Page 24 of The Recluse of Wolfeton House (Ladies of Devon 4)

Chapter 9

Bentley stood in the midst of his quiet, secluded woods, suddenly angry that he was no longer secluded, and neither was it quiet.

“Oh, goodness!” the woman before him said, her blue eyes rounding to such extent that she was certainly feigning her surprise. He took her measure at once. A well-tailored, violet riding habit fit her to perfection, and a matching hat sat at a jaunty angle upon her head. Blonde hair was tucked into a knot at the base of her neck, but the wisps that had escaped were a testament that she had been riding—though there was no horse in sight.

She turned her neck and said something over her shoulder, and Bentley’s stomach constricted. Hattie Green was here, just behind the intruder.

It was not something he wanted to further investigate that his mind considered this blonde woman an intruder, but not the freckled beauty behind her.

“Forgive us,” the blonde said. “We were only searching for—”

“My cat,” Miss Green cut in, the long skirts of her habit clutched tightly in her hands as she lifted her hem from the dirty ground. “He is missing, and we wondered if he might have escaped to these woods, but”—she clenched her teeth, sending the other woman a frustrated look—“we realize it was rude of us to trespass upon your property, and we should have first sent a note begging your permission to do so.”

There was clearly something going on between the women, and Bentley was, despite himself, curious to know what it was. “That is quite all right, Miss—”

“Green!” she said, stepping forward again, her brown eyes wide as though she was trying to speak to him with her looks alone. Heavens, what was that about?

“Green,” he repeated, cautiously.

She nodded vigorously, a strain of panic lacing her features. “I am Miss Hattie Green, your neighbor to the east, and I beg your forgiveness for imposing this introduction on you when you most clearly wish to keep your privacy.”

The blonde woman’s eyebrows pulled together, and she looked to Miss Green. “But, Hattie, surely—”

“This is my sister-in-law, Mrs. Green,” Hattie said—for now he could think of her in no other way than by that name which suited her so well—grasping the woman’s arm.

Bentley bowed, pretending as though he met them for the first time. Hattie clearly wished to keep their earlier interactions a secret from this woman. He could question her later—and he would find a way to do that—but for now, he could play along.

“The Duke of Bentley at your service. It is a pleasure to finally meet my neighbors.”

Mrs. Green’s eyes lit up, and she squared her shoulders. “Thank you, Your Grace. Do you mind terribly if we continue our search?”

“No, by all means.” He gestured to the trees around them. “Though it will soon be growing dark.”

“We will not trespass upon your kindness further, Your Grace,” Hattie said. “Though I will return in the morning if you are truly unopposed to the idea.”

He nodded, holding her gaze. He hoped she could recognize that it truly did not bother him. Though…had she mentioned a cat was missing? He cleared his throat. “This cat wouldn’t happen to be gray, would he? With dark stripes?”

Hattie’s eyes widened with hope. “Yes. Have you seen him?”

“I believe he may be lounging in my study at this very moment.”

Stepping forward, Hattie dropped her hem to the ground and clutched his sleeve. Did she realize what she was doing? Given the excitement radiating from her, he thought it likely not. “May I come—” She stopped, releasing his arm and moving back. Her gaze flicked away, suddenly conscious of her sister-in-law, it seemed, and she cleared her throat, her dark eyes working through something in her mind. “On second thought, our horses were left standing. We shouldn’t leave them alone any longer.”

He couldn’t see her logic. “We are much closer to my house, Miss Green. I can send a man over straight away to locate your horses and return them to your stables.”

“No, I could never ask that.” She looked between Bentley and Mrs. Green, clearly torn about something. But what?

His curiosity grew. Holding her gaze, he lowered his voice. “Are you in need of help, Miss Green?”

She looked startled, tucking her chin slightly. Well, at least he could rule out immediate danger. She would not have been so surprised by the notion if she was in any trouble.

Mrs. Green stepped forward, sliding her hand around Hattie’s elbow. “Come, Hattie. We should collect the cat while we are so close. The horses cannot go very far, anyway. You looped the reins over a branch, yes?”

Hattie shot her sister-in-law a disgruntled look. “Yes, I took care of that for both of our horses.”

“If they untangled themselves from the branch, they would likely just return to their stables, would they not?” Lucy continued, unperturbed.

“I suppose they might. Or we could lose them as well.”

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