Chapter Seventeen
Tobias’ nerves were stretched so tight, he felt like he might snap in two given the slightest provocation.
All through the long ride, he’d scanned the surrounding countryside, half-expecting the Ashbys to jump out of a bush and try and snatch Charlotte from the heavily protected carriage.
It was a ridiculous fear. He had no idea how old Grace’s parents might be, but they had to be too old to be lurking in the countryside ready to mount a sneak attack.
The hours that passed hadn’t eased the worry that lay like a heavy blanket across his shoulders.
When he wasn’t checking for elderly assailants, his stomach was turning over thinking about Grace and how he had treated her in front of his family.
He’d been high-handed and demanding, exerting authority over her because it had felt necessary in the moment.
He didn’t regret it. The need to keep Grace safe trumped hurting her feelings.
But for some reason, whenever he thought about her, the way she had slumped in his chair, the spark in her eyes as she argued with him, his chest tightened, and he had no idea what that might mean.
It wasn’t a comfortable feeling, and he wanted to get their next conversation over with so that things would go back to normal between them.
Although whatever passed for normal between them when they were together wasn’t quite the same as how he acted around other people.
When the carriages had come to a stop outside Glanmore Park, he hadn’t even questioned whether it should be him to help her out.
He had simply handed his horse to a groom and strode over to her vehicle, getting impatient with Christopher when he took his time gazing giddily at his wife as if he had not seen her in a month.
Only when Grace’s hand had touched his had his shoulders relaxed.
For several long minutes, she’d stared up at Glanmore Park and for the first time in his life he’d tried to see it from an outsider’s point of view.
Was it too grand? Too austere? Or did the sun shining on the bricks make it look welcoming despite its size?
He had barely any time to ponder why this mattered to him, when she turned to him and said, ‘Now that I have seen your house, I have changed my mind, Tobias. I will marry you after all.’
In the split second before he registered it was a joke, his whole world stilled, his focus only on her upturned face, the slight curve of her lips, the way the warm breeze played with the ribbons of her bonnet and the tiny smudge of something dark on her cheek.
Then he caught the laughter in her eyes, the acceptance of a proposal he hadn’t given, said when she had caught sight of the stately home that bore his name.
Warring emotions rushed through him: a sharp, surprising punch of disappointment, followed by a surge of laughter so loud it made her jump when he released it.
Once he’d started, he couldn’t stop. Bent double, hands resting on his knees, great gusts of laughter bellowed out of him.
It was by far and away the most undignified he had ever been in front of other people.
Not Grace, he was probably less dignified in front of her than anyone else of his acquaintance, but the servants lining the entranceway would never have seen him act in such a way; neither had his brothers and their wives for that matter.
They were turning to look at him, bemused expressions on their faces.
Before he could make matters worse by explaining what was diverting him and shocking everyone, he held out his arm for Grace to take.
‘I am sorry,’ she murmured under her breath, a hint of laughter in her voice. ‘I sometimes do not think before I speak. I am glad that you found it funny and did not scold me as perhaps you ought to have done.’
‘It is quite all right. As you can tell, I enjoyed it,’ he said, as she placed her hand lightly on his arm.
‘Everyone treats such subjects with a deep seriousness, myself included. I prefer the way you approach things.’ He was lighter now, more relaxed than he had been in days, weeks probably, possibly even years.
All because she had snapped him out of his mood with a comment no one else would have dared to make.
As they walked towards the steps, he was highly aware of her gloved hand on his sleeve.
A faint vibration ran over his skin as he moved up the stairs, introducing her to his staff as if she were indeed his bride.
He chose not to think about that too deeply.
There would be time for his staff to understand his relationship with this lady, and when they had worked it out, perhaps they could inform him.
For the first three days of Tobias’ stay, he met with his brothers first thing in the morning to discuss what he wanted them to do.
He had them riding to the various corners of his estate, setting up a network of spies, handing over exorbitant sums of money with promises of more to come if they caught the Ashbys.
By the time he was done, if someone new so much as breathed in the area, Tobias, and his brothers, would know about it.
Other than that brief contact with them, he saw only his secretary and the servants who brought him his meals.
Once he was as happy with the arrangement as he could be, regular estate business filled his time.
In the evenings, he would climb the stairs to the nursery to see Charlotte.
She’d hand him a book and they would curl up on a pile of blankets and read together.
There was no reason for him to see anyone else, and if he sometimes ached with the need to lay eyes on Grace, he was able to stop himself from doing so.
To hunt her out would send a message, one she might not understand but which would be picked up on by his family, who would only make the situation awkward.
Occasionally, he heard her laugh and he stopped whatever he was doing to listen to it before it faded.
The sound was a deep, guttural, joyous thing that made him smile even as he employed men to various parts of his estate to keep an eye out for Grace’s parents, no idea how she would react if they were caught.
Sleep was a thing of the past. If he wasn’t thinking about Charlotte’s safety, then he was deep in thought about Grace and pondering what exactly it meant that he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
He was a man, one who didn’t spend much time around women, but that didn’t mean he was a monk.
Grace’s bright beauty left him breathless.
Her curves made his fingers itch with the need to trace them.
He wanted her in the way a man wanted a woman, but it was more than that.
How much more he did not want to contemplate too closely.
There was much at stake and adding a broken heart to that was not going to help.
‘It is possible we will have to employ Markham to drain the field again,’ his secretary told Tobias, late afternoon on the fourth day at Glanmore Park, a report on his knees. ‘He is expensive, but he gets the job done. Leaving the pasture untouched will only bring…’
‘Whatever you think is best,’ said Tobias, unable to feign any more interest in the subject.
It wasn’t that he didn’t care. On the contrary, the usability of his land for his tenants often kept him awake long into the night.
But the two of them had been looking through reports since early morning and Tobias wanted, no, he needed, a break.
Simon flicked a glance in his direction, but did not comment on Tobias’ lack of instruction. ‘Very well. I shall contact Markham tomorrow. Shall we move on to Mr Phillips’ complaint about…?’
‘Mr Phillips has a further problem with his property?’ Given that Tobias had ridden out to the cottage on his estate last night and found that the accommodation was in excellent condition, it was hard to fathom what his most querulous tenant was upset about now.
‘He does.’
Tobias’ mind once again turned to Grace and her smile, the way she tried to reassure him that everything was fine even when she was all alone in the world.
He would see her this evening, he decided.
He might not enjoy a house party meal, but if she were there, it would be worth having to force himself to make conversation. ‘Is Phillips’ matter life or death?’
‘No, Your Grace.’
‘Then we shall continue this discussion tomorrow.’
His secretary leaned forward to pick up another sheaf of paper.
‘We shall pick up all discussions tomorrow,’ Tobias clarified.
Simon’s arm remained outstretched, his fingers resting on the paper he’d been reaching for. ‘Are you sure?’
Tobias shifted in his chair. Had he really reached a point in his life where it was surprising to the point of incredulity that he would want to stop going through paperwork? ‘Yes. I shall be attending tonight’s evening meal and need to dress.’
‘I see.’ His secretary’s tone conveyed that he didn’t see at all, and something in Tobias hurt.
When he was younger, Sebastian and he had talked about being explorers together and while that had probably been an impossible dream for him, there had to be a place in between that and what his life had become.
‘That will be all for today,’ he said, when it did not seem Simon was going to move from his frozen position.
‘Of course, Your Grace.’ Simon stood and made to leave the room, shooting Tobias alarmed looks as he went.
Tobias ignored the confused glances, letting out a long sigh when the door to his study closed and he was finally, blissfully alone.
The carriage clock on his mantlepiece told him it was far too early for him to get ready for the meal, but the thought of remaining for one more second in his study was intolerable.