Page 41 of Married By Twelfth Night
“Maybe I’ve always been listening.”
She shook her head. “Remember the time that I warned you that those berries in the back of the house would make you sick? You didn’t listen and ate them anyway. You were sick all day. You have always believed that nothing bad could ever happen to you, and that you knew better than everyone else.”
He tried to hide a laugh behind his hand, but she saw it clearly.
“I’m glad you can laugh about it now. Despite my criticism, being positive is an admirable trait.”
“I’m laughing because I wasn’t sick.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You weren’t?”
“No, I faked it so you and Bridget would play nurse to me. I have to say, those young, skinny arms of yours were stronger than they looked. I cannot believe how long you fanned me. And all those booksand drinks you two fetched—such kindness made an impression.” He winked at her.
Her stomach flipped. Immediately she remembered how Mr. Craig had winked at her at their card party, but she had had no reaction then. Not like she was experiencing now.
“You’re a liar, Richard Graham.”
“I have had my share of failings.”
This time she dropped her pine and pointed her finger at him. “And what about being repentant?”
He took her hand and crossed his heart with her finger. “I’m a changed man.”
She stole back her hand, her skin creeping with heat. His lack of sincerity, of depth, had always bothered her, and she wanted—needed—to reassure herself that he was serious. “How will I know you’re sincere?”
He sighed. “Because losing my father and the thought of losing this place . . . it’s made me realize what really matters to me. And it’s not my own happiness.”
The intensity of his gaze and the conviction in his tone were unmistakable. She believed him. In fact, she was starting to think he wasn’t the only one changing. She was starting to notice a few things different about herself. And the way she viewed Richard was at the top of her list.
Chapter 17
All the servants atBelside were in a fray of activity decorating the house for the holidays. Richard always appreciated their efforts, but he had never joined in the preparations. Today was a first, and strangely, he was looking forward to it. Or had he been looking forward to spending more time with Grace? She had dominated his thoughts from the moment he had awoken.
Richard assisted first Bridget and then Ruth into his carriage, but as soon as Grace accepted his hand, he held her back. He didn’t have anything in particular he wanted to say to her, just a minute to see if he had been imagining the shift between them.
Beneath her straw bonnet, a pair of curious sapphire-emerald eyes met his. “Yes?”
He grinned. She was pretty in a bonnet. In a low voice he asked, “Any tips for today, Gracie?”
“Why of course, Richie dear,” she whispered. Her lips formed a straight line and her eyes glimmered. “Be impressive.”
He chuckled and let her in the carriage. He had expected her to give him something specific to do or say, but Grace was a complex character and never so simple. He should have known. Just as he should have realized that he had imagined nothing. There was something simmering between them. But what to do about it?
Upon sitting next to Bridget, he asked. “Where first?”
“To our dearest friends,” Bridget said. “I think we should start with the Petersons.”
Richard scratched his cheek that itched as it warmed from the icy breeze outside their carriage. “What about Miss Coleridge? She is on the way there, and we have made more than enough.” He didn’t know Miss Coleridge well, as she was a few years his senior, but she was one of their closest neighbors.
“The spinster?” Bridget frowned and looked at Grace. “Would she be offended?”
Grace tapped her chin. “It’s hard to say. Her temperament is so even-natured that I believe she would be grateful to be thought of.”
“Ruth?” Richard asked.
She shrugged. “Why not?”
Richard smiled. “There we have it. Our first stop is Miss Coleridge’s.”
