Read Online Candice Hern by Once a Dreamer - Free Book Online Page A

she could count. Andthe gleam in his blue eyes told her how much he enjoyed each encounter.
    Men. Gentleman or plowman, they were all alike.
    “How long until we reach St. Alban’s?” she asked.
    “It is less than five miles into town, I believe, though I’m not certain about the location of the Red Lion. In any case, it should not be long.”
    Eleanor sensed him watching her and it made her uneasy. Constance’s words kept returning to taunt her. He’s interested , she had said. Had she made a huge mistake in asking him to join her?
    “I suspect you will be glad to stop for the night, will you not?” he said. “To be out of this carriage at last.”
    Was it so obvious what she had been thinking? “I confess the jostling about has become a bit tiresome,” she said. “But in truth, I am not so happy to stop for the night. It only means more time lost in our pursuit.”
    “They will have stopped as well.”
    She spun around to face him. Damn the man for reminding her, for prompting her to envision what would surely take place between Belinda and Barkwith this night. “I know.” Her voice sounded chilly and accusatory. “I know.”
    “I understand your concern, Mrs. Tennant, and I am sorry for it. For myself, I am going to keep good thoughts and assume all will turn out happily.”
    “Oh, you foolish man. Don’t you dare start in again on true love and happy endings.”
    He chuckled softly. “I cannot help it. I believe in the power of love. I’ve always been an optimist about such things.”
    “And it shows with every piece of idealistic advice you dispense as the Busybody.”
    “Is that so wrong? To offer hope? To encourage young women to reach for happiness?”
    “We have been over this ground before, sir. I need not repeat my views on your sometimes dangerously ill-conceived advice.”
    “True,” he said. “But I do enjoy a good debate, and we have nothing else to do at the moment. I should like to hear more about your views on the Busybody’s advice. Your enlightened critique could perhaps be of use to me in future articles.”
    At that moment, another lurch of the carriage brought them bumping up against each other once again. He flashed a wide smile, and for the first time Eleanor noticed the dimples.
    Dimples, for heaven’s sake. How had she missed them? She supposed he had been somewhat reserved throughout the day. Until now, when the perfectly matched set of indentations twinkled on either side of his mouth.
    A smattering of freckles, a tendency to blush, and now dimples. She refused to listen to the insistent echo of her cousin’s voice in her head. He was not adorable.
    “You mock me, sir,” she said. “You cannot convince me that you believe my opinions to be enlightened. We are as opposite as…as Mr. Hackett and Mr. Mumby.”
    His smile widened and the dimples deepened. “You are suggesting one of us is narrow-minded and the other broad-minded? Hmm. I wonder which of us is which?”
    “You mock me again, sir.”
    “I am but making conversation to pass the time. Or attempting to do so. And making a poor job of it, apparently. Perhaps you would prefer that we sat in silence.”
    “No, I would not prefer it,” she said and offered a faint smile. “It is just that I am feeling more than a bit prickly after the events of the day. But you are right, Mr. Westover. Conversation is preferable to a strained silence. Even if that conversation results in heated discussion.”
    “I shall do my best to curb my temper, ma’am.”
    The laughter in his eyes said he mocked her yet again, but Eleanor did not rise to his bait.
    “Let us stick to less volatile topics, then,” she said. “Tell me about your family. We can ignore for now the very formidable father who strikes fear in your heart and who, of course, must never learn about your Busybody activities. Unless you would care to explain why it is so important he not find out?”
    “No, I would not.”
    “It does not signify. I can