“Several years.”
“What were you doing on the road today?”
“It’s my day off, so I walked into the village to pick up a few things I’d ordered.”
When he traced the high arch of her instep with a fingertip, she gasped and yanked her foot from his hold. As her gaze careened into his, her pupils had dilated. “Stop that this instant. I’m not badly injured and shall be fine.” There was a certain breathlessness to her words as she reached for her boot.
And that made him insanely curious. Was she a virgin or did she have experience behind her? For that matter, was she spoken for? Then he shook his head. Why did he care? Before he could ask her more questions, the butler returned along with a footman bearing a tea service. Drew rose to his feet. “Thank you, Jeffries.” He took a wet, folded towel from a silver salver, and when he would have kneeled again, Miss Copeland snatched it from his hand.
“I can tend to myself.” She pressed the towel to her ankle. “I’m sure after a brief rest I can return home without consequence.” Her eyes remained on her task. “Thank you for the kindness, but it wasn’t necessary.”
Drew frowned, for she’d dismissed him without apology. Did she find him lacking? Hot anger mounted. She didn’t know him enough to decide that. Jeffries directed the footman to place the tea service on a low table nearby. Meeting Miss Copeland had been the most exciting part of his stay in the countryside to date, but that didn’t stop the familiar burn of rising annoyance in his chest. If she wished to ignore that spark of attraction between them, so be it.
“Obviously, since you have no more need of me, I’ll leave you alone.” The last thing he wanted was for her to witness the worst of what he was so early in their acquaintance. “Ring for Jeffries when you’re ready to depart. He’ll have a carriage brought around.”
He quit the room with more questions than answers, and for the first time in years, none of them revolved around his title, his family, or him personally.