Chapter Seventeen
Corin had told Reuben they would go horseback riding an hour after they ate, but it turned out to be an hour and a half because Matilda had to tighten up the breeches that were a part of Daphne’s riding outfit.
“Out here in the country, you don’t have to worry about how you look,” Daphne had said. “A lady can get away with wearing something more masculine. I enjoy horse riding much more when I don’t have to do it with a sidesaddle.”
Candace had never worn breeches before. They felt much too tight around her legs. But worse than that, she felt horribly underdressed when she came into the drawing room, and Corin’s gaze went to her ankles, which were only covered by a thick pair of stockings. Her face warmed. Even Daphne’s gowns hadn’t made her feel so exposed.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go horseback riding,” she said, ready to head back to her bedchamber and slip into a gown.
At once, Corin’s gaze went to hers. “Don’t be silly. No one is going to see you all the way out there.”
“You’ll be there. Reuben will be there. And the servants are around right now to see me.”
“Your stockings cover you adequately.”
“I have no dresses suited for riding.”
He chuckled. “You shouldn’t worry so much. We’re in the country. Not London. The servants know you have to wear my mother’s riding outfit. They won’t be gossiping about you behind your back.”
It wasn’t the gossip that worried her, but she decided to let him think it. It was better than letting him know the truth: that she wondered if her lack of proper attire might give him ideas pertaining to the bedchamber.
Now that things were getting better between them, she didn’t want to deprive him of an heir, especially after how hard he worked to get his estate back in good financial standing. She just didn’t know if she was ready to have him in her bed yet.
“I’ve never seen anyone get so squeamish about what they were wearing.” Corin glanced over at Reuben, who was patiently waiting for them, then turned his gaze back to her. “We can find a blanket to cover up your legs if it’ll make you feel better.”
Though she was pleased by his concern, a blanket on a day as warm as this would make her even more uncomfortable than the breeches. “No, that won’t be necessary. I appreciate the offer, but we should probably just head on out. As you said, no one will be out there to see us. I’m sure as soon as we’re out there, I won’t even think about it.”
“That’s the spirit!” He waved to Reuben. “Are you ready to go?”
With an excited nod, Reuben hurried out of the room. Chuckling, Corin took her by the arm, and they followed Reuben to the stables.
Once they were in the fields, Candace had expected to feel more at ease, but the truth was, she still felt self-conscious. Because now that she was sitting, the breeches almost came up to her knees. Far too much of her legs were showing.
Reuben, only being eight, probably didn’t notice how exposed she was. Corin, on the other hand, kept glancing her way, and his gaze kept settling on her legs. When he happened to catch her looking at him, he quickly turned his attention back to the fields in front of them, his face the brightest shade of red she had ever seen on a human being.
She was surprised. He was actually embarrassed to be caught looking at her. Ian never would’ve been embarrassed. Oh, he might have faked humility, but he would’ve only done that if other people were around.
There was no one else around them right now. Reuben didn’t count because he was too focused on talking about the different flowers they were passing as they trotted through the fields.
Now there was no doubt in her mind that Corin really was inexperienced when it came to sharing intimacies with a lady. Yes, he’d told her he was a virgin. Any gentleman could say that. But she had been around Ian and his friends enough to know how experienced gentlemen looked at her when they wanted her body. The way Corin looked at her was completely different.
Corin wasn’t looking at her in a way that made her feel soiled. He was looking at her in a way that made her feel…warm. Yes, warm was the right word. She didn’t feel like she was the object of someone’s lust. She felt like she was desired in a wholesome way. And that was a very pleasant feeling.
“That is where we go fishing,” Reuben called out, drawing her attention to the lad.
She looked over in the direction he pointed to. In the late morning sun, the lake glistened as fish bobbed up to the surface. There were a group of trees on the other side of the lake, which provided a nice cool spot for anyone who wanted to lounge beneath them.
“There is a path that goes from the manor to that side over there,” Corin told her. “That path has been there for generations. I have no idea who made it. All I know is that my father took me out there when I was Reuben’s age.”
“I wish father had taken me out there,” Reuben began, “but he passed on shortly after I was born.”
“He did?” Candace asked.
“Yes,” Corin replied. “Reuben was only two at the time.”
“Is it too painful for you to discuss how your father died?” Candace asked.
“No,” Corin replied. “But it would be for Mother, so it’s best you don’t ask her about it.”
Noting the seriousness in his tone, she indicated that she would not broach the subject with his mother.
Corin moved the horse closer to her and lowered his voice. “I told you my father wasn’t good with money. He lost a lot of it at the gambling hells. One evening, after he lost a sizable sum, he ran out of London before the gentlemen he owed money to could collect on their winnings. He had already lost almost everything, and he didn’t have enough to pay them. He thought if he could get back here to the estate, they would give up the pursuit.”
“But they didn’t?”
“They didn’t. They came all the way out here and demanded their payment. They dragged him out of the manor and took him to the stables. I wasn’t there to see what happened, and neither was my mother. Reuben, as you know, was too young to even remember it. Suffice it to say, they challenged him to a duel, and he lost.”
After a moment, she asked, “Was that when you left for London?”
He nodded. “They never did bother me for the money. I think they hadn’t expected things with my father to go as far as they did. I think they only wanted to scare him into paying them. But things turned out the way they did, and long ago, I came to grips with the fact that there was nothing I could do to change those events. I decided that I would never enter one of those gambling hells for as long as I lived. I only risk as much as I’m willing to lose, and I take considerable time studying investments before I put money into them. If I didn’t learn from my father’s mistakes, then his death would have been in vain.”
“I can see why that is a painful thing for your mother to think about,” she said, her voice soft.
“My father wasn’t perfect, but lately I’ve come to realize how much he loved his family. I don’t think he ever imagined those gentlemen would track him down all the way out here. I think he had planned to stop gambling. I think he had intended to redeem himself.”
“But he never got the chance.”
“He never got the chance.”
Corin glanced over at Reuben who was riding his horse over to the lake. She didn’t know if Reuben did that because he wanted to go to the lake or because he sensed that she and Corin needed a private moment together. Either way, she appreciated it because she didn’t know if Corin would have opened up to her otherwise.
“I’m sorry things happened the way they did,” she said.
They fell into a comfortable silence for several seconds before he spoke up. “I know that Lord Hedwrett died unexpectedly, but I never found out how. Would you mind telling me?”
“No, I don’t mind. Ian wasn’t faithful to me. Not that I expected it. As you know, it’s not uncommon for married gentlemen and ladies to have dalliances with others. But there was one husband who found his wife in bed with Ian. The husband shot them both.”
Corin’s eyes were wide. “Shot them both?”
“Right there in the bed while they were…entwined. I might have felt sorry for the lady if she’d been decent, but she was just as horrid as Lady Cadwalader. It’s hard to be sad when people like that die.”
“And you weren’t sad when Ian died?”
“No. I was relieved.”
“Despite our difficult beginning, I hope you won’t say the same about me if I happen to die before you do.”
“Actually, I would miss you if you died before I did.” She smiled. “And I can’t believe I’m saying that because on the day we married, I could think of nothing else but your death.”
His lips curled up into a smile. “I’m glad things have changed since then.”
“I am, too.”
Reuben called out for them to join him. Since the conversation was over, they snapped the reins on their horses and went to the lake.
***
Corin spent the next two weeks courting Candace, and he spent as much time with her as possible, which was easy since his mother was so involved in making gowns and working on the tablecloth.
Reuben, on the other hand, had more free time to spare. Unless Reuben was tending to his studies, Reuben would go with Corin and Candace when they rode horses or just took a walk. On days when the weather wasn’t favorable for outdoor activities, they would play games like charades, hide and seek, or chess. Twice, they returned to the abandoned wing.
They found many things to do to pass the time, and Corin was surprised when he looked at the calendar and saw that so much time had passed. The three months were going to be up before long.
One evening, his mother made it a point to come into his den while he was reading a book. Candace had already gone to bed, as had Reuben, leaving him with nothing else to do.
He set down the book and turned his attention to his mother. “Let me guess. You’re here because you want to know how things are going between me and Candace.”
His mother sat in a chair close to him. “Things look like they’re going very well.”
He resisted the urge to grin. He knew full well what his mother was hoping for. She wanted details, and lots of them. “Since you know they’re going well, I suppose there’s nothing to say then,” he said, doing his best to keep a straight face.
She didn’t hide her disappointment. “Aren’t you going to tell me how things are going?”
“You said it yourself. Things are going well.”
“You know I want details. What do you two talk about when you’re together? Have you fallen in love with her? Has she fallen in love with you? Will I be getting a grandchild soon?”
At the last question, he had to stop her. “Mother, some things are private. I’m not the kind of gentleman who discusses my personal life with anyone, let alone my mother.”
“You can tell me some things. Not everything is personal. I noticed Reuben has been with you and Candace every day for the past couple of weeks.”
“Then go ask Reuben what Candace and I have been doing.”
She shook her head. “Don’t you think I’ve already done that? All he says is that you tell Candace about our family, especially your ancestors, and sometimes you two discuss things you’re interested in. He never elaborates on any of it.”
“Well, I think unless we talk about him and his interests, he thinks most of our conversations are boring. For instance, I went into great detail on a particular investment Lord Whitney told me about. I met Lord Whitney at one of the balls in London, and he seems like a very intelligent gentleman, though unusually shy. He doesn’t like to be the center of attention. But I am excited about the prospect of seeing where things could go if I joined him in a business venture.”
“Corin,” his mother interrupted, “I’m not the least bit interested in Lord Whitney. I want to know about you and Candace.”
“Candace was interested in learning about him.”
She sighed in exasperation. “I’m not Candace. I’m your mother. I have an interest in your love life.”
He chuckled. “All right. I made you suffer long enough. Things are going very well with Candace.”
“We’ve already established that.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say. We talk about a lot of things. Sometimes we lose track of time while we’re talking. It’s easy to have conversations with her. With other ladies, I run out of things to talk about, and I think they found me boring as well. But it’s not like that with Candace. With her, it’s like I’m talking to one of my friends.”
“Friends?” his mother asked, not looking at all pleased by the term.
He rolled his eyes. “I know that doesn’t sound romantic to you, but I’m not looking for a lady to warm my bed. I want a lady who can hold a conversation. I want a companion.”
“Yes, but a wife is supposed to be more than that.”
“Don’t you think I understand that?”
“I don’t know. Nothing you have told me seems the least bit romantic.”
“That’s just silly. Romance starts in the mind.”
“I disagree. Romance starts with flowers and songs and sweet nothings whispered in the ear.”
“Romance doesn’t start there. Romance starts with friendship. What good are flowers, songs, and sweet nothings whispered in the ear if you don’t enjoy the person you’re with?”
Her eyes lit up. “So you really do enjoy being with Candace?”
“I already told you that.”
Finally looking satisfied, she clasped her hands together. “So when will the flowers and the songs and the sweet nothings start?”
“Looking at you, they won’t start soon enough.” His mother groaned, and he decided to stop making her suffer. “Things are progressing as they’re supposed to. I don’t want to rush anything. You yourself told me that Candace was afraid of getting back into bed with a gentleman after what she went through with her first husband. Do you really think the wisest move is to get started on your grandchild before I become her friend?”
She considered his words. “When you put it that way, it does make sense to start with friendship.”
“Exactly. I know what I’m doing.”
“As long as I know things are progressing in the right direction between you two, that’s all I really need to know in order to be satisfied.”
He nodded. “It is.”
“And you two are happy?”
He offered her a smile. “I am. She seems to be, too.”
She let out a sigh of contentment. “In that case, I can stop worrying.”
He had no idea why she was worrying to begin with. It wasn’t like she was married to Candace and had to find out if Candace was a lady worth investing time in or not.
She rose from the chair. “I want you to be happy. That’s all any mother wants for her child.”
Feeling unusually sentimental, Corin rose from his chair and gave her a hug. “I know you do, Mother. And I love you for it.”
She returned his hug and said, “I love you, too.”
When the hug ended, she left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Still smiling, Corin picked up his book and continued to read.