Page 41 of Discovering Her Earl

They gathered their tools and stowed everything in the wagon. They had just pulled up to the stables and unhitched the mules, when the rain dumped. With a squeal, she ran for the building and he followed after her.

There was only a boy of fifteen from the village who was tending the horses and mules while they were in residence. He’d taken the mules to the far end of the stable to brush them, leaving Julian alone with Elaina.

It was peculiar. They were alone all day at the site, but here with the sweet scents of hay and rain, it was more intimate.

“I’m sorry to say, it appears we are stuck out here for the time being,” she said.

He shrugged.

“I don’t know I wouldn’t use the word stuck. It sounds like a place one wouldn’t want to be.”

“And you don’t mind? Being here?” She swallowed and he could almost hear the words with me at the end of her question.

“No. Though I am a bit peckish after missing our lunch. You wouldn’t have anything else down your shirt, would you?”

She smiled and shook her head.

“I’m afraid not.”

“I’m not so sure I should trust you. Perhaps I should check for myself.”

He’d meant it as a joke, but only realized what he had really said when her eyes grew wide.

“Of course, I would never,” he said quickly.

“Of course,” she repeated in a tone that almost sounded put out. “I’m going to make a run for the house. I don’t need to worry about catching a chill when I can take a warm bath inside.”

With that she rushed out into the rain leaving him there to wonder what he’d done to irritate her this time.

*

The man was irksome. Elaina had known it for some time, but each day she spent with him it became more and more obvious.

The worst part was she wasn’t exactly sure why she was put out with him at the moment. Because he’d quickly retreated on his comment about checking down her shirt for bacon?

How ridiculous. She would never allow such a thing. But for whatever reason she was a bit ruffled that he’d said that he would never do such a thing.

Never?

Because he had no interest in her in that way. A noted rake and flirt had no interest in her as a woman. She well knew where she stood with the earl. He’d made his preference known years ago.

But in that moment in the stables, she thought she saw something else in his gaze. She had allowed him to make a fool of her yet again with his silly songs and witty jokes.

In her room she rang for Nettie and asked her to have a bath readied. When she was warm and dry, she settled in by the window to read. The constant tapping of rain against the glass distracted her from the words on the page.

Or perhaps it was her thoughts.

She was a coward. Just as she had been five years ago. He’d hurt her feelings and she’d run away so the pain would go away.

But it hadn’t gone away. Instead, it had transformed into ugly anger, turning her into a hateful shrew who hid away from the possibility of further rejection.

Yet it was so easy to let down her guard with Julian as he teased out her smiles and made her laugh.

She wanted something he couldn’t offer. Was that his fault?

She thought perhaps it was no one’s fault.

But where did that leave her? She couldn’t be angry with herself for not being the type of person he was attracted to. And she could no longer be angry with him either.