Page 26 of A Meddlesome Match (The Vaughns #3)

“What is the matter?”

demanded the gentleman, quickly coming around to face her, shock pulling at his features.

“Something is in my eye,”

she groaned, and as if to emphasize the matter, several little specks of brown fluttered down from the branches of the nearby copse, littering Mr. Reed’s shoulder. Though Sadie didn’t know what they were precisely, those pesky little bits adored finding eyes and mouths.

She tried to blink, but it only made the pain worse, and despite her eyes being overly lubricated a moment ago, she hadn’t a tear left to wash it away.

“Let me see,”

said Mr. Reed in his calm manner, which helped to ease the pain on its own. Sadie forced herself not to move, watching him through her good eye as he pulled off his gloves. Taking her face in his hands, he angled it toward the sun. “Remain still.”

But that command was far more difficult to follow when his fingers were touching her cheeks, carefully reaching for her eye. The speck shifted, and Sadie blinked on instinct, though it did no good.

“Miss Vaughn.”

The slightest hint of chastisement threaded his tone, though there was amusement as well; it sounded as though he were commanding one of his pupils to sit still. Gently, he opened her lid, and Sadie found herself staring directly into Mr. Reed’s eyes, though his attention was fully on his work as his finger brushed the edge of her lashes.

“Almost,”

he whispered, and though Sadie flinched at his poking, she fought to hold still. When he lifted his finger once more, he held up the tiniest speck of detritus. But before she could do anything, he added, “Wait.”

Carefully, he studied her eye, and though Sadie knew he was searching for lingering debris or damage to the delicate organ, her pulse quickened. His face was so close. A hair’s breadth. And she felt the moment when awareness struck, and he realized just how near they were.

Mr. Reed didn’t move. Sadie didn’t dare. His breath grazed her cheek, sending warmth across her skin, while his hands held her steady. His thumb shifted, brushing the lightest touch along her temple, and Sadie’s lungs seized as she fought for breath.

Then his gaze dropped to her lips.

Sadie had always read too much into life’s smallest moments, assigning them more meaning than they deserved. A glance was just a glance. A touch, nothing more. A kind word was not a declaration. And yet—Mr. Reed’s eyes lingered on her. His breath quickened.

And oh, how Sadie longed to lean closer.

*

Even with a month of Sundays to plan, Walter’s grandest schemes wouldn’t have landed them in such a cozy position. Miss Vaughn’s injured eyes met his, a mix of surprise and curiosity stirring something deep within him, and he wondered if he dared be so bold. Words had never been his strength, but there was a far simpler way to make his feelings known—and the opportunity had landed squarely in his lap.

Miss Vaughn’s cheeks were so soft, and he couldn’t resist a caress. The sun caught the strands of her hair, making them glow like silken threads, and there was something timeless about the moment and the quiet peace they shared in this little corner of the world. As his eyes traced the curve of her cheek, something in him shifted, a certainty blossoming within his heart.

He loved her.

The possibility had taken shape during those days together at his mother’s bedside, coalescing all the more over the past weeks. But this feeling—this certainty—was something else entirely. It was fuller, more complete. Not a mere attraction or affection, but the bone-deep desire to spend every moment of his life with her. To face whatever the future held, side by side. To never be parted. Even the thought of delivering her home in a few hours left a hollow ache in his chest.

He loved Miss Vaughn, and the more he considered it, the more right it felt.

But did she feel the pull between them? Walter’s pulse quickened as he studied her, searching for any flicker of feeling in her expression. He couldn’t form the words to ask, but he didn’t think he had imagined Miss Vaughn drawing closer.

His eyes slid closed—

“Miss Vaughn, is that you?”

The voice ripped through the quiet of the field, tearing the pair apart.

*

Curse the Gibsons! Toss the entire lot into the depths of the ocean with great chains tied about them. Sadie’s mind flooded with unkind thoughts as she leapt away from Mr. Reed, brushing at her skirts. She shoved the handkerchief into his hand, and he tucked it away just as they turned to find Mrs. Gibson and her wretched son tromping across the field, a hamper in hand and a string of guests trailing behind.

“What luck!”

cried the lady as she greeted Sadie with a buss on the cheek. “We decided to have an impromptu picnic when I spied you out here. How perfect! Surely you don’t mind if we join you.”

The lady spoke as though it was a given that they were welcome guests, and though Sadie didn’t think herself a temperamental person, a spike of anger flared within her.

“How surprising to see you here,”

said Sadie, holding back a frown. “I would’ve expected you to be at home with Mrs. Trumble, working on the arch. When we discussed our schedules, you were quite insistent that this afternoon was the only time you were available.”

Mrs. Gibson laughed brightly and waved it away. “I fear I mistook today for tomorrow, and Mrs. Trumble was quite happy to reschedule. Today is too fine a day to be indoors, don’t you think?”

Sadie’s brows rose at that. Though she agreed with the question, the logic behind the excuse was sadly lacking. When arranging their schedules, Mrs. Gibson had insisted that she had only one day available, and if that were tomorrow and not today, then wouldn’t it mean she had something planned for this afternoon? Other than an “impromptu”

picnic, of course.

That spark in Sadie’s heart turned into a proper blaze as she considered the lady before her. Clearly, Mrs. Gibson had been eavesdropping when they’d set their plans for the picnic, but to have the gall to invite herself along?

“And where are your pupils, Mr. Reed?”

asked Howard, who stood behind his mother. “Surely it isn’t just the two of you here. Alone.”

The gentleman’s eyes bored into Sadie as though she had sprouted flowers from her head. He didn’t go so far as to gape, but there was a surprise in his expression that she didn’t wish to analyze (though heaven knew her mind would go to great lengths to sort it out when she ought to be sleeping tonight).

“We were just fetching the boys,”

said Sadie, nodding toward the opposite end of the field, but before she could pull Mr. Reed in that direction, Mrs. Gibson called out to the lads.

“We have cakes!”

It certainly wasn’t a ladylike shout, nor was the manner in which she forced herself between Mr. Reed and Sadie, manhandling the pair back toward their picnic. But—drat the boys—they were quick to answer that call, tearing across the field to arrive at the blanket at the same time the adults arrived.

And with all the space available to them, Mrs. Gibson settled her blanket nearly atop Mr. Reed’s and began plying the boys with sweets as the other guests spread out around them. With Howard seated next to Sadie, of course.

“Careful, we have a long drive back to Danthorpe, and Master Humphrey has a weak stomach,”

said Mr. Reed with a frown, but Mrs. Gibson waved it away.

“Nonsense. Little boys love sweets.”

And with that, the lady sat on Sadie’s other side, hedging Mr. Reed out.

“That is Mr. Reed’s seat,”

said Sadie.

“And he is a dear for allowing me to have it,”

replied the lady, fanning herself with her handkerchief. “I am quite fatigued and need a rest.”

Sadie’s gaze shot to Mr. Reed, who held up a staying hand and gave a slight shake of his head. No doubt, he was prudent to advise against making a scene as Mrs. Gibson would simply twist it about for her gain, but Sadie couldn’t help the anger simmering within her.

***

The gig jolted over the sun-hardened ruts of the country lane, its wheels kicking up small clouds of dust that swirled briefly before settling once more upon the parched earth. Beyond the stone walls that lined the road, fields of green and gold stretched into the far distance, and the air was thick with the scent of warm earth and crushed grass, laced with the occasional tang of manure.

Somewhere overhead, a lark trilled, its song going unnoticed by ears too burdened with thought to listen. The brightness of the sun, the heat, the vastness of the countryside all blurred into nothing, a mere backdrop to the musings that carried Dora far beyond the narrow lane and the endless summer sky.

Dora’s thoughts spun with the same relentless rhythm as the wheels beneath them, carrying her ever closer to Danthorpe. No matter how she turned it over in her mind, she still couldn’t believe what she’d witnessed. The distance had left the details blurred, but there was no mistaking the intimacy of their posture—Mr. Reed and Miss Vaughn, arms entwined, standing far too close for mere conversation.

Had Dora arrived a quarter of an hour later, all might’ve been lost.

“Sadie admires him,”

muttered Howard as he guided the horse along; his eyes stared into the distance, though Dora doubted he was seeing the road ahead.

“I warned you he was making quick work of it,”

said Dora with a sigh.

“No, I mean she truly admires him.”

Howard’s brows pinched together as he turned his head to send a pleading look at his mother, as though hoping she would disagree. “Had we not interrupted…”

“You said you were happy for her to find a beau like Mr. Reed,”

said Dora with a narrowed look, though her heart gave a happy stutter at the disgruntled twist of her son’s mouth.

Straightening, Howard shook his head. “But she hardly knows the fellow! It isn’t possible that she has given her heart to him so fast. And to allow him such a liberty? They were lucky the rest of our guests didn’t spy them standing together like that.”

Settling her arm around her son, Dora leaned into him. “I told you, Howard. Your young lady is a catch, and one day a gentleman would come to his senses and see what every woman in the area has known for years.”

“But…”

Dora didn’t know how he intended to finish the sentence, and likely, neither did Howard. His expression slackened as reality settled its heavy load upon his shoulders, and her eyes—familiar with every line of his face—caught the moment something shifted. Whether it was jealousy driving the change or the pressure of having his back against the wall, Howard was finally seeing the light.

“All hope is not lost,”

said Dora. “But you had best make up your mind now. Either cut ties or set yourself to the task, for Mr. Reed is not dragging his feet. You may hold the advantage of time and familiarity, but that lead is swiftly shrinking.”

Howard nudged the horse down the fork in the road, the silence thick with meaning as he turned over her words.

“Do you truly believe you can find better than Miss Vaughn?”

Dora asked, leaning into her son once more and holding him fast. “Is there anyone you value more? Any opinion you hold in higher esteem? Can you name anyone kinder or more forgiving than Miss Vaughn?”

Though he didn’t answer those questions, Dora allowed the silence to stretch out. They both knew the truth, and she prayed that Howard had finally come to accept it.