Page 54 of Love ad Lib
‘Not really.’ She scrunched up her nose. ‘I’m too nervous. Do you want to get something to eat?’
He shook his head. ‘I’ll wait till dinner. Do you want to meet my twin sister?’
‘Estelle?’
‘She’s just arrived. You’re going to have to meet so many people over the next few days, you might as well get this one out of the way.’
Libby swallowed.
‘Oh no, don’t worry, she’s lovely,’ Henry said in a rush. ‘My siblings are not like my parents, I promise.’
She let out a breath and forced a smile. ‘Okay.’
Henry led the way downstairs.The Manor was so big Libby felt like she needed to leave a trail of breadcrumbs in order to find her way back to their room.
‘Estelle runs a livery stable on the other side of the park and helps manage the estate,’ he said, as they went down yet another corridor lined with oil paintings. ‘She rides here and back. She says it’s quicker and better for the environment than using her Land Rover.’
Libby nodded, trying to stay cool and hoping they’d steer well clear of any horses. She’d only ever seen one in person once and had been petrified at the size and power of it.
They exited the side of the Manor into a cobbled courtyard surrounded by double-height buildings.
‘This is the old stables and the carriage house,’ Henry said. ‘But Estelle still uses them.’
A horse whinnied loudly and Libby’s hand shot out and grabbed his. ‘Hell no to the neigh,’ she muttered.
Henry froze, then folded his larger hand around her smaller one as if to reassure her.
‘It’s okay. You don’t have to go near him.’
Inside the stables a horse’s backside poked out from behind a stall. Its tail lifted and it deposited a steaming pile of manure onto the stone floor. An English Setter was lying nearby and a small, fluffy black dog was sniffing around.
‘Duke, seriously?’ came a voice from behind the wooden partition.
The horse whinnied in response and Libby clutched Henry’s hand a little tighter.
A shovel appeared, followed by a woman. She scooped up the poo, then turned to face them. So, this was Henry’s sister.
Estelle was as beautiful as Henry was gorgeous, with the same high cheekbones, amber brown eyes and dark skin as her twin. But where his hair was cropped short, hers was long, the black curls tied back in a loose ponytail. She was nearly as tall as her brother, with a figure that seemed to be designed to bring men to their knees. Tight fawn jodhpurs clung to her curves and knee-high black riding boots gave the illusion of never-ending legs. A crisp white shirt caressed her upper half, the top buttons undone to allow for her cleavage. She looked like a centrefold model fromCountry LifeMagazine. Libby tried hard not to stare.
‘Oh.’ Estelle’s gaze moved from their faces to their clasped hands. Henry let go.
‘Hi,’ said Libby. ‘I’m—’
‘Hang on.’ Estelle jogged past them. ‘This was not the first impression I was hoping for.’ A ball of dung fell off the shovel. She kicked it forward like a football without breaking stride, then disappeared around the corner, followed by the fluffy dog.
Libby glanced at Henry. ‘There’s a lot of poo in the countryside.’
‘I fear you have witnessed a disproportionate amount this afternoon.’
She smiled. ‘Do you ride as well?’
‘Yes, although I haven’t for a long time.’
Her heart beat faster at the idea of Henry on a horse, dressed like Mr Darcy. ‘Do you wear boots like Estelle’s?’
He nodded, and her heart sped up to a gallop.
‘Do you ride?’ he asked.
