Chapter 13
A few days had passed since Miss Pembroke began working in the garden daily, and Ethan felt they had finally fallen into an easy rhythm. Today, however, he needed to divert his attention away from the garden and focus on fixing the fencing around a field that the sheep would use for spring grazing.
It was a welcome break in his routine—Ethan wasn’t always bound by his schedule, especially not when today’s project was necessary and had been planned in advance.
It was also a needed reprieve from Alice.
Being away from her physically had allowed him the space needed to concentrate on what was most important—improving the estate’s functionality so all connected to it could thrive, thus permitting West to continue divesting from unethical revenue sources.
And mentally engaging in a task that had absolutely no connection to Miss Pembroke meant his thoughts could not drift to her against his will.
Walking to the barn not far ahead, Ethan breathed in deeply and basked in the contentment of a good day’s labor.
Tobias, one of the border collies in training who’d been trailing his heels, took off around the bend before them—dashing towards the barn with his tongue hanging out, doubtless in anticipation of the dinner to be found there.
Ambling along behind Tobias, Ethan relished the rare moment of being completely happy. His muscles felt loose from being well used and he wasn’t distracted by a woman he had no right to be thinking about.
He was surprised to learn that Miss Pembroke had received tutoring in how to be a lady from Priscilla’s mother, but having interacted with Lady Wrexham in the past, some of Alice’s beliefs made a lot more sense now.
He’d assumed she and Priscilla experienced similar upbringings; however, he couldn’t have predicted just how similar.
Her sense of superiority didn’t chafe as much anymore now that he had more context with which to understand it.
She had simply never been challenged to understand the world in any other way until now, sheltered as she must have been.
According to West, Priscilla had been much the same way until her first encounter with true adversity.
Needing to care for her ailing spouse had shifted the paradigm of how she understood what was important.
But Alice—no, Miss Pembroke—was still relatively young, and being forced to work side by side with others so different from herself was causing a slight change in perspective. Ethan shook his head, reminding himself her inexperience was yet another reason his thoughts should not linger on her.
Rounding the bend, Ethan was arrested by the sight which greeted him. There stood the very lady occupying his attention, crouched down and bestowing all of her love upon Tobias.
“Are you not just the sweetest boy there ever was? Are you? Yes, I think you are!” Alice crooned, forehead to forehead with the collie while rubbing back and forth over his silky ears.
Ethan had never witnessed her so unguarded before, seemingly without a care for how she might be perceived. For his part, Tobias let out a yip of happiness and pranced around, tongue hanging out in delight at receiving such affection and focused attention. Ethan was almost jealous of the animal.
A wave of something came over Ethan as he watched the interaction, longing for it to be himself feeling her gentle caress.
He wondered what it would feel like to be the sole object of her consideration as Tobias was at the moment.
He had to prevent himself from lunging forward to claim some of her devotion for himself.
Utterly befuddled by his response and understanding that he must quash his urges immediately, his first words came out much harsher than intended and he found himself shouting, “What are you doing? That dog is in training—you’ll undo all his lessons!”
Miss Pembroke shot up, startled, as her focus had been so squarely on Tobias she had not noticed his approach.
“I’m sorry, I was only trying to give him some love.” Regaining her composure, she looked at him cooly, brow quirked and eyes flinty as they narrowed in his direction. “And in training or not—all animals are worthy of love and recognition, are they not?”
Ethan regretted coming off so strongly, but he couldn’t back down now that he had started down this path.
“Of course animals need to be treated with care, but Tobias is not a pet—he is a working animal and needs to be trained as such so that he will perform at maximum potential and earn his keep. Otherwise, he will be of no use to the farm and will not be able to hold a place on the estate.”
As soon as the words escaped his mouth, Ethan wanted to groan at his own prickliness.
He would never actually banish an animal if they proved incapable of serving their purpose; he’d simply find a new home for them.
But something about Alice brought out the worst in him.
She made him feel an overabundance of feelings, both positive and negative, but he didn’t like that that wave of emotion sent him off kilter, making him feel not completely in control.
So, he lashed out, trying to regain the upper hand, even if she didn’t quite deserve it.
Alice was observing him now as he wrestled with himself.
“I don’t believe for a second that you would actually do anything that could potentially harm an innocent.
But regardless, I do recognize your point.
I’ve been around men who are deeply passionate about hunting, and I understand the importance of proper training for the dogs used in such endeavors. ”
Ethan involuntarily shuddered at the mention of hunting, and Miss Pembroke didn’t miss it for a second.
“Ha! I knew it—you can’t stand the idea of hunting for sport. You feel for the poor innocent foxes, do you not?” He was saved from answering, however, when Alice raised her arm emphatically to emphasize her point, inducing a wince as she leaned toward him.
“What’s wrong?” He was at her side in an instant, eyes quickly assessing her top to bottom.
“I’m fine,” she quickly replied out of habit. It was discernibly a lie, as she inhaled a sharp breath when straightening to a proper posture.
“That’s obviously not true, something is causing you discomfort.” His eyes raked over her again, but this time she lifted her left hand and placed it at the tender place where her shoulder melted into the graceful curve of her neck, giving him a location for his focus.
“I’ve simply overworked myself today and my shoulders feel as if they will seize at the slightest movement. I’ll be fine.”
“You need to keep yourself better hydrated when beginning a new physical undertaking.” Once again, Ethan’s voice came out gruffer than intended, and he gave a small wince.
He reached into his bag and withdrew a canteen as Tobias weaved around their legs, issuing low whines of concern at the change in energy.
Alice took the container from him, gratefulness in her deep brown eyes. But she halted while lifting her arm to drink, face narrowing in pain once again.
“Where does it hurt the most?” He rounded her side to stand behind her.
“My shoulder,” she said quietly, no longer fighting him or concealing her distress.
“May I?” he spoke softly, almost afraid that she would deny him when he needed to be able to help her.
There was nothing worse than seeing someone in distress and feeling helpless to do anything which might ease the situation.
Alice gave a small nod, and he exhaled in relief, unaware he’d been holding his breath while awaiting her response until he did so.
Placing his fingers on the curve of her neck, he gently felt around until he located a knot of muscle right where her neck gave way to shoulder.
Rubbing firmly with his fingertips, Alice flinched, but she soon let out a sigh of pleasure.
Ethan’s entire body tensed at the sound so as not to react in other ways, but he forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand rather than on how close she was, how she smelled of flowers and earth, and how dainty she felt under his hands.
It would be so easy to grab her shoulders, spin her around, and bury his face in the crook of her neck, kissing the very spot he now sought to sooth. He could tunnel his fingers through her glorious red hair and lose himself in her mouth once he trailed a line of kisses there up from her neck.
Instead, he braced her frame on the left as the thumb of his other hand wandered down the edge of her shoulder blade and manipulated the overworked muscles.
Alice—or Miss Pembroke, rather—did not assist in redirecting his thoughts to safer paths when she leaned into his touch while continuing to make delicious little sounds that were about to firmly drive Ethan from his self-control.
Feeling her muscles warm and begin to relax, he released his hand, knowing he was pushing the limits of propriety as well as himself.
Getting caught up with Priscilla’s cousin, regardless of how enchanting she may be, was the worst possible idea.
Ethan mentally ran through a list of why Alice was exactly the type of person whom he was trying to leave behind in coming to the Hampton estate.
As a member of the Wrexham family, she was firmly ensconced within the ton and adhered to the aristocracy’s pompous beliefs of their own superiority.
Further, she was only here because she believed landing a good match was paramount.
And she was far too concerned with appearances rather than what was actually necessary.
All these reasons quickly fled his mind, though, when Alice made a tight turn and looked at him with gratitude shining in her velvety brown eyes, their faces mere centimeters apart. Thanking him, she extended the water canteen, returning the item.
To distract himself, Ethan grabbed the canister and took a swig, but moving too quickly in his unease, he was clumsy. Water dribbled down the side of the container and spilled on to his cheek.
This time it was Alice’s turn to lift her hand and smooth it across his face, cradling his cheek in her palm while her thumb ran across his lips, gathering up the moisture which had spilled there.
The action perfectly mimicking how his own fingers had moved across her shoulder, her touch resonated throughout his entire body, stirring a reaction he did not need her to discern in their proximity.
Before he could make excuses and step away, Ethan noticed her eyes were transfixed on his lips and she had slightly parted her own.
Her thumb now lazily moved back and forth over his bottom lip, though no water remained.
He could feel that she desired a kiss, her breath quickening when she briefly glanced away from his lips only to meet his eyes once more.
If he took just a small step and closed the distance between them . . .
No. Ethan staggered back, almost tripping over Tobias in his haste.
“Be sure to drink several glasses of tea or water this evening, and have your lady’s maid prepare a warm compress for your shoulder.” His words came out more abrupt than he intended yet again, but he had to create distance between them before he did something unforgivably stupid.
“I will, thank you. I appreciate your assistance.”
Ethan gave a curt nod and ignored the bewildered look on her face before turning back toward the barn.