“And what of Miss Richardson?”

Phillip bit back a sigh as Kinsley gave him a roguish wink. “What of her?” he asked, with a lift of his eyebrow.

“You have been spending a great deal of time in her company,” Kinsley replied, sitting down opposite him. “Are you glad now that she chose to attend my house party?”

“I am,” Phillip admitted, mentally looking back over the last three days. “It has, at least, cleared up a little confusion.”

“Oh?”

Lifting one shoulder, Phillip held back a long, pronounced sigh. “I have been confused regarding her character, Kinsley. I will confess to that.”

Kinsley looked most confused, one eyebrow arching. “Her character? By all accounts, she is both sweet and kind, with a spotless reputation.”

All accounts but her stepsister’s, Phillip thought, frowning heavily. And would she not know her best?

“And she seems quite delighted with being invited here,” Kinsley continued, when Phillip said nothing. “She is a gentle and considerate young lady. You could do worse.”

“I am not interested in matrimony at this present moment!” Phillip exclaimed, suddenly frustrated. “Do drop the matter, will you not?”

His words echoed around the room, bouncing off the walls as embarrassment raced up his spine. Kinsley did not look particularly upset however, sighing heavily and shaking his head.

“She is not Miss Thackery.”

“That remains to be seen,” Phillip retorted, pushing himself up from the chair and making his way towards the door. “I am going to take a turn about the gardens before the rest of the guests come down to break their fast. Excuse me, Kinsley.”

The morning air was cool and clear, bringing a calmness to his bubbling anger and exasperation. Kinsley continued to talk about matrimony as though it was something Phillip should be thinking of; but still, Phillip pushed the idea aside. He was still unsure about Miss Richardson’s true character, despite Kinsley’s inference that she was nothing more than a sweet-natured girl.

However, Phillip had to admit to himself that something about Lady Emma made him consider her words entirely false. Miss Richardson had not tried to garner anyone’s attentions during her time at the house party whereas Lady Emma had done exactly that. She had cooed and smiled and batted her eyelids in his direction, often placing a cool hand on his arm as she leaned in to talk to him.

He was not warming to the lady in the least.

In addition, her mention of being kept away from society due to Miss Richardson’s poor behavior was not something he could easily believe any longer. That night of the fire performer, he had caught sight of marks on her skin—marks that appeared to be long scratches, which he thought might have come from someone’s hands.

A rush of anger raced through him at the thought of someone hurting Miss Richardson. He had been forced to consider that perhaps the reason both Miss Richardson and Lady Emma had been away from society was due to Miss Richardson’s appearance.

Not that he had been able to ask her anything about the scratches, of course, for that would have been rude.

“My lord!”

Dragged from his thoughts by the sound of a soft voice, Phillip looked up to see Miss Richardson walking towards him. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks dusted with pink, and her auburn hair practically glowed in the early morning sunshine. His breath caught in his chest as she smiled at him, almost overcome by the picture of gentle beauty she presented.

“Good morning, Miss Richardson,” he murmured, inclining his head. “I did not expect to see you outdoors this morning.”

“Oh, I always take a walk before the other guests rise,” she replied, laughing. “I cannot sleep as long as they, and I find that a short stroll truly brings one to life.”

“I could not agree more,” he murmured, his eyes still fixed on her face.

“The maid is very good at bringing me a small breakfast tray before I come outside so I am not faint from hunger by the time the other guests have risen,” she continued, still smiling. “These beautiful mornings are much too wonderful to miss, in my humble opinion.”

She turned a little away from him, her gaze now on the picturesque country scene behind them. Nothing but wide-open spaces surrounded the estate, although much of it was fields and the like, which were due to be harvested soon. However, Phillip had to admit that it held its own beauty.

“Might you like to walk with me for a moment?” he found himself saying, suddenly desperate for her company. “Or were you just returning to the house?”

Her hazel eyes glittered as she looked back at him. “Will you suddenly rush me back inside, worried that I will stain your reputation?” she asked bluntly, the smile fading from her lips.

Shaking his head, Phillip dropped her gaze for a moment and cleared his throat. “No, indeed,” he said softly. “I swear I shall do no such thing.”

“And shall you tell me why you treated me so?” Miss Richardson asked, tilting her head just a little. “I will admit that it has not left my mind since the very night it occurred.”

Phillip swallowed hard before nodding. “I suppose I owe you that,” he agreed, holding out his arm to her and feeling the racing tingles shoot up his arm as she took it. “What is it you would like to know?”

They began to walk slowly along the garden path, surrounded by beautiful flowers and wonderful scents. Miss Richardson did not answer for a few moments, leaving nothing but birdsong in answer to his question.

“Did something happen that made you believe I would cry foul?” she asked softly. “Did you honestly believe that I would do something so untoward?”

“Yes, I did, but that is not because you displayed any kind of behavior in that regard,” he confessed, seeing the hurt jump into her expression. “I had a young lady some time ago who tried her best to ensnare me.” He heard her suck in a breath, a little relieved by her shock. “I have been wary ever since.”

“And little wonder,” she replied, still sounding utterly horrified. “How truly awful for you, my lord.”

He shrugged and gave a quiet laugh. “Kinsley has told me over and over that I should not consider the rest of society’s feminine kind to be anything like Miss Thackery, but until I saw you, I was unable to act on his advice.” He paused in his steps for a moment, suddenly aware of what he had said and feeling heat burst all through him.

“Until you saw me?” she repeated, looking up at him with astonishment written across her face. “Truly?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” he asked, growing aware of just how secluded they were. He glanced back at the house, and much to his surprise, he did not immediately worry about returning there in order to keep his reputation from harm. “After all, you are very beautiful, Miss Richardson.”

She frowned, dropping her hand from his arm. “I appreciate the compliment, my lord,” she murmured, turning a little away from him. “And yet it appears that for some time you still considered that I would be like your Miss Thackery, that I would do all I could to entrap a gentleman into matrimony.”

“No, no, not in the least!” he exclaimed, desperate to make her understand. “It is just that you are the stepdaughter of the Earl of Hardwick, and your stepsister is Lady Emma—”

“And my status might make it a trifle more difficult for me to marry well,” Miss Richardson finished, her eyes suddenly ablaze. “However, that does not mean I would do such a thing, my lord. After the evening in question, you did not write to me, nor call upon me to sort out the matter, and you were decidedly cool towards me when I first came to speak to you here. What else am I to make of your behavior?”

Seeing the hurt in her expression, Phillip let out a groan and closed his eyes. “I am making a mess of this, am I not?” he said, letting out a sigh of exasperation. “I did not mean to suggest that at all, Miss Richardson. It was just that, after the evening we were out walking alone, I met your stepsister, who suggested a few other things about your character.”

“My stepsister?” Miss Richardson repeated, her face growing pale. “She spoke to you about me?”

“Very unkindly,” he confessed, stepping forward and reaching for her hand, desperate not to put another wedge of animosity and anger between them. “I will admit that I considered her words to be true for a time, but that was only because I did not know you particularly well. Now I see that she was not speaking the truth.”

Miss Richardson swallowed and lifted her chin. “We are not close, my lord,” she said, her eyes sparkling with bright, shimmering tears. “Lady Emma believes she ought to marry first, which in her opinion, means I must not encroach on her friendships and acquaintances.”

Phillip, feeling more than a little guilt-ridden over his poor consideration of Miss Richardson, dropped his head. “I am sorry for thinking ill of you,” he said quietly. “I meant every word I said, Miss Richardson, about how my intentions to remain entirely unattached went out of my head the moment I set eyes on you.” He slowly raised his eyes to hers and saw, much to his relief, that her tears were gone. “I am struggling with the burdens of the past. If you are willing to forgive me, yet again, then I would like to continue our acquaintance, fraught as our first few interactions have been.” Pressing her hand, he drew a little closer, filled with a desire to press his lips against hers, even though his mind was screaming at him not to do such a thing.

She lifted her chin and looked into his eyes with a steadiness that had his heart quickening with hope. “Very well, Lord Withington,” she said softly. “I will allow you the opportunity to prove that you do not think ill of me.”

“What I think and feel is quite the opposite, I assure you,” he breathed, suddenly desperate to show her the depth of his feelings.

“Good,” she replied firmly, stepping away from him. “I look forward to furthering our acquaintance, Lord Withington. I had best return inside now before Lady Perrin rises.” She gave a quick bob, her skirts flurrying around her, before turning around and walking quickly back inside.