Page 21 of Project Duchess

“I know what you meant,” he said, taking pity on her. He wished he could make her feel as easy around him as she clearly did around Sheridan. “And besides, Gwyn is keeping Mother company.”

“Oh. Right. Of course.” Refusing to look at him, she smoothed down her rumpled skirts. “I have to walk the dogs. Pointers need lots of exercise or they—”

“—become restless and unmanageable. Yes, I know. Why don’t we walk them together? I promise I don’t bite, Miss Wolfe. No pun intended.”

Her lips twitched as if she fought a smile. “In my experience, sir, any man can bite if provoked.”

“Then don’t provoke me, and I won’t show my teeth.” When she bristled, he flashed her a grin meant to soothe. “You may have noticed I’m not easy to provoke. I’m like your pointers—ready to come to heel at a command.”

She snorted. “I rather doubt that, Your Grace.”

The use of the honorific irritated him. “Call me Grey, if you please, like the others do. Or even Greycourt, if you prefer. You’re not a servant, and I’m not your master.”

“All right. But then you must call me Beatrice like the rest of the family.”

“Not Bea?” he asked.

A sigh escaped her. “Don’t say anything to the others, but I can’t stand ‘Bea.’ It makes me think of old ladies.”

“Thank you for telling me. Though you ought to tell them, too.”

“I can’t. They’ve been so kind to me.”

“Ah. And no one could ever accusemeof that.”

Her cheeks reddened. “I didn’t mean—”

“I’m teasing you,” he said with a laugh. “I told you, I’m not easy to provoke. All appearances to the contrary.”

“If you say so . . . Grey.” But her tone showed she was still wary.

Not waiting for him to lead the way, she headed down the hill with the dogs dancing ahead of her. Grey followed, noting how she seemed to control the hounds with an invisible leash. They never got too far ahead of her nor dashed off into the woods. And when one of them looked as if he might do so, she merely murmured a word, and he came to heel instantly.

“Your pointers are very well trained,” he observed.

“If you can tell that, you must be quite the hunter.”

“Actually, hunting isn’t my favorite pastime, but I do know dogs. I used to have two setters as pets. They werenotwell trained or even well behaved, for that matter. You’ve never seen a more rambunctious pair of rascals. No one could control them, including me.” He shot her a sideways glance. “Though I daresayyoucould have.”

“I should hope so. Setters aren’t so hard to train.” She fixed her gaze on the dogs gamboling ahead of them. “You said you ‘used to.’ What happened to your pets?”

After a moment, he said, “I had to leave them behind in Prussia when I came back to England to attend Eton.”

“Oh, howawful.” Sympathy flooded her face. “You must have missed them terribly.”

Not as much as I missed my family.“They were dogs, Miss Wolfe. Not children.”

He’d meant to put her off. Instead, she eyed him closely. “That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t miss them just the same.”

“I didn’t have time to miss them,” he said, then changed the subject. “So, I understand that you and your brother live in the dower house on the estate.”

For some reason, that turned her prickly once more. “We do, yes. At least as long as your mother prefers to live in the hall.”

“Trust me, my mother will always live as close to her children as is possible, so unless Sheridan kicks her out—”

“Or his new wife does,” she said tartly. Then she caught herself. “Forgive me, Your Grace. That was too blunt.”

“Would you pleasestopthat?”