It Happened One Winter by Christi Caldwell

Author:Christi Caldwell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Regency
Publisher: Christi Caldwell
Published: 2021-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Martin wondered how long it would be before the lady spoke to him again.

Some five or so minutes later, with her marching at a clip to rival Boney on his retreat out of Russia, it became clear she’d no intention of saying anything.

“Since you pointed out my limited understanding of people in Polite Society, tell me, is it customary for a lady to run at a full sprint away from someone she’s escorting to a breakfast room?”

For several moments, Christina continued at her brisk clip, and he thought maybe the distance she’d put between them had prevented her from hearing his dry query, but then she abruptly stopped.

Dropping her hands on generous hips—he was annoyed with himself for noticing—she turned and glared.

She did not, however, say anything in return.

Unlike yesterday and earlier today, when she’d been full of tart replies and garrulous about her views on his newly purchased properties, she remained stonily silent, and it was as though she were a different person, and he might as well have imagined those previous meetings.

Except, he hadn’t.

What he had also heard, however, were her feelings on him and his station and her wishes about his being here. More specifically, her wish that he’d not attend the house party.

He hated he should care so much that she’d proven like so many other ladies of the ton who thought him inferior.

Martin reached her side. “I don’t think I’ve witnessed you move this quickly, except when you were running away from my properties yesterday,” he said, determined to get a rise out of her.

And failing.

Side by side, they walked the remainder of the way to the breakfast room. Coming to a stop, she gestured to the open doorway. “Here we are, Mr. Phippen.”

Mr. Phippen again, was he?

He flashed a half grin. “We’d agreed to use one another’s first names.”

A pretty pink blush brightened her cheeks. “Hush,” she returned, glancing around at the two footmen stationed in the breakfast room.

“Don’t want me here, do you?” Martin drawled. “And here I’d thought we’d gotten past our initial hiccoughs to form a friendship.”

“We are not friends,” she said automatically. “We barely know one another.”

And yet, she’d shared her passion for designing interiors with him, when she’d not even revealed that longing to her sisters.

“But we’d gotten on fairly well, all things considered,” he said, his large legs instantly erasing the distancing between them as he approached.

“We did,” she gritted out.

“But you don’t want me here? I’m offended, Christina.”

“Shhh,” she whispered, slapping a hand over his mouth and then instantly drawing back her fingers.

Horrified for having touched him? With the important guests she’d spoken of being under this roof, he’d wager his business on that.

She looked about.

“Can’t have your family knowing you’re keeping company with a simple builder.”

“I don’t mind that you are a builder,” she said tersely. “And there’s nothing simple about you or the work you do.”

“Why, thank you,” he drawled. “How very generous of you.”

She lingered there, biting at her lower lip, looking as if she wished to say more.

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