A Lord Rotheby's Holiday Bundle (56 page)

It would be best for them both if they
avoided each other in the future. Judging by all indications from
her, Lady Grace would be more than amicable with that solution.
Why, she hardly said a word to him on their previous encounter. He
had gone on and on about his brothers and sisters—his whole
life—and she barely strung together more than five words at a
time.

She could have no objection to him
staying clear of her company.

Today though, it appeared he must make
an exception to this new rule of avoidance. He and Gil had come
within calling distance, and Sir Laurence lifted a hand in
greeting.

“
Gil! And Lord Alexander,
as well. What a pleasant surprise. We were just sitting down to
luncheon.” With a smile, he glanced through the basket Lady
Kensington and Lady Grace were busy unpacking. “As usual, Mrs.
Finchley has packed far more food than an army could down after
going hungry for a week. Would you care to join us?”

Sir Laurence walked to the two horses
and held out a hand to aid Gil in dismounting, not waiting for a
response. Apparently, a ‘yes’ was assumed. He led the earl to the
blanket spread beneath an oak tree and assisted him in gaining a
seat while Alex saw to the horses. He tried not to curse out loud
about his rotten luck.

He put on a cheerful face before
joining the others beneath the heavy cover of branches, hoping to
hide his brooding. “Ladies, Sir Laurence.” Alex nodded to each in
turn. “It’s kind of you to share your meal with us. We’ve been
riding for a good spell now and I, for one, am
famished.”

He sat next to Gil—and as far away
from Lady Grace as he could manage without seeming altogether a
cad, yet again.

The group ate and talked and laughed.
Everyone took part in the conversation this time, including Lady
Grace. She seemed much more vibrant than she had on their first
meeting (other than those few rare moments when she had let down
her guard) and not nearly as shy.

She looked stunning, sitting on the
quilted blanket beneath a cloudy sky. Her smile reached all the way
up to her eyes—to the point they sparkled like diamonds.

But she did her best to ignore his
presence.

She spoke with Lord Rotheby, telling
him of the painting she and her uncle planned to perform after
their meal. She enquired after his health. She even asked his
permission to someday visit and paint in his flower gardens, if he
was so inclined to allow her intrusion. She talked and teased with
her aunt and uncle. But she never spared Alex a glance, nor
included him in her conversation.

Still, he could not keep his eyes from
her. Even before, with the sadness blanketed over her features,
Lady Grace was an absolute vision. With it removed, she honestly
stole his breath.

He tried to focus on the conversation,
but had little success. Alex even attempted to become cross or
upset about her obvious exclusion of him from her part of the
conversation, but couldn’t muster the emotions. He refused to feign
them. He’d keep his dignity, even if it killed him.

All he could think about was her heat
when he pulled her close, the light scent of something floral and
sweet on her skin, and the passion in her eyes just after he kissed
her.

“
Lord Alexander?” Lady
Kensington frowned over at him for a moment. “Lord
Alexander?”

He snapped to the present with a jolt.
“I am so sorry, ma’am. I was woolgathering. You were saying?”
Blast, if he hadn’t been living in his own world for a great good
while.

She patted his arm and gave him an
indulgent smile. “I understand, sir. Our Gracie is certainly
something to look at, is she not?”

Sir Laurence cleared his throat in an
obvious warning to his wife. She sent a glare in his direction as
she continued her new conversation with Alex.

“
I was merely wondering if
you had finished or if you wanted another sandwich. We certainly
have more than enough, but you’ve hardly touched yours and everyone
else has finished. Aren’t they to your liking? Anyway, feel free to
help yourself to more if you wish.”

She cleared their luncheon away as she
continued to speak, leaving a plate of cucumber sandwiches out
where he could reach them. “I believe Laurence and Gracie are set
to work with their paints for a bit now, and it seems your Lord
Rotheby is prepared to take a bit of a nap. I think it is best if
he just stays here to do so, rather than attempt to ride all the
way back to Roundstone. How lucky we are, I planned ahead and
brought a few extra blankets and such with me. I’ve been working on
my quilting and embroidery, you know, and one can just never tell
how much one will finish in a day!”

As Lady Kensington rambled, her niece
stood and assembled easels and painting supplies for herself and
her uncle, placing oils by her own canvas and watercolors by Sir
Laurence’s.

The baronet helped Gil settle in a
secluded spot under a nearby willow tree. Lady Kensington was right
about Gil being too tired to make the return before succumbing to
sleep. He stumbled as he walked with Sir Laurence. Alex supposed
that meant he would have to spend even more time in the presence of
the minx while she ignored him.

Deuced infuriating, that.

He ate and Lady Kensington droned on
and on, about subjects he had neither the desire nor the intention
of following. Alex nodded and occasionally raised an eyebrow, which
seemed enough to keep the lady generally appeased. He didn’t think
she really cared if he paid attention—it seemed to be more an issue
of her own comfort. He doubted she was capable of sitting in
silence for longer than a few seconds without sleeping, and he
wondered if she was even capable of it at that point. She may be
one who talked in her sleep.

While they sat, Lady Kensington worked
on her embroidery and kept up a constant stream of chatter. He
gazed at the river passing them by, but his thoughts kept returning
to the two people who had been so consistently on his mind since
his arrival in Somerton—Gil and Lady Grace.

After a while, he realized the
garrulous buzzing of Lady Kensington’s incessant speech
had—miraculously—ceased. A quick glance in her direction revealed
that she, too, was asleep. Now he couldn’t even pretend to carry on
a conversation with her, but must find some other way of passing
the time until Gil had rested enough to carry on with their jaunt.
So, he watched the two painters at their craft.

Sir Laurence was clearly a studied
landscape artist. His piece looked almost identical to the scene
before them, down to the smallest details like the rocks on the
opposite side of the river bank. From an artistic standpoint, his
work was perfect, while not necessarily inspiring. The painting was
beautiful, but it lacked a certain finesse to take the piece from
very good to great.

Lady Grace, however, was a true artist
in Alex’s mind. Her painting was night-and-day different from that
of her uncle. She brushed her oils in broad, sweeping strokes and
bold flashes of color. While it was clear she had painted the same
scene as her uncle, her piece something contained more. There was a
mood in the painting. It conveyed emotion. The sky was not merely
overcast, but dark and ominous, as it threatened to chase the bold
colors from the scene.

He was, in a word, flabbergasted by
what he saw coming to life on her canvas.

Her brushes swooshed and swayed across
the surface, with every flick of her wrist creating some new facet
to convert the overall impression. As she worked, Lady Grace’s eyes
gleamed. A series of emotions ran across her face and bled through
the brushes into her painting. Alex was in awe.

After what could have been minutes or
hours, she stopped. She took two steps back and looked deeply at
her piece for a moment, then turned around to face him. Lady Grace
beamed at him and allowed him to share in her moment of
glory.

The expression on her face at that
moment, he never could have predicted—she looked regal, imminently
satisfied, and fully at peace. All of the emotions that had been
working through her were somehow transferred to the canvas and left
behind, at least for that moment.

If he had not seen it himself, Alex
would never have believed such an intense work could have come from
inside this tiny, perpetually fearful woman. Well, if not for the
fact she still took deep breaths from her exertions, had splatters
of paint covering her from head to foot, and had her hair flowing
freely after having escaped from her pins.

She was breathtaking.
Perfection.

“
Good heavens, Gracie, you
are a sight!” Lady Kensington said, coming up behind Alex. Her
shout of dismay woke Gil as well, and he started to put himself to
rights while Lady Kensington fussed over her niece.

Rotheby walked over to Alex and
silently observed the scene while Sir Laurence continued as he was,
ignoring the tumult his wife created with her dither. The baronet
must experience such things on a regular basis to display no
outward reaction to her.

Alex allowed himself a brief chuckle.
Their marriage must have been quite interesting, all these years.
Sir Laurence obviously knew how to handle his wife
flawlessly.

“
Shall we gather our horses
and head back to Roundstone, old chap?” Gil asked. “I think I am
ready to call this one a day.” He looked slightly refreshed after
his nap, but Alex was not convinced he was recovered—certainly not
fully.

“
I am ready any time you
are. I’ll ready the horses while you give Lady Kensington our
thanks.”

Alex didn’t want to think he was
avoiding Lady Grace by readying their mounts—nor by taking his time
about it. So far, he had made it through this encounter with her
without being forced into offering his apologies for a single
action. He’d like to keep it that way, if possible.

Once he had untied the horses, he led
them to the group and waited for a lull in the conversation. “We
are much obliged to you for sharing your luncheon with us, Lady
Kensington.”

She smiled graciously toward him
before her expression turned a touch more devious. Oh, blast. What
was she planning now? The woman had far too mischievous a gleam in
her eye for his comfort—it made him think of the same look coming
from Mama.

“
Lord Alexander, join us
for a meal any time you’re in need of one, or even when you’re not
in need of one. Please, bring Lord Rotheby to visit at New Hill
Cottage sometime.”

Lady Grace chortled under her breath,
but Alex caught it out of the corner of his eye.

“
You both have a standing
invitation,” Lady Kensington. “Just drop in when you’re in the
area.” The older woman could not have wiped the glee from her eyes
if she tried. Just what he needed. Because, of course, the
area
was Somerton in
general.

He didn’t care to take her up on the
offer at any time in the near future. But Gil would enjoy such a
visit, and Alex wanted to make his friend happy. “I am sure we’ll
hold you to your offer sometime soon, won’t we?”

The earl nodded vigorously.

Alex nodded to the group. “Well, we
must be on our way. Sir Laurence, Lady Kensington.” He took a long
look at the woman who so fascinated him before he continued. “Lady
Grace. It has been a pleasure, as always. I think Lord Rotheby has
had enough for one day, haven’t you, old man?”

“
Bah! Whippersnappers. You
think you know everything.” Gil frowned, but it didn’t reach his
eyes. They walked away and gained their mounts. “Besides, I have
already had a nap today. You, however, haven’t. I’d wager I’m more
up for a ride than you at this point.”

It was good to see some of the old
fire in his friend. “Are you up for a race, then? Now that our
horses have had a graze and rest, they’re raring to be let
loose.”

Gil’s eyes twinkled at the
prospect.

“
I’ll even let you have a
head start,” Alex said. “Sampson will beat Peregrine easily. Go on,
then!” He waited a few moments before spurring Sampson into a
gallop.

Racing through the countryside, Alex
felt alive. He had spent the day being ignored by a woman he
intended to avoid, but yet the very woman who consumed him. Then he
had agreed to stop in on her relatives at some point in the near
future. Lord only knew why he would have done such a thing. But the
fact remained, it was done. Bloody hell, what had he been
thinking?

He’d have to honor that commitment,
for Gil’s sake if for nothing else. Deuce take it all, now he’d
have to spend even more time with the chit. And if today was any
indication, she would continue to do everything in her power to
pretend he didn’t exist.

That irritated him to no
end.

Sampson quickly caught Peregrine from
behind. Alex dug in with his heels, encouraging his horse to run
harder. “Watch out, old man! We’re coming for you.”

Sampson was within a head’s distance
of catching the other horse as they pulled into Roundstone Park’s
arched lane. By the halfway point through the trees, Sampson was
almost dead even with Gil’s mount. Alex pulled back, allowing Gil
to take the win just as they pulled into the stables—doing his best
to hide his actions. “Good race, old man. You beat me there at the
end.”