imagine.”
“Don’t be maddening, Brandon.”
He glanced at her. “Sorry, but I’ve seen more than one, you know, and they all look the same.”
“I have never seen one,” she said with forced patience.
“Oh, well then, let me see.” He frowned, evidently collecting an image of the place in his mind. Finally, just as she was about to demand that he get on with it, he said, “Mostly caravans and animal pens and people. Surely, you’ve seen their caravans. A fellow can’t drive on a highroad anywhere in England without being delayed by one somewhere along the way.”
“I’ve seen them,” she agreed. “Very colorful, but the people always seem a trifle … well, a trifle unwashed.”
“Lord, of course they are. You don’t think they bathe along the way, do you? Dashed uncivilized that would be, and doubtless complaints would be lodged against them first time they tried it on. Dash it, complain m’self if water was sloshin’ out the back of the caravan onto the road. M’ horses would slip.”
She laughed. “Are you never serious?”
“Never.” He grinned at her. “Fact is, it will be better if you see the place for yourself. I’m no hand at describing things.” He was silent for several moments after that. Then he glanced at her again before saying ruefully, “Look here, Caro, I’ve been thinking about last night, and the fact is I didn’t behave well. You were right about that. Never should have walked off without making sure you were right behind me. Not that you ought to have been, of course. No place for a lady, that bowling green. Not then, at all events.”
She smiled at him. “I’ll accept your apology and thank you for it. I didn’t think you would offer me one.”
He shrugged. “I can be civil when I want to be. Hope nothing awkward occurred. Notice you didn’t say anything about where you went after I abandoned you.”
“No.” She felt warmth flooding her face at the memory of Lyndhurst’s aggression and the embarrassment of being discovered in such a fix by Sydney.
“What happened?” When she looked away, he said more sharply, “What? Good Lord, Caro, you weren’t—”
“No, no,” she said before he could say aloud what he was so clearly thinking. “Nothing like that. Only Lyndhurst found me where you left me and made rather a nuisance of himself.”
“Oh, did he?” Brandon’s brows snapped together, and for once he looked as dangerous as any romantic young lady might wish. “I shall have a word with his lordship,” he said grimly.
Instead of pleasing her, however, his look and tone of voice dismayed her, and she said hastily, “There is no need for that, truly. Nothing happened except that Sydney came along and saw us standing there together. I’d have preferred anything else, believe me, which was why I was so annoyed with you for leaving me. Only try to imagine how mortified I was!”
But to her consternation, Brandon seemed not to comprehend her feelings. At the mention of Sydney’s name, he relaxed in his saddle and smiled at her, saying, “Oh, Saint-Denis was there, was he? That’s all right then, except I daresay he’ll have a few things to say to me about the impropriety of leaving ladies alone in gardens. Deserve to hear them, of course, but perhaps if I steer clear of him for a few days, he’ll forget. Want to let the fidgets out of that nag of yours?”
Believing any further attempt to make him understand must prove futile, she agreed, and they put their mounts to a canter. The path they were on led through a shady wood and was hard-packed and well-tended. The air was crisp with a suggestion of approaching winter, and the leaves were bright with color. In no time at all, Carolyn was so taken up with the sights, sounds, and smells of the wood and the pounding of hooves on the dirt path that all other thoughts faded from her mind.
Brandon was ahead of her, and when the path widened sufficiently, she urged her mount to a faster pace to
“Don’t be maddening, Brandon.”
He glanced at her. “Sorry, but I’ve seen more than one, you know, and they all look the same.”
“I have never seen one,” she said with forced patience.
“Oh, well then, let me see.” He frowned, evidently collecting an image of the place in his mind. Finally, just as she was about to demand that he get on with it, he said, “Mostly caravans and animal pens and people. Surely, you’ve seen their caravans. A fellow can’t drive on a highroad anywhere in England without being delayed by one somewhere along the way.”
“I’ve seen them,” she agreed. “Very colorful, but the people always seem a trifle … well, a trifle unwashed.”
“Lord, of course they are. You don’t think they bathe along the way, do you? Dashed uncivilized that would be, and doubtless complaints would be lodged against them first time they tried it on. Dash it, complain m’self if water was sloshin’ out the back of the caravan onto the road. M’ horses would slip.”
She laughed. “Are you never serious?”
“Never.” He grinned at her. “Fact is, it will be better if you see the place for yourself. I’m no hand at describing things.” He was silent for several moments after that. Then he glanced at her again before saying ruefully, “Look here, Caro, I’ve been thinking about last night, and the fact is I didn’t behave well. You were right about that. Never should have walked off without making sure you were right behind me. Not that you ought to have been, of course. No place for a lady, that bowling green. Not then, at all events.”
She smiled at him. “I’ll accept your apology and thank you for it. I didn’t think you would offer me one.”
He shrugged. “I can be civil when I want to be. Hope nothing awkward occurred. Notice you didn’t say anything about where you went after I abandoned you.”
“No.” She felt warmth flooding her face at the memory of Lyndhurst’s aggression and the embarrassment of being discovered in such a fix by Sydney.
“What happened?” When she looked away, he said more sharply, “What? Good Lord, Caro, you weren’t—”
“No, no,” she said before he could say aloud what he was so clearly thinking. “Nothing like that. Only Lyndhurst found me where you left me and made rather a nuisance of himself.”
“Oh, did he?” Brandon’s brows snapped together, and for once he looked as dangerous as any romantic young lady might wish. “I shall have a word with his lordship,” he said grimly.
Instead of pleasing her, however, his look and tone of voice dismayed her, and she said hastily, “There is no need for that, truly. Nothing happened except that Sydney came along and saw us standing there together. I’d have preferred anything else, believe me, which was why I was so annoyed with you for leaving me. Only try to imagine how mortified I was!”
But to her consternation, Brandon seemed not to comprehend her feelings. At the mention of Sydney’s name, he relaxed in his saddle and smiled at her, saying, “Oh, Saint-Denis was there, was he? That’s all right then, except I daresay he’ll have a few things to say to me about the impropriety of leaving ladies alone in gardens. Deserve to hear them, of course, but perhaps if I steer clear of him for a few days, he’ll forget. Want to let the fidgets out of that nag of yours?”
Believing any further attempt to make him understand must prove futile, she agreed, and they put their mounts to a canter. The path they were on led through a shady wood and was hard-packed and well-tended. The air was crisp with a suggestion of approaching winter, and the leaves were bright with color. In no time at all, Carolyn was so taken up with the sights, sounds, and smells of the wood and the pounding of hooves on the dirt path that all other thoughts faded from her mind.
Brandon was ahead of her, and when the path widened sufficiently, she urged her mount to a faster pace to
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