A Curious Courting by Laura Matthews Page A

annoys me. I would prefer not to discuss it further, Henry.”
    “Certainly, my dear.”
    They drove home in silence, the sledge gliding over the slippery surface without pause. As they left the stables, Selina commented, “I fear we may not have use for the sledge for a while now, but at least it will be ready for the next snowfall.” She fingered the snagged cloak with chagrin. “I shall have to repair this, if I can, but it looks hopeless.”
    “That will teach you to climb through fences,” Henry laughed. “And your cap is muddy. I sadly fear you will have to destroy it this time.”
    “Ho, you would like that, wouldn’t you? Well, I have others, my dear Henry, so you needn’t get your hopes up.”
    Henry felt relieved that she had recovered her spirits enough to tease him. Seldom in the years he had spent with her had he seen Selina in the sullens, and he realized suddenly that she must often suffer from loneliness with only his company. A spirited, attractive young lady such as she should be caught up in the whirl of country Society, attending dinners, balls, excursions. There should be a circle of young men in attendance on her and other young ladies with whom she shared her secrets and dreams. Without thinking what he was saying, he blurted, “It is because of me, isn’t it?”
    The alarm in her eyes could not be masked, though she forced herself to ask sternly, “Whatever are you talking about, Henry?”
    “The reason you don’t go out into Society. It is because of me, isn’t it?” He was almost stunned by the enormity of the discovery he believed he had made.
    Relief flooded her face and she smiled. “How absurd you are! It is rather the other way about, is it not? For your sake, I should mingle with the gentry so that you would be brought to their attention, instead of keeping you hidden away here at Shalbrook. I can tell Mr. Rushton thinks that. And very likely he is right. Shall we worm our way back into Society, ingratiate ourselves with our neighbors? Ah, I shall have to polish up my tea-time chitchat and quietly investigate whether half an hour is still proper for a morning call.”
    “You know I don’t give a fig for all that nonsense, Selina,” Henry protested. “There is no reason you should not go out a bit more, though. How long is it since you’ve danced or been to a musical evening?”
    “Lord, I don’t know,” she replied airily. “You have no idea how dull some of those affairs can be. Fortunately I am far too busy to have to attend any longer. Now if you were to take an interest in such social dallying, I would most assuredly set aside my hesitation and bring you forward to the notice of every hostess I could dredge up. Is that what you want?” she quizzed him.
    “No, of course not,” he said disgustedly. Although he was swayed by her banter, the whisper of doubt remained lodged in his mind. He excused himself to his studies when they returned to the house, and with an effort, forced his worry to the back of his mind so that he could concentrate on construing his Greek verbs accurately. When he had accomplished enough work for the day, however, he slipped quietly out of the house and spent the long walk to the village thinking things through.
    Selina thankfully settled on the sofa in the gold drawing room when Henry had left her. He was becoming far too clever, that lad. For a moment she had thought he had stumbled onto her most carefully guarded secret. Not that she could not have explained it to his satisfaction, but it would have been a trying interview. And seeing Frank was always unsettling. One of the decided advantages of keeping out of country Society was not meeting him frequently. She found her mind recalling the vision of him in the road, his hat tilted at a rakish angle over the shining blond hair, his hazel eyes glaring at her. Once she had thought those eyes could hold nothing but warmth for her, could promise nothing but happiness. Her throat ached when