The Captain's Wallflower by Audrey Harrison Page B

wanted to make things better.
    Alexander listened to everything being said and, when he was sure of his location, he interrupted the flow of commentary. “We must be just around the corner from the huge copper beech tree,” he said, almost sure he knew where he was.
    “That’s right,” Amelia said.
    “There’s a small opening with seating nearby, isn’t there?” Alexander asked.
    “Yes.”
    “Would you mind if we sat for a moment?” Alexander asked. With Amelia’s agreement, he asked her to stop. “I’m going to try something with Samson.”
    “Oh?” Amelia was immediately a little wary. “Don’t forget Samson has never been so good for so long, so testing him may not turn out well,” she said cautiously.
    “Don’t worry, it’s only an idea of mine; it doesn’t matter if it fails. It was only when I was thinking about our walk yesterday that I realised something,” Alexander explained, keen to share his idea with her. “You never gave Samson an instruction as to whether we were turning left or right along any of the paths we took.”
    “No, I didn’t, but he could see my movements; I was walking alongside you,” Amelia said, not sure where the conversation was going.
    “Yes, but it was only as I returned to my home with Peterson that I realised something. Samson had been putting gentle pressure on my leg. Unbeknown to me, he was guiding my steps in the right direction. It was only when he was no longer next to me I realised what he’d done,” Alexander said excitedly. It was true; he had missed the pressure when it was no longer there. He was not sure whether it was something Samson had done unconsciously or consciously. One thing he was certain of was that he felt more confident with the dog at his side.
    “I think it might have been just a coincidence,” Amelia said doubtfully. She had always been Samson’s biggest defender, but even she realised the dog had his limitations.
    “Please humour me in this,” Alexander requested. “If you will lead the way, I’ll keep repeating ‘seat’ to him. I’m not expecting it to work today, but I hope that, if we try it every day, he may learn the command,” Alexander explained.
    Amelia turned to walk towards the seat, and Samson followed her lead. Alexander was all the time saying “Seat, Samson. Seat, Samson.” They reached the bench, and Alexander made a huge fuss of Samson, even bringing a treat for him out of his pocket.
    “That’s the perfect way to reward him; he will love you forever if you feed him treats every day,” Amelia laughed as Samson wolfed down the treat in one bite and then pushed his nose into Alexander’s hand, just to make sure he had eaten everything on offer.
    “He deserves it; I really cannot explain how good it is not to have to hold onto someone all the time. I know you are there in case something goes wrong, but I feel confident with him. It doesn’t feel as if he’ll run away,” Alexander tried to explain.
    “It must have been hard to have to learn to accept help. I can’t imagine it came naturally to you,” Amelia said, being bolder than she should have been.
    Alexander laughed slightly, “My brother thankfully took me to task when I was punishing everyone who tried to help.”
    “He’s a brave man,” Amelia said. “I’ve seen your glowers when people got in the way.” It was true that she thought him the most handsome man she had ever seen, but she was under no illusion of his character; she had seen him send people scuttling away with one of his glares.
    Alexander was reminded of what she had said on his first meeting with her. “You must have had a low opinion of my behaviour in the past.”
    Amelia flushed; she could not be honest with him. What would she say? That I thought you the most attractive man in any ballroom I visited? That despite your faults you made my heart beat a little faster every time I saw you? No, she might talk to him in a way she would not consider with anyone else, but