Page 7 of Tempting the Earl

“Would you rather start inside or outside?”

“I shall leave that decision to my guide,” Colin replied.

“Outside, then,” Miss Claybourne answered quickly. “We may as well enjoy the sun while it lasts. Bramble,” she called before heading toward the door, clearly expecting the dog—and Colin—to follow.

The collie, who’d been lying beneath the table, immediately leapt up to trot after her while Colin glanced to Miss Morgan once again with a lifted brow, wondering if the girl was always so decisively bold. There might have been a slight curl of humor at the corner of the woman’s mouth, but he couldn’t be sure. And then he had to lengthen his strides to be sure he wasn’t left behind on his own tour.

Once outside, Caillie turned to walk backwards through the cluster of chickens gathered in the yard. “Have you met our hens yet?”

Though he was amused by the odd way in which the livestock at Faeglen were addressed, he kept it to himself so as not to inadvertently offend. Instead, he replied in an equally serious tone. “I’ve only briefly made their acquaintance and have not yet been formally introduced.”

Accepting his answer with a nod, she indicated the chicken currently trying to peck at the toe of her boot. “This is Fen. That’s Lil and Hew and Run. Over there is Dip and Sam. While Tin and Bit are fussing over by Worthy’s herb garden.”

Colin narrowed his gaze. “Do I detect a slight pattern in your method of naming?”

Caillie laughed. “I named Bit and Lil when I was a wee bairn and we just decided to continue with three-letter names for the rest. The rooster is a grumpy old thing and likes to keep to the shed, but if we happen to encounter him, you may address him as Sin.”

Colin’s brows lifted at the name, but the child had already spun about again to lead him toward the plotted garden. Taking one wrist in hand behind his back, he followed dutifully after her.

“Miss Morgan appears to enjoy gardening,” he said. “Do you as well?”

She seemed to consider the question carefully before giving a little shrug. “I like learning about the various uses of herbs and such, but I don’t really have the patience for gardening.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Do you enjoy gardening, my lord?”

“I’ve honestly never had the opportunity to try it.”

“Right, I reckon not,” she noted with another sage nod. He couldn’t help but feel slightly judged by her tone as he wondered what exactly she was thinking. Then she gave him a questioning look. “So, what do you do?”

Her blunt question took him aback for a moment and he had to consider his response. So much of his life centered around the duty and responsibility of his station. Even before he’d inherited the earldom, he’d taken on a great deal of the tasks required for managing the Wright estates and holdings.

“Horseback riding, I suppose. Reading. I’ve been building up the library at Wright House for several years now.”

“Wright House. Is that in London?”

“It is.” He nodded.

“Do you go to a lot of fancy parties? Balls and dinners and soirées?”

“A few.” He didn’t add that he typically avoided such things whenever possible.

She fell silent for a bit as their steps took them up a craggy slope of land dotted with rocks and shrubs while Bramble ran ahead. She seemed to be thinking rather intently on something and though Colin was unexpectedly curious, he waited to see if she’d share her thoughts with him.

After a bit, she did. “I think someday I’d like to go to a fancy ball. But I’m not sure I’d like to live in such a busy place as London. Worthy and I visited Edinburgh once and it was so noisy and crowded and...odorous. There wasn’t a single moment of tranquility to be found.” She tilted her head and gave him a crooked smile he could only describe as mischievous. “But it was rather exciting.”

He smiled back. It was on the tip of his tongue to reveal his true purpose in traveling to Dumfriesshire, but he’d decided before arriving not to broach the issue with the child before first discussing it with Miss Morgan. That decision seemed especially prudent now that he knew such a discussion was not likely to be a smooth one.

“Shall I show you our wee loch?” the girl suggested. “It’s a short walk, but the path can get rough,” she added with a dubious glance at his well-polished boots.

He straightened and gave a sharp tug on his coat. “Lead the way, Miss Claybourne.”

The loch was well worth seeing and was not as “wee” as he’d expected. She explained it was a perfect place to swim when the weather was nice like today and it provided good fishing for those who were lucky.

“Are you one of the lucky ones?” he couldn’t resist asking.

She made a face that answered before her words. “Nay, but Worthy is. She never leaves without a proper haul.”

That didn’t surprise him.

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to tarry long on the rocky banks as the sky had begun to darken with approaching clouds and the wind picked up. They made it back to the house just as the rain started to fall, entering through the kitchen as they’d left.

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