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The party ventured out for a walk immediately after breakfast. Ladies strapped on their bonnets against the harsh sun, gentlemen equipped themselves with their walking sticks, and even Button was excitedly running in circles around the guests. Lord FitzWalter was stopping by every flower and describing to everyone who’d listen the meaning of each and every one of them, how they sprung to life, what kept them alive, why their colors were the way they were, and many other interesting, albeit tiresome details.

Jo listened to a couple of lectures from the man and then disengaged from his followers, seeking her own amusements.

A few people might have been actually interested in learning what Lord FitzWalter had to say, but most of the ladies in his group were just young women pretending fascination in hope that the young gentleman would one day look at them with the same fire in his eyes as he looked upon the flora.

Jo had to admit that he was a handsome man, with his shy smile and awkward advances. He was an agreeable gentleman but was not the kind of man she would find captivating.

Perhaps, to her own detriment, the men she found attractive were forward, arrogant, and with an obvious charm that oozed out of them every time they spoke.

Just then, the low voice of just such a specimen sounded behind her. “Got bored with the old man’s ramblings, did you?”

Goosebumps stole up her arms. Richard’s voice always had such an effect on her. “He is not old, and neither is he boring.”

“Hm, and yet you ran away from him as if running from the plague.” He caught up to her and was now walking beside her, matching her steps.

Jo scoffed. “I did not do such a thing. I find that man quite fascinating.”

“Do you now?” He raised a brow.

“I do.” Jo raised her skirt to step over a fallen log. “For one thing, he is gentleman enough to assist a lady when walking through rough terrain like this.”

“Rough terrain?” Richard theatrically squinted at the clear path. “If you find this terrain rough, I fear for your ladylike sensibilities were you ever to walk through the heart of London. Besides, I rather thought that you preferred independence and not having to rely upon a gentleman in any situation.”

“Well, if I can’t find a gentleman to assist me in a task as simple as this, then what do I even need a gentleman for?” Jo stifled a chuckle. Sparring with the man had her cheeks burning and her entire body heating.

Richard offered his arm just before a small boulder appeared in their path. Jo raised a brow, then skirted the boulder, refusing his help.

“Ah, but when I do offer assistance, you refuse it.”

“Only because you did it reluctantly.”

“I can’t win with you, can I?” he asked with a grin.

Jo raised a brow. “Depends on what you’re playing.”

Richard let out a laugh. “What if we are playing the king and a peasant?”

Jo looked at him through narrowed eyes. “There is no way you would catch me. Your crown is too heavy.”

“And you would have trouble running away from me. You’re too high in the instep,” he retorted. Jo gasped, and the cad laughed at her reaction. “What? You can insult me, but I cannot insult you?”

Jo turned forward and raised her chin. “I thought you were a gentleman.”

“Truly?” He raised a brow. “What gave you that idea?”

Jo shrugged. “Everyone else in your family seems rather civil.”

Richard scoffed. “I have two sisters and both of them were married out of scandal. Isabel has a dog that ruins everything in its wake and a daughter who screams through the corridor from the early hours of the morning. What in the world gave you the idea that my family is civilized?”

Jo laughed softly. “What of your brothers?”

“Well, Alan, the youngest, has just returned from gallivanting around the Continent. So God knows what he’s been up to there and whether I have to go and clean up after him. While Adam is actually the only decent one of us.”

Jo turned to look at him. She’d thought he’d be smiling, but his face turned somber. “Truly?”

He nodded. “Truly. Sometimes I think he should have been the one to inherit the title.” He shook his head. “What about you? Have you got any siblings?”

“Oh.” She shook her head vigorously. “No. I—No.”