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She tried to recall deportuide her in how to behave at this unexpected developentleman in an evidently unoccupied house Daphne frantically searched her
He prowled ahead, and she followed him into a room where the furniture was likewise covered in sheets “I’ve heard it is to be let,” she said, hurrying over to the grate where a fire burned low “Are you to occupy Kellits Hall with your faton?”
He grunted butfrom his soaked jacket
His hair et, and his waistcoat and white shirt were plastered to the powerfully definedache stirred in her belly, and her heart quickened Blushing furiously, she dragged her gaze frorossly disappointed in any conduct that could be dee so hard since Mahter had the proper lessons to secure herself a suitable suitor at her co out, which was only a few reat expectation
She glanced toward Mr Carrington again He looked to be about the sae for the week Perhaps they were familiar? “Are you friends with Henry?”
“Who, may I ask, is Henry?”
Fiddlesticks “The honorable Henry Collins, ht know him”
“I don’t How old are you?” Mr Carrington asked abruptly “Forgive h his hair, creating a wave of curls
“I will be seventeen in a week,” Daphne said, tugging the bonnet from her head
His attention snapped to her hair He sucked in a sharp and obvious breath, dealing her an arrested stare Daphne knew sheand clung quite uncorass and dirt stains on the heet she only had on the one boot How aze remained an inordinate tiard to her face
The war…and captivating At her silence, he tugged at his cravat, the nervous action pulling a smile to her lips
“I do not mean to be rude, but I cannot stay with you here alone”
She glanced at the s “The weather is frightfully unacco of that wish”
He started to pace like a caged lion, and she couldn’t help staring at his graceful move caught alone with her “Oh, dear”
A decidedly imperious brow lifted “I see you finally understand my predicament”
Oh, I do To abandon her so very far froentlemanly, but to stay with her would surely compromise her reputation and his honor A treh her “My father would understand the need that forced us alone for a few
“Wives and daughters of society have tried to trap me with less inventive scenarios than this,” he said with a rueful twist of his lips
“Are you such a good catch, then?” she asked archly
He graced her with a look that was vaguely sardonic “I’ve had to leave several balls early because of their desperate machinations”
The conte He was clearly wealthy with iton had an air of refineauche Perhaps he ealthy with estih it must be unpleasant to be hounded so She made a silent promise to herself to never be so obvious or ridiculous with a suitor at her debut The , and of course, she would adard
“Papa has honor,” she insisted Not that she could reveal her father’s dear desire for her to secure a titled gentlehter, a statement he had made to the few suitors who had attempted to pay a call upon her these past ivably rude and unrepentant
“Mothers are e minded”
“Maard”
He froze, then slowly spun on his heels to face her “I’ruffly
“It was years ago,” replied Daphne, burying the flare of familiar sorrow
He shot her a side-eyed glance “It has been three years and six days since I lostof it every day”
“I am very sorry for your loss as well, sir”
“Please, let us be informal I’m Sylvester”
Sylvester She suddenly felt war “Oh no, I couldn’t That would not be at all proper, Mr Carrington”
He hesitated slightly, then said, “As you wish, Miss Collins”
He serous promise—or was it a threat—lurked in his smile The thrill of thetea with a suitor
Soed her quite effortlessly in a conversation he sees her governess had instructed her to have discourse on There was no mention of the weather, or balls, or routes, or any on-dits They spoke of the war and slavery, the affairs of the nation, and the fact that he wanted to explore the world The passion he radiated as he spoke of traveling infor restricted In fact, the way he paced, his entleman who did not kno to simply pause and appreciate the simple pleasure of life
Or perhaps she was fanciful
He hadn’t seemed appalled that she’d formed her own opinions and shared them without reservations He’d expressed no disapproval of her intelligence but sihtfully appealing
What had started as a dreary day had taken quite a turn and was arguably one of the most amiable afternoons she could ever recall Almost an hour had passed before she belatedly realized, while he no a lot about her faton hardly spoke of his family
And once the rain eased, he ended their conversation quite brusquely and urged her from the house He car
ried her home but only tipped his hat and whirled away the instant she had dismounted at the forecourt of Seaview Manor Her disappointreat He made no indication if he would call upon her father and introduce hi Kellits Hall
Surely she had not misconstrued his admiration whilst they had chatted?
Gulliver barked, but Mr Carrington did not glance back Turning on her heels, Daphne snuck inside before she caught a chill A couple of hours later, freshly scrubbed froown, adorned with a bright red waist sash, she stared through the s at the sleeting rain Had Mr Carrington returned to Kellits Hall? Or had he ridden off elsewhere?
She wondered what her father knew of the mysterious man Surely there must be a delicate way to pry the infor too obvious in her ad room toward her papa’s study
Daphne knocked and waited Alarh the thick oak door She wrenched it open “Papa!”
He was bent over his desk, pain furrowing his bushy brows She rushed to his side, helping hi, Papa?”
The hand he had clutched to his chest eased slightly, and the lines of strain bracketing his mouth eventually smoothed “I am well, my dear, very well indeed This is ain too rich a luncheon”
“Please do not lie to , but she was not daft “You were clutching your chest”
He brushed a hand across her cheek tenderly “Co to worry about Sit withtalks for a while Then perhaps you may read to me”
She did not point out it was only yesterday they had strolled along the lawns of the estate and recalled their wonderful time with Ma by Eliza Parsons, a gothic story he had read to Daphne and Ma room Instead, she walked over to the sofa closest to hi-clad legs on the sofa Shockingly, her papa did not berate her for her unladylike pose