Page 36 of A Well-Trained Lady

“I shall come if I’m not expected to wade as you are,” I called to Ruth.

Ruth’s giggles floated on the breeze, beckoning me to her.

“Allow me.” Augustus rose to his feet and offered his hand.

Accepting his gesture, I allowed him to assist me to my feet. “I trust you have no intention of pushing me in?”

He kept hold of my hand and tucked it into his arm. “Not today.”

Ruth and Sarah had their dresses pulled up around their knees and were squealing in utter delight as the cool water flowed over their bare feet and ankles. I strangely envied their naivety, and the way Mrs. Brundage seemed to have no qualms with such untoward behavior.

“Are you sure you won’t come in?” Ruth asked.

I watched the water flow effortlessly around them, and it was easy to recall the sensation from when I was younger—the chill and the rush. But I was no longer a child. “I’m afraid not.”

As the ladies resumed their frolicking, Augustus led me from them along the bank. “Would you join them if I were not here?”

“Of course not. My mother has managed to add some sense to the girl you once knew.”

“It’s a shame.” He flicked his chin toward the stream. “That water looks quite refreshing.”

I looked up at him with accusation. “You are attempting to persuade me despite my refusal?”

Augustus grinned. “As though I would do such a thing.”

“You would in a moment if you thought my resolve weak enough.”

His hand moved to mine, readjusting it further onto his arm. “I should be insulted by your lack of faith in me.”

I bit my lip, and his eyes moved to the spot. “So, you will not try to persuade me then?”

“You have my word.”

I looked up at him from under my lashes. “Not even if I informed you that I long to get in the water?”

A smile pulled at one side of Augustus’s mouth. “I know what you are attempting, and it won’t work. I now have a point to make.”

I gave a dismissive shrug. “How unfortunate. A little persuasion may have been just the encouragement I required.”

He searched my profile. “I daresay you may come to regret having voiced that opinion.”

“Perhaps.” I sent him a teasing smirk. “Or perhaps not.”

Augustus laughed, and I welcomed the sound. How strange it was that eight years had passed since our separation. Yet, now that I was with him, it felt but a moment.

We continued in comfortable silence until the ladies’ delighted squeals grew distant.

“The view from the top of the hillock there is quite splendid.” Augustus shifted his gaze from the hill on our right back to me. “Unless you are averse to the exercise?”

The provoking smile that lit his face was too much to suffer. Without a thought, I released his escort to lift the hem of my dress and started up the hill before him.

“You might have let me get a fair start,” he called from behind.

“As though you were ever one to play fair,” I said over my shoulder. He was hastening to catch up, and the look of determination on his face sent my heart racing and my feet moving faster. He caught hold of my wrist, but I managed to pull it free despite the laugh that threatened to hinder me. With one last glance at him, I lifted my skirts a tad higher and ran the rest of the way to the top.

Augustus finished the climb only a moment after me, and his eyes settled on my victorious smile. “I forgot how keen you are for a challenge,” he said, his voice unaffected by the exertion.

I drew in a labored inhale. “No, you did not.” I put my hands on my hips and fixed him with a most ineffective glower. “You are all too aware of my inability to refuse you.” I stilled, realizing how that could be received. “Not you … I mean your challenges … as you said.”