Free Winterset by Candace Camp Page B

something, so that she would not have to go. Anna cast a quick, covert glance at Reed and found him watching her, his eyes unreadable. She wondered if he wished she had refused to attend—or if her presence there made no difference to him either way. Perhaps he was only interested in Miss Farrington’s attendance. What few remarks Reed had made this evening had been primarily addressed to that young lady. Anna wondered, as she had when Kit told her about Miss Farrington, whether she had been included in this party because Reed had a particular interest in her. Anna had not seen anything loverlike in his face when he addressed Miss Farrington, but, then, he was not the sort of man who would expose a young woman to gossip by singling her out for his attention.
    Anna realized that her eyes had been fixed on Reed’s face for several moments now, and she hastily turned away. Her gaze fell instead on Kyria, who was watching her with a certain amount of speculation in her eyes. Anna could feel a blush beginning to rise up her throat, and she was relieved when Kyria turned casually away and addressed a remark to her husband.
    When the meal was over, the company did not split up into male and female groups, as was the custom, with the men going off to smoke and have a glass of brandy. The Morelands were, as Anna had always heard, “different,” so Anna was unable to quietly take leave of just her hostess, as she had hoped. When she told Kyria that she must be getting back home now, Reed jumped in and told her that he would escort her back to Holcomb Manor in the carriage.
    “Oh, no, there is no need—” Anna assured him hastily, her stomach jumping nervously at the thought of being enclosed in the small confines of a carriage with Reed.
    “I insist,” Reed said with quiet firmness. “After the way you helped my brothers, it is the least I can do.”
    “But there is no need for you to put yourself out so,” Anna protested faintly. “I will be perfectly fine by myself in the carriage. I have traveled the road hundreds of times.”
    “Please, Miss Holcomb, allow me the opportunity to play the gentleman. My sisters rarely do, so I must inflict myself on our guests.”
    Kyria rolled her eyes affectionately at her brother and said, “You might as well give in. Reed is like a dog with a bone—especially when it comes to one’s safety. He is terribly overprotective, but, then, I suppose that is much better than the alternative, is it not? Besides, he really is quite a pleasant companion.”
    “I am sure—I did not mean—” Anna stopped, embarrassed. Had her reluctance been so obvious? The last thing she wanted was to stir up any suspicion in Reed’s sister, and she had already seen curiosity in the woman’s gaze earlier at the table. As Rafe had pointed out earlier, Reed was not the only member of the family who was like a dog with a bone when his or her interest was aroused.
    So she wound up a few minutes later back in her old walking dress—though Kyria’s efficient maid had sewn up the torn ruffle at the hem and also made a stab at removing the dirt and stains from it—and sitting in the carriage across from Reed. It was a sporty open-air victoria—brand-new, from the shiny looks of it—and the expandable top was pushed to the back, opening it up to the mild summer night.
    The moon was full, casting a soft romantic glow over the evening scene. The trees arched over them as they went down the driveway, so that the moon and stars flickered through the branches, and a gentle breeze stirred the leaves, caressing Anna’s cheeks.
    She looked across the small carriage at Reed. Though they were quite close, his face was only partially visible in the dim light, his eyes dark and unknown, the ridges of his cheekbones highlighted. She could not help but think what a sweet, romantic ride it would have been if he had been sitting beside her…if she had not refused him…if life had turned out differently….
    Anna gave