Page 48 of Impossible
He couldn’t help but crack a smile. More and more, she battered his defenses and made him question why he still had any. “Sometimes. But not here. As far as I know.” He looked at her in mock apprehension. “You don’t suppose there’s a hermit?”
“We’ll have to investigate.” She turned from the cart and looked about. “Ah, is that it there?” She pointed to the other side of the wide rise, where the folly was nestled amongst some shrubs near a small stand of trees.
“Yes. Shall we go there straightaway, or would you rather picnic amongst the castle stones?”
“That is a very difficult decision. Can I enjoy myself if I’m concerned there may be a hermit lurking nearby?”
“Hermits can be quite harmless.” This was the most absurd conversation he’d had in years, perchance ever, and he never wanted it to end.
“You’ve extensive experience with them?” Her eyes widened. “Oh! This is what you didn’t want to tell me about your wild youth.Youwere a hermit. It certainly aligns with your present demeanor.”
He stared at her. “How do you do this?”
The little spot between her brows pleated in that manner he found so endearing. “What?”
“Be effortlessly charming and witty. Do you never have a bad day?”
“I’ve had plenty of bad days. And I hate them. Which is why I do my best not to have them. And if I do, I endeavor to turn them into good days. Some might say an impending rainstorm is bad, but I shall look at it as an excellent way to study the ridiculous folly in depth, hopefully with the assistance of the resident hermit.”
He feared the days would grow bad again once she left. He should make her stay.
Looking up at the darkening clouds, he went to fetch the picnic basket and blanket from the cart. “Should we even have the picnic?”
“We probably have time, if we’re fast.”
“Any other female I’ve known would have asked to return to the house, except…” He’d almost said Lucia’s name. He couldn’t believe he’d mentioned her so casually.
“Except whom?” she asked quietly, then seemed to immediately regret it, given the way her face fell. “You don’t have to tell me.” She turned and walked hurriedly toward the random collection of stones that still remained from the ancient castle.
He followed her, dropping the blanket and basket near a larger stone before approaching her from the side.
“You’re right,” she said. “This wasn’t a very big castle.”
“These stones only mark the keep. The walls went out to the edge of the rise. I can show you some of those too. In fact, over there is the biggest collection—enough to make a wall.”
She stared in that direction, but he reached out and snagged her elbow, drawing her to turn her head toward him in surprise. “Her name was Lucia. The woman I’d planned to marry. She would have been happy to picnic in the rain.”
“She sounds like someone I would have liked to know,” Ada said softly.
He let go of her, and she continued toward the wall. After a moment, she looked back over her shoulder. “Aren’t you coming?”
In that moment, he wondered if he might follow her anywhere so long as she continued to lead him from the abyss.
Max caught up with her, and they spent some time investigating the wall. She imagined how tall it might have been and whether the gate was nearby.
He shook his head. “I think it was probably where the track is now—how we came up. That’s the easiest side to scale.”
“That makes sense. Do you know what would be a worthwhile folly? Rebuilding this castle.”
That made him laugh, and the joyful reaction in her gaze made him want to never stop. “I have to think you know how much that would cost.”
“Not really, but I’ve seen your ledgers and you can probably afford it. I was wrong to think the estate wasn’t profitable, but then you didn’t have enough retainers and weren’t supporting the tenants as you should have been.” She grimaced. “I shouldn’t have said any of that, not today.”
“But you’re right about all of it. I’m glad you came here and pointed out my…oversight.” What a pathetically inadequate word to describe his mismanagement and willful ignorance. “It needed to be done. I’m only sorry it took me so long to listen to someone.”
“I’m only shocked you listened tome!” She laughed and skipped around in a circle. Her foot caught a piece of loose dirt, and she slipped.
Max dove to catch her before she tumbled down the hill. He clasped her waist and pulled her toward him. She crashed against his chest with enough force to send him backward to the ground.
