“I am sorry to be so forward, but I have been waiting to speak to you. I’m sure you don’t remember me. We met briefly at the Mason’s dinner party. My name is Josephine Wilcott. My father owns the Wilcott Bank in Dover.”
Heath vaguely remembered the young lady. He’d met so many people since his arrival that it was hard to keep them all straight. But the constant stream of eligible women were something Heath was only too happy to forget. But he remembered Mr. Wilcott. His bank handled the accounts for Heath’s estate. The older man spoke plainly and could be abrupt at times, but he’d been courteous to Heath.
Heath stuttered before he answered. “A pleasure to meet you again, Miss Wilcott. I hope you are enjoying the evening.”
She giggled, batting her eyes at the same time. No doubt that gesture had worked with men in the past, but it had no effect on Heath.
“To tell you the truth, I found the evening rather dull until I saw you just now. My father has spoken so highly of you that I wanted to introduce myself again.”
Heath put on his best smile, even as his gaze darted around trying to find an escape. “That is very kind of him. He has been most helpful since I took up residence at Stokesby Manor.”
“He said you used to be a soldier. It must have been exciting.”
“Not really. The military can be quite mundane, following orders and all.”
“But you and all the other soldiers were so brave for going into battle, risking your lives for others.”
The compliments flowed from the lady’s mouth like honey off the comb, but her sweet words did not entice Heath.
Enough of this nonsense.Heath was desperate to leave and was willing to try anything to get away from the lady.
“Miss Wilcott,” he narrowed his gaze at the blonde-haired beauty, “the military is not some fairy tale. There are no knights in shining armor, and rarely is there a happy ending, as you can clearly see.” He thumped his cane for emphasis.
She put a hand to her mouth and leaned closer. “My father said you had injured your leg in battle. Does it hurt?”
“Sometimes.” Heath took a step back, feeling the young lady was closer than was proper. Jasper had warned him that most of the young ladies would do almost anything to snare a rich husband, so Heath would have to be careful. He glanced around. They were in full view of the room, nothing that could be considered inappropriate. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to encourage the lady.
“It was nice meeting you, Miss Wilcott, but my leg pains me from the long hours of standing this evening, and I must retire for the night.”
“Would you like to sit in the drawing room? I could keep you company.”
This time, she came right up to him, so close he could smell her perfume. It was so strong it made his head swim. But Heath would give her points for persistence. The young lady did not give up easily, but she would have to find another unsuspecting bloke to flirt with. If he didn’t leave in the next few minutes, he might break out into a full panic.
He put on his most courteous smile. “Please forgive me, Miss Wilcott, but I prefer to return to my home.”
She pouted but admitted defeat by taking two steps away from him. Heath’s shoulders slumped.
“Well, at least allow me to invite you to a picnic we are hosting two days from now. You must come. We will dine by the river and play lawn bowls and croquet.”
At this point, he would say anything to get away. “That would be lovely, thank you.”
“Wonderful. I will tell papa you’ll be coming.”
Suddenly Heath had an idea. “May I bring a guest?”
The edges of Miss Wilcott’s mouth turned down. “Whom would you like to bring?”
“My estate manager, Mr. Badgely. He is new to the area, and I’m sure he would like to make the acquaintance of the locals.”
At hearing it was a man Heath wanted to invite, the lady visibly brightened. “Of course. He is most welcome. Come at three.”
Without a glance back, Miss Wilcott faded into the crowd. Heath didn’t wait any longer than necessary to dart out to his waiting carriage. Overall, the night hadn’t been too bad, but his leg did truly throb from standing for so long. He would prop it up at home.
Once back at Stokesby, Heath went into the study. To his surprise, Kane was there reading.
“I didn’t think you would be awake at this hour,” Heath said as he plopped down on the couch.
Kane grinned. “I purchased a book while I was in town and couldn’t put it down. Besides, I wanted to know how your evening went.”