otherwise.
Not a half hour later, a little boy tapped her on the arm. “Miss Fielding?”
Her eyes widened, noting another missive in his hand.
The others were caught up in their clapping, so she quickly accepted the folded paper, now a fourth of its original size. She turned her body and read it quickly.
I have no intention of confusing you. Just say the word, and I will tell you exactly how I feel. Unless, of course, you desire me to show you.
Her fingers fumbled on her reticule as she shoved the note inside. Her heart raced while her feelings weighed heavily in her chest. His words were everything she wanted to hear—and all wrong too. How could she, in good conscience, announce herengagement if she could not fully commit to Mr. Bentley? What was this pull Mr. Romantic had to him that even she, the most headstrong woman she knew, could not resist? She was doomed!
Her lessons had been an utter failure. She stole a glimpse of Lisette’s profile. Sweet, angel Lisette—who never asked anything of anyone and stood by Jemma through thick and thin. She tightened her fists and fought the worry hovering around her. No more lessons. No more letters. No more friendship. The only way to train her heart toward Mr. Bentley and to fulfill her promise to Grandmother was to cut off Miles completely.
CHAPTER 29
Miles and his brother dressedfor their second day of cricket. The first day had ended in a draw. While Brookeside was up a few runs, neither team had bowled the other out twice.
However, it wasn’t cricket on Miles’s mind. An uneasy feeling had settled over him from the moment he had awoken. He shook it off now as best he could. Nerves were always a part of any sportsman’s event. It couldn’t be anything else.
When he and Kent reached Tom’s estate, the strange feeling in Miles’s gut only increased. Was someone ill? Had he left unfinished business at the church? The only thing that made any sense was his concern for Jemma.
Should he seek her out and set things right between them? A few words exchanged in a handful of letters was not as effective as a single conversation. Knowing her, she was probably angry with him instead of flattered. This had to be it. His frankness had no doubt provoked her.
It was a shame she couldn’t read any responses from the letters he’d sent to all his friends—many of them chaps from his school days, while others were acquaintances who had come and gone through Brookeside over the years. Her ire might lessen if she did. His surprise, however, wasn’t meant to win her heart but to bring her happiness. Now he hoped it would also soften her enough that there could be peace between them again. Such hopes depended on the timeliness of the post, though, and would not do him any good today.
If he could speak to her for even a moment, it would surely set him at ease for the game. As soon as the Mannings’ carriagearrived, he set down his practice bat and excused himself. He came upon his family gathered on a blanket near the Felcroft tent. After shaking his stepfather’s hand and kissing his mother on the cheek, he slipped behind their other friends and made his way to the Mannings.
