Page 8 of A Summer Romance (The Starlings of Starling Hall #2)

Breana had been waiting for what seemed ages while Will paced about next to her impatiently. The coach was running late. She sat on her trunk, which lay at the road’s edge, tapping her foot.

Just then, she felt a rumble through the soles of her shoes and saw the coach looming out of the fading light.

“At last,” Will muttered.

The coach began to slow and then to stop next to them. Except it wasn’t the stage to London after all, but something smaller and with only the coachman on the box in front of the four horses. Will strode to the door as it opened.

“Theodore?” he said, surprised.

Breana felt a little jolt go through her. She took a step toward her brother as Theo’s large form descended from the coach. It was indeed Theodore Norris, complete with his usual frown. His gaze settled on Breana, and she could see once again that he was not happy with her.

“Will. Miss Starling,” he said sombrely. “I am on my way to London.”

Will glanced back at Breana. “My sister is catching the stagecoach to London,” he said. “It is running late, which is inconvenient for me. I had a meeting with some tenants about…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

Theo gave her a searching look. “Miss Starling is going to London?”

“Yes, she is going to…” Will started to explain, but he was cut off.

“Perhaps I can be of service,” Theo said. “If you would entrust your sister to me for the journey? My vehicle is far more comfortable, and she will reach her destination much sooner.”

Will looked surprised, but no more than Breana. They exchanged a look. “Thank you, Theo, but I’m afraid I could not let her go without a chaperone,” he said awkwardly.

“My mother’s maid, Maybelle, is leaving Barton Manor. She is inside the coach and can act as chaperone.”

How fortuitous, Breana thought. But there was something about the way in which Theo looked at her that made her uneasy. As if she had done something wrong and he was waiting for her to admit it.

“Well then, that is a stroke of luck!” Will said, sounding relieved. “The stage is so late it may well have broken down.”

Breana wanted to tell him she’d prefer to take the stage, no matter how late it was, or how crowded and slow and rattly, but he was already shaking Theo’s hand. He returned to give Breana a stern look and said in a low voice, “Behave yourself in London.”

She found that insulting, but Theo was listening and so she had to pretend to be uncharacteristically subdued. Will climbed into the gig and headed back to Starling Hall, leaving her standing in the road, her trunk at her feet, and Theodore Norris holding the coach door open.

The coachman climbed down and was retrieving her trunk. There was nothing for it but to graciously enter the coach. But Theo stopped her in a gruff, angry voice.

“What on earth are you thinking? You are acting in the most reckless and foolish way imaginable.”

“W-what?” she managed.

“Francis told me about your plans. I was coming to Starling Hall even though I could not believe you would be so foolish , yet here you are. Have you lied to your brother too?”

To her surprise, Theo’s harsh words hurt her deeply. Tears stung her eyes, but anger dried them up again. “You know nothing. I am not—”

“Get in, Miss Starling. I am in a hurry.”

“How dare you speak to me in such an obnoxious manner!”

“And if you think Francis will be meeting you in London, you are sadly mistaken. He will remain at Barton Manor until his wedding, under lock and key if necessary.”

There was something about Theo’s angry, intractable face, and the raw look of pain in his eyes that hurt her so much and made her furious.

He thought so little of her that he assumed the worst of her in any situation.

He did not know her, yet considered her a failure in every measure.

If that was how he felt, then she would not dissuade him.

As illogical as it was, she felt it a way to punish him for his lack of trust.

“You can’t stop me from doing as I wish,” she blurted, “and you can’t stop Francis either!”

“So you admit I can’t trust you not to run off? And I know I can’t trust Francis.” He looked at her and suddenly smiled, though there was no humour or kindness in it.

“Get in the coach, Miss Starling. You are coming with me to London so that I can keep a close watch on you.”

“I will not!”

“If you don’t, then I will pick you up and place you inside. Believe me, at this moment I am entirely capable of it.”

She said nothing, standing stubbornly on the step.

Theo made a move as if to carry out his threat, and Breana made haste to scramble into the coach with an unintended squeak of alarm.

The maid, Maybelle, was in there, her eyes very wide, but saying nothing.

Theo followed behind, and Breana sat down in the spot farthest from Theo.

Once he had made himself comfortable, and with barely a glance at her, he tapped on the ceiling to let the coachman know they were ready to depart.

The vehicle moved forward with a jerk, then the horses quickened their pace.

Breana sat in silence, shocked at what had just happened and wondering how on earth she had gotten herself into such a situation.

She comforted herself with the thought that when they reached London, Theo would learn how wrong he had been.

He would beg her forgiveness. That would be satisfying.

But until then…? Was she really going to allow him to continue to believe her to be such an idiot? The sensible thing to do would be to lay the truth bare before him. And she might have done so if at that moment he had not insulted her again.

“I had thought better of you, Miss Starling,” he said. “I am very disappointed.”

The anger that had begun to subside reignited, and she felt her cheeks heat. “Not as disappointed as I am in you, Mr. Norris,” she retorted.

“Miss Starling,” Maybelle hissed. “You must not speak like that to Mr. Norris. He is on his way to London to save his family and the home they live in. He is a good man.”

“Well, he is not being very good to me,” Breana retorted. Then, to her horror, her voice trembled. “He immediately thought the worst without even taking the time to ask me whether it was true !”

There was silence as she looked out the carriage window, ignoring them both. She risked a glance at Theo and found him frowning at her—of course he was! But there was something else in his expression that made her think her words had struck home.

She relented, just a little. “Are you really on your way to London to save your family and your home?”

Theo put his hands over his face and heaved in a breath. When he lowered them, he looked… shattered. Like a man who was at the end of a tether, desperate not to fall.

“I will tell you if you tell me truthfully whether you are planning to run away with my brother.”

Maybelle gave a squeal of shock, but they ignored her.

“Of course I am not!” Breana said, her voice ringing out.

Maybelle gave a gasp.

Theo seemed to relax a little. “I am glad to hear it, Miss Starling, because Francis is not the man for you.”

“That is not very complimentary to your brother,” she said mildly.

“I love my brother,” he retorted, “but I would not trust him to make you happy. Not even for a moment.”

“Oh? And who would make me happy?” Breana asked.

Theo opened his mouth, and then he closed it again.

She sighed. “I am not running away with your brother. Quite the opposite. He asked me, and I have never been more insulted in my life. That you think so little of me that you would believe me capable of such…” She stopped and took a calming breath.

“It just so happens that my friend Chloe Bennett has invited me to stay with her in London and that is where I am going.”

That frown was back. “You led me to believe… You wretch.”

“A wretch, am I? You are the one who so easily believed that I would agree to such an arrangement with your brother. It was no less than you deserved.” The hurt she felt at his accusation was obvious.

“I apologise. I jumped to a wrong conclusion. I believed you were under my brother’s spell, but I can see now you are far too sensible for that.”

It was nice to see him contrite, and Breana basked in the moment, even though she wasn’t completely sure she deserved it.

“No woman would be silly enough to run off with Master Francis,” Maybelle scoffed.

To Breana’s surprise, Theo smiled at that. “I couldn’t have put it better myself,” he said.

That was when she admitted that her sister Christine was right. Theo Norris did have a lovely smile.