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He shrugged. “I have been busy.”

“But…what about during the wintertime or…or…” her eyes shifted in bewilderment as if searching for answers in the rolling hills around them.

“Any time?” he finished for her.

She huffed in amusement. “Well, yes.”

“You have not yet met my grandmother, have you?”

She frowned. “What has that to do with anything?”

“Well, my grandmother is something of a…firebrand. Highly opinionated and does not suffer fools gladly. She is quite a handful. Managing her temperament is time-consuming.”

She huffed in amusement. “Is that so?”

“Yes. I am quite sure she would have behaved herself had she been able to attend our wedding, but once you meet her on her own turf, you will understand what I mean.”

Georgiana laughed. “Well… Then I look forward to meeting her when she is less well-behaved.”

It was Robert’s turn to bark in laughter.

“That, you will. Never fear.”

CHAPTER 4

“Isuspect we will be here for a while. I should commandeer a private room before they are all taken,” Robert announced, placing his hand on the small of her back, and steering her gently toward a bench.

Georgiana was glad to dash inside the inn and get out of the increasing downpour. She did not mind a little rain, but the thunder and lightning were too much for her. The embarrassment of cowering fearfully against Robert made it twice as humiliating.

The inn was full, a lot of other travelers having had the same idea of sheltering while they waited out the storm. Several wait staff were hurrying up and down, serving platters of hot soup and tankards of ale.

Georgiana frowned at Robert. “Do you think we will have to spend the night?”

He sighed, peering outside before shaking his head. “Even if the rain stopped right this minute, we would not make much progress. The roads will be too slippery to drive on until at least late tomorrow afternoon. Let us wait and see.”

Georgiana was afraid he was right. From the conversations she could hear, she knew that most of the other patrons were traveling by stagecoach. If those had been forced to stop as well, it meant the roads were unusable.

She sighed, wrapping Robert’s coat more tightly around her.

This entire trip has been so fraught with difficulties.

Robert summoned one of the serving girls and murmured something in her ear. Soon after, a steaming cup of hot toddy was placed in front of Georgiana, together with a warm loaf of bread and a large bowl of hot soup.

She cast Robert a grateful glance and dug into her meal.

It was both filling and comforting, and she could not help but have good feelings towards him for taking care of her so selflessly.

Robert stood up and drifted off to speak with the publican. Georgiana paid him no mind, too busy enjoying her warm drink. A young boy started a fire in the fireplace, making the already cozy room even more comfortable.

After finishing her meal and warming herself by the fire, Georgiana could feel her eyes becoming heavy and drifting shut. It had been a harrowing journey, and she had not really had an opportunity to relax so completely.

A clap of thunder woke her up, and she realized she had fallen asleep. She looked around for Robert and saw that he was still in deep conversation with the publican. She concluded that she had not been asleep for long, which was a relief.

He finally returned and bent over to her to whisper in her ear.

“I am told the inn is quite full. For us, however, the publican has offered me a place around the back. It is not really part of the inn, more like an annex to his own cottage. But it is ours for the night.”

Georgiana wondered how Robert had managed to strike this bargain and concluded that a substantial amount of coin must have changed hands. She could only hope that the accommodations were comfortable as she nodded and followed Robert to their temporary shelter.