Page 57 of Appointment in Bath

Placing his booted foot into the stirrup, he swung into his saddle. He brought Snap up alongside Rowena. “Shall we ride together on the moors?”

“I’m riding back toward the Hall.” She kicked her mare into a walk.

Ivo wasn’t so easily put off. “Then I’ll ride with you,” he said, following her. “Perhaps by the time we reach Letchford Hall your temper will have cooled.”

She cast him a sidelong glance. “I’m n-not angry with you.”

“No?”

“I don’t get angry.”

His brows lifted.

“Even though I am a B-Burton-Smythe,” she added. “My f-father’s temper is abhorrent to me.”

“Nothing wrong with a bit of temper. Anger doesn’t frighten me.” Ivo paused. “Losing your friendship does.”

She looked at him again. This time their gazes held.

“Please don’t be cross with me, Meg,” he begged.

Her face softened. “Ivo—”

“I did try to come.”

She sighed. “It’s n-not that. I knew you wouldn’t be free once your family returned.”

“Then what?” he asked. “You’re not still upset about that stupid kiss under the mistletoe?”

She ducked her head. “N-Not upset, no.”

“Thank heaven for that.” He gave a rueful grimace. “I’ve been raking myself over the coals since we parted. I’d rather anything than upset you. Indeed, I nearly wrote to you on Saturday to offer my apologies again, but… I daresay that would have done more harm than good.”

Meg smiled slightly. “Very p-probably. Miss Adams says a gentleman shouldn’t write an unmarried young lady. N-Not even one who is a f-friend and only a friend.”

“Miss Adams is right. Still, one can’t live the whole of one’s life by the rules in an etiquette manual. My sister doesn’t, nor do my brothers. Nor do my parents, come to that. How boring it would be if we all did.”

“Is your f-family well?” she asked as they ascended the rise.

“Tolerably so. My sister has returned from London in good order, and my brothers are much as I remember them.”

To be sure, both James and Jack looked the same as when Ivo had left home, though certainly taller and possessed of more muscles. As for Kate, her time in London hadn’t resulted in an engagement, but it did appear to have had an appreciable effect on her ladylike decorum. She’d been crocheting something when Ivo had left the house, much to his dismay.

“Kate will be returning to town in the new year,” Ivo said. “She has a particular ball to attend in February, after which she’ll stay on for another season. I’m making the most of her company while I can.”

“What of your p-parents?” Meg asked.

“In good health,” Ivo said. “They’re still settling in. I’ve yet to find a moment to talk to my father about the railway.”

It was a source of some frustration. That, and—admittedly—no little relief. Ivo had a suspicion that it would be better to speak with Sir Frederick first. And that couldn’t be done until after Twelfth Night. Until then, Ivo’s business plans were in limbo.

“I expect he’ll hear about it eventually,” Meg said. “From the vicar. Or from Mr. P-Pinnock, Mr. Standish, or Mr. Horsley.”

Ivo had considered that possibility. “I doubt it. He’s too busy to tolerate company at present. And anyway, Pinnock, Standish, and Horsley would never call on him. My father isn’t overly fond of the villagers in Maidenbridge. It’s your father the tradesmen look to.” He squinted into the sun. “How is he, by the way? Still plagued by his gout?”

“Endlessly. Though I d-do have him on a n-new regime. He won’t admit to it, but he seems to be a little b-better.”

“I’m pleased to hear it.” He glanced at her. “Will he be well enough to make merry with you at Christmas?”