“It crossed my mind.”
“I’m a British aristocrat, not a Russian oligarch’s wife.”
I shrugged. “I never pictured you eating a lunchable, that’s all. If I’m honest, I’ve never pictured you cooking at all.”
“Wow.” She slowly shook her head.
“I was wrong,” I admitted. “Clearly.”
“I’m not going to lie and say I cook every night because I don’t. We have a chef, Pierre, who comes in once or twice a week and prepares meals. It’s mostly convenient for my father who’s always busy, and Aunt Cat… Well, she isn’t allowed to cook anymore.” Her lips twitched into the ghost of a smile, and her eyes twinkled with affection as she spoke. “I don’t cook as often as I’d like simply because it’s pointless for just me, but if Alex is here, I do. Especially if Olympia is with him.”
“Is that his wife?”
“No, his daughter. She’s ten.”
“He doesn’t look old enough for a ten-year-old.”
“He’s not, not really. He made some bad choices before his father died, got someone pregnant when he was nineteen, and considered marrying her.” Gabriella paused. “He didn’t, but she died when Olympia was five.”
“That’s rough.”
“Yes, but they’ve worked it out. She’s a wonderful child, and I love spending time with her.”
“Let me guess, she likes gardening.”
“Mostly when the strawberries are ripe, and she can eat them straight off the plant. She’s part goat.”
“Impossible. They were trying to get the green ones, too.”
She peered over at me and smiled, then went back to eating. I did the same, but without the smile. I was going to have to go to bed soon—being stuck here with her was doing nothing to temper my attraction to her.
Because that was the problem.
I was incredibly attracted to Lady Gabriella Hastings. I would be a fool not to be—she was beautiful, and I had a feeling that beauty extended to the inside, too. The way her eyes warmed when she spoke about her family said everything.
But I was painfully aware of how different we were, and that was why I had to keep my distance from her. Physically and emotionally.
I knew the kind of man her father wanted her to marry.
He wasn’t me.
Not even close.
I knew she thought I was rude and grumpy, but it wasn’t the entire truth. Keeping her at arm’s length was my goal and being rude to her was the easiest way to achieve that. I wasn’t entirely sure how much longer I’d be able to do it for, especially if she kept asking for my advice in the garden, but I was going to give it my best shot.
Even more so now that I was here with her and I’d had to look after her because of her ankle. As long as she didn’t need me to help her walk anymore, I’d be all right.
“So why were you so desperate to leave earlier?” Gabriella asked, resting her foot back on the cushions and looking over at me.
“I wasn’t desperate to leave,” I lied, getting up and walking to the fire. I picked up the long poker and stoked it, giving the ashes a new lease of life as fire sparked on a bit of wood that was yet to burn. I set another log on it. “I would prefer to ride out the storm in my own home, that’s all.”
“Mm. Bet you’re glad you’re here now, though. Sounds like you’d be cold and screwed without my doomsday box.”
Doomsday box. That was one way of putting it.
I had to admit that I was quite impressed with her ability to think ahead. Perhaps I’d underestimated her.
“I might be cold, but that’s what a jumper is for.”
“Mhm.” She picked up a book from the table. “Oh, I haven’t read this yet,” she said brightly, peering over the top of it. “You can help yourself, if you’d like something to read. There’s a little bit of everything here.”
I cast my gaze around the vast library with its floor-to-ceiling shelves that only broke for windows and a few drawers and cupboards for storage. “I should imagine there is.”
“What do you like to read?”
“I usually stick to reading for work.”
“How terribly boring.” She shifted so she was sitting a little more upright. “Well, now is as good a time as any to read for fun. What do you like to watch on TV?”
“I don’t watch much TV.”
“Good Lord, Miles. Do you have any hobbies at all?”
I stared at her. “I play cricket.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You do? Where?”
“At the tennis club,” I replied dryly. “The cricket club. Where else?”
“All right, calm down. No need to get your knickers in a twist.” She looked away. “Try that bookcase over there. There’s some sports non-fiction in it, and I’m sure there’ll be something on cricket. Daddy used to play when he was younger.”
Of course he did.
“I’ll take a look. Thanks.” I wasn’t particularly in the mood to read, but I didn’t want to talk to her either, so at least a book would solve the latter problem. I didn’t know anyone who talked while reading, and I hoped Gabriella would be one of those people.
I browsed the shelf looking for something to interest me. It took a few minutes thanks to the sheer volume of books—they needed to set up a desk and invest in some library cards kind of sheer volume—but I finally found a book on the history of cricket in England.
That would do. And actually sounded annoyingly interesting.
I took the book over to the sofa and sat down. At least the library was warm and cosy, and a candle on the side table gave me just enough light to read if I angled the book correctly.
Gabriella had gone one better and was using a torch. “Don’t worry,” she said, looking over at me when she saw me looking. “This one is rechargeable. USB port, see?”
Right. Of course it was.
She was a regular little girl guide.
She’d probably been a girl guide at some point, though.
I returned my attention to the book. I barely paid attention to it for the first few pages, but after that, I found myself getting invested in what I was reading and settled down to read it.
I glanced up when I saw Gabriella moving towards the fire. “Let me do that.”
She waved me off. “I need to move it. It’s been forty-five minutes, it’s good to stretch it. Besides, it’s not that bad.”
“Shall I get things to make tea?”
“Oh, good idea.”
I set the book down and made my way into the kitchen. It was absolutely freezing out here in the hallway, and it was no warmer in the kitchen. I shivered as I checked the cupboard where I’d seen things for tea trays earlier.
Was the rest of the house this cold? There was no way we could sleep upstairs if it was. My room had an open fireplace, and I suspected most of them did, but it seemed like a bit of a waste.
Not that there was a shortage of wood in the wood store, of course.
I set everything for tea on one of the trays, including a small jug with some milk in it, then took it back into the library with another shiver. Thankfully I didn’t drop anything, and I managed to close the heavy library door behind me so we could keep as much heat in as possible.