est didn’t bother him at all. But it did a little. “If you want.”
They strolled off together, Fanny walking very slowly at his side. When they made a series of turns through the dense trees, at Fanny’s behest, Jeremy heard her sigh. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s never nothing when you sigh like that,” he noted.
She frowned. “I do not sigh in any particular way.”
He laughed softly at her indignation. “Yes, you do. There’s one sort of sigh when you see a friend, another when you’ve a letter from your father,” he leaned closer still, “and quite another when I put my lips to the back of your neck and kiss your skin.”
Jeremy wrenched himself away from her and buttoned his lips, annoyed he’d fallen back into old habits so easily. Flirting with her had become second nature…but that was before she’d offered to pay him for making love to her.
“I’ve ruined our friendship, haven’t I? I truly didn’t mean to insult you.”
“I didn’t know what I’d signed,” he admitted.
“But you did read it.”
“No, I listened to you read it to me,” he corrected. “I got lost in the sound of your voice and stopped paying attention long before you must have reached the end.”
“I’ll make sure you read every word in the future.”
“The future?”
“If there’s to be one,” she said, then worried her lip. “Can you forgive me?”
“It probably was a mistake to hire me in the first place.”
“No, it wasn’t.” She drew close. “We had a miscommunication, but the air is cleared now, isn’t it?”
“You were bound to grow tired of my acting sooner or later,” he admitted. “You should hire someone else for your next play.”
“There isn’t a good enough reason to pretend anymore,” Fanny murmured. “No more acting for me.”
They continued to walk and found themselves beside a field where a dozen workers toiled. Fanny waved at them and they waved back.
Jeremy smiled. “That’s what I remember most about you on the day we met at the theater. You were kind to everyone, no matter their position.”
“I remember you flirting with me until my sides ached from the laughter you inspired.”
“Well, you were the prettiest lass in the room,” he admitted. “I wanted to impress you, even before I knew who you really were.”
“I was impressed. I still am.” She looked down at her hands. “I see you’ve made friends with my brothers.”
He smiled. “Does it look that way? I thought them more like conspirators to your father’s torture.”
“What torture?”
“Shooting at dawn. Riding. Living as a gentleman is hard work indeed when you have to worry about what everyone thinks and might say. How does anyone bear the scrutiny?”
“I don’t always.” When she turned, there was an uncertainty in her gaze he’d not seen before. “Most of the time I just don’t care what anyone thinks.”
“That is obvious.”
“And I believed I’d made a mistake when I let you so close, you came to understand me so well. You played the part of an ardent suitor exceptionally well, Mr. Dawes. Better than I ever dreamed you might. But I do care what you think of me.”
He glanced her way, saw that she was watching him closely. Waiting for him to render a verdict on her character. “You’ve a talent for acting yourself. Have you ever considered treading the boards?”