“Thank you,” he replied before he kissed her once more.
She wanted to sink into it. To surrender to it and to him. But he didn’t allow it. With a groan, he pulled back and then got to his feet. She watched him straighten himself before he offered her a hand to help her up. She took it and did her best to fix her dress. Beneath it her drawers were slightly cockeyed, but she wasn’t about to fix those.
“Walk with me,” he said as they started up the hill to where his horse had gone to graze. He caught the reins as they passed the animal and together they climbed up the hill.
She sighed as the house appeared in the distance. Reality loomed, as it always would. Now she began to think of consequences and futures and loss and everything else.
“You said you got bad news last night,” she said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
He sent her a side look. “You just did.”
She shook her head. “You pretend with everyone else, Baldwin, please don’t pretend with me.”
She saw the air go out of him, his shoulders slumped, and for a moment the weight he carried was so obvious. “It was just bad news about the debts I told you about.”
She frowned. “The ones you had not been able to discover.”
He nodded. “Yes. Someone has…bought them all.”
They were almost to the house now, and she stopped on the path to face him. “One person bought them all? Who?”
“That was the bad news—I do not know.” He sighed and looked toward the house. “It cannot be for any good reason, though.”
She tended to agree, but saying so would not relieve him. Instead she reached out and touched his arm. “You do not know anything for certain yet. Have faith, Baldwin. You are too good not to have the best of things happen for you.”
He stared down at her, and for a moment she thought he might kiss her. She wanted him to, even though she stole a glance up at the house where anyone could be watching. He did the same and sighed.
“Thank you,” he said. “You were exactly what I needed to clear my mind.”
“If I did so even a little, then I’m glad,” she said. With a sigh, she stepped away. “I must go inside. The morning is getting late, and any moment my cousin will wake and come barreling into the sitting room to demand I assist her.”
His brow wrinkled. “The sitting room?”
Helena shrugged. “She wanted the bed all to herself. I sleep on the settee.”
His jaw set and she saw the flash of anger that crossed his face. Intense and entirely on her behalf. “That little—”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “Don’t. It isn’t worth it.”
“I knew I should have given you your own chamber,” he said. “I thought the beautiful view would please you and—”
She tilted her head. “You chose the room with the view for—for me?”
“Of course,” he said with no hesitation. “You did not think it was for Charity, did you?” He snorted his derision.
Her skin grew hot with pleasure and she bent her head. “Oh, well, I…I should go in. Thank you. Good morning.”
He watched her as she turned and scurried into the house away from him. Away from all they’d done together by the lake. She had no idea where this affair was going.
All she knew was that she hoped it would continue.
Chapter Fifteen
When Helena entered the chamber a few moments after parting from Baldwin, she found Charity waiting. Her cousin glared at her and snapped, “And just where have you been?”
Helena tried to slow her suddenly racing heart and put on the brightest smile she could manage. “I woke early and thought I’d take a walk around the grounds. Good morning, Perdy.”
Charity’s maid lifted her gaze from her work fastening Charity’s gown and smiled slightly. Helena felt for her. Poor Perdy had to deal with Charity and her moods on a more regular basis than Helena did. Just the past few months had been more than enough for her.
“Did you?” Charity said, arching a brow. “By yourself?”
Helena shifted. Here was a tricky situation. She certainly wasn’t going to tell her cousin what had really happened this morning, but if she lied about seeing Baldwin and someone told Charity, it would only make things worse. Her cousin already seemed far too interested in the duke and how Helena interacted with him.
“I did bump into the Duke of Sheffield. He was out on a morning ride,” she admitted. “We walked back together.”
Charity tilted her head, and then she smiled. “And did you talk about me?”
“Yes,” Helena said with a tight smile of her own. Not untrue, though she doubted Charity would like the tone or the topic of that conversation. She still blushed when she thought of Baldwin defending her, of him choosing this lovely room for her.
“Good,” Charity said. “We could yet make use of your odd little friendship with him and his family.”
Helena came farther into the room and sat down near Charity. Perdy was just finishing the dressing, and soon her cousin would take a place at the dressing table to have her hair done.
“How so?” Helena asked.
“He’s very handsome,” Charity said. She was holding Helena’s gaze far too evenly now. “Don’t you think?”
Helena stopped breathing. She’d known Charity all her life—they’d grown up together—and was well aware of the little twists of Charity’s mouth and tones of her voice. Her cousin was digging for information. Trying to find out things that Helena didn’t want to share.
Charity obviously had suspicions. Ones that could be very dangerous considering the agreement Helena had just entered into with Baldwin.
She cleared her throat. “He is one of many handsome men at this gathering. The Duke of Tyndale is also quite well put together. And there are a few others with lesser titles who could not be called ugly.”
“I wasn’t asking about them, I was asking about him.” Charity turned her dressing table chair so it was facing Helena and then deposited herself into it, forcing Perdy to wedge herself between table and chair to fix Charity’s hair.
“He is handsome,” Helena said softly.
“I like him, I think,” Charity continued. “At least as much as anyone else. He approached me after he saw me dancing with Grifford. Maybe he was jealous of our connection.”
Helena tried to remain calm. “You have a connection with the Earl of Grifford? The man you once complained was so old?”
Charity shrugged. “He has grown on me. But he’s no duke. What would you think of my pursuing Sheffield?”
Everything in the room suddenly slowed to half time as Helena stared at her cousin. She knew Baldwin didn’t particularly like Charity. In any other circumstance that fact would have made her comfortable that this fancy of her cousin’s would lead to nothing.
But she also knew Baldwin’s situation. And her uncle Peter had made certain that Charity was in the best financial position of almost any girl out Season, either here in England or in Boston.