Free Courting the Countess by Barbara Pierce

child playing games and an adult playing them is that a child never tires of them. I can see my way home on my own. Thank you for the cake and the flowers.” She began threading her way through the trees toward Loughwydde.
    He slapped the palm of his hand against his forehead. She had asked a simple question in an attempt to understand him and he had mocked her with a flirtatious reply. What arrogance! He had poked at her old scars to discover the wounded, passionate woman beneath, but he had denied her the same courtesy she had offered him.

    “Countess, when can I sketch you and the bluebells again? It must be soon, for the blooms will not last.”
    “Beauty never does, Mr. Claeg!” she shouted back over her shoulder. “Tomorrow, possibly, if I can get away.” She kept walking. There was no coy look or explicit promise that she would join him in the woods.
    Mallory scooped up his coat and brushed off the dirt. If she had been any other woman, he would have suspected that the countess was playing her own game.
    Tomorrow, possibly, if I can get away.
    Oh, he would be waiting for her. If she showed, maybe he would tell her that she was naked in the picture he was planning.

Chapter Six
    Rushing down the stairs, Brook checked the clock. Goodness, she was late again!
    “My lady, your bonnet!” Morna said, chasing after her.
    Reversing directions, she met her maid in the middle of the staircase. Brook squelched her impatience, waiting for the young woman to place the bonnet on her head. Her patience lasted mere seconds. “I will tie it. Thank you, Morna!” She waved farewell and proceeded to tie the bow as she hurried down the stairs.
    Ham ambushed her when she reached the landing. “Where are you running off to, Cousin?”
    The inquiry was polite. Still, she bristled at his assumption that she owed him an accounting of her whereabouts. “Where I always go, Ham. My cliffs and perhaps the beach today.” She gave her bow a firm tug. Brook was not concerned how the bonnet looked, since she planned on removing it once she reached the woods.
    Ham surprised her by placing his hand on her shoulder. He had never acted presumptuously. “I speak not only for myself but for the family. You spend too much time alone.” He lowered his voice as if he thought anything loud would frighten her. “Elthia, Lady A’Court and your mother worry that my presence has somehow upset you.”
    “I am not upset,” she assured him, ducking under his arm.
“I am a creature of habit, my lord. I prefer keeping to a schedule.”
    If Ham delayed her too long, Mr. Claeg might assume she was not coming. Eight days had passed since their first meeting in the woods. Each day she had vowed not to go and yet each afternoon she put on her bonnet and dashed off to meet him.
    “Why do I not join you?” the earl suggested, pleased with his brilliance.
    Brook stifled a groan and turned around to face him.
    “We could discuss your return to London without the interference of the family. And as we walk, you can show me the finer aspects of your land.”
    She had been deftly avoiding the subject of returning to town for days. If her luck held, she could evade it another day, and another, until she was bidding her guests a safe trip. “These solitary walks comfort me, Ham.” Brook made a vague gesture with her hand. “Having all of these people in my house is slightly overwhelming. It is usually so peaceful here.”
    “Of course.”
    She gritted her teeth at his condescension. “The quiet and the air clear my head and ease my nerves. We will take a walk together another day.”
    “Very well, Cousin.” He took her hand and bowed. “I will await your return.”
     
    Brook had almost reached the edge of the woods when she realized she had been practically running. If Ham had watched her from one of the windows, his suspicions would have been aroused. A woman did not rush out of the house for a solitary walk. She rushed to meet—a lover! Horrified by