Dalton’s Challenge by Penny Fairbanks

Chapter 6

After a long, blissful morning of exploring the gardens, Mr. Thirley asked Papa to show them the pastures before returning inside. Dalton looked ahead at his family and their guests strolling over the fields, a playful breeze turning the little blades of grass into a sea of jewel-toned waves.

The baron looked a little frazzled as his head turned back and forth between Mr. Thirley on one side and Mrs. Thirley on the other, trying to speak with both of them at the same time. Caroline walked arm in arm with Miss Thirley, happily chatting away to her new friend. Even Miss Thirley seemed pleased to participate, giggling at Caroline’s jests, asking questions about the Harcourt home, and discussing other ladylike topics.

As his eyes fell upon Caroline’s hand, her fingers absentmindedly drumming against Miss Thirley’s forearm as they talked, a shockingly strong wave of desire crashed over Dalton. He wished he could replace Caroline, to be the one Miss Thirley’s delicate hand clung to.

With a sigh, Dalton tried to convince himself that his current position had its merits as well. Walking behind the two young ladies, he had the perfect vantage point to watch them enjoy each other’s company and deepen their friendship. He was especially fond of the moments when Miss Thirley chuckled at the antics of Harriet and her younger brother, who had become rather rambunctious playmates recently.

Firm fingers gripped Dalton’s forearm, jolting him out of his reverie. Mama gazed up at him from under her bonnet. Her eye color matched Dalton’s almost exactly, though everyone knew that Harriet had inherited the curiosity and mischief in Mama’s gaze, both on full display now.

“Would you be so kind as to tell me what you are thinking, dear Mama?” he asked, managing to keep his voice playful despite the knot of anticipation building in his stomach. Being so similar in temperament to his mother, Dalton had no problem guessing what her answer would be.

The baroness gave a small shrug. “Are you having a good summer thus far?”

Dalton sighed, his suspicions already confirmed. “It has been fine, though I miss the activity of London, as always.”

Mama frowned, looking so much like Harriet that Dalton nearly started. Though she had become a proper lady and grown in wisdom over her lifetime, Mama had not fully abandoned her lively spirit. She simply knew when to show it, something she had been desperately trying to instill in her youngest child for some time now. Since they brought up the rear, Mama knew she could tease Dalton all she wanted without anyone seeing.

“Have you not had enough activity here? We do have guests, after all, which is always exciting.”

“Just tell me, Mama,” Dalton groaned with a cheeky smile, knowing his mother would not be offended by his attitude.

They had always been very candid with each other. Mama in particular had always been a rather forthright lady, though she knew just how to get her point across without being rude. Dalton liked to think that he had inherited this trait from her. It worked perfectly for him—most of the time.

He glanced forward at Miss Thirley again, grimacing at the memory of that terrible night at the dance when she had overheard him complaining to his friends about their carriage ride.

Mama nodded wisely. “I think you have more than enough to keep you busy this summer, as a matter of fact.”

Dalton gave her a fake frown as she still avoided the heart of the topic. “When did you get so coy?”

Mama chuckled, her eyes bright with impish joy. “Do you really want to have it out then?”

“Of course. I much prefer that to dancing around things. Let us lay everything out and get to the bottom of whatever is on your mind,” he insisted.

The older woman’s sideways smile gave Dalton pause. Perhaps he should not have agreed so quickly after all. Mama did not give him a chance to take his words back.

“How have you been getting on with Miss Thirley these days? Better than before, I hope?”

Dalton gave an exasperated sigh. He had known this was bound to come up, especially with Mama. “Why did you even invite the Thirleys to stay with us for the whole summer when you knew very well how uncomfortable it would be for me?”

“It has not seemed all that uncomfortable for you, my son,” she said innocently. “Besides, Mrs. Thirley has become a dear friend. I wanted to spend more time with her—and I thought this might be a good chance for you and Miss Thirley to finally move past your…disagreements.”

Dalton shook his head, rubbing his temple with his free hand. “Mothers always have some sort of plan.”

“Of course they do,” Mama agreed with a knowing smile.

“I will admit that the situation has not been as bad as I had feared. It was unpleasant at first, but we have slowly—very slowly, mind you—made progress. In fact, I can even consider us friends now as of twenty minutes ago.”

Mama proudly patted her eldest son’s arm. “See? That was not so hard now was it?”

“Do not get too excited now, Mama. Miss Thirley maintains the right to banish me straight back to the depths of her hatred whenever she so chooses.”

The baroness stared ahead at the young woman, watching her carefully. Dalton looked, too, just as Miss Thirley ran a few fingers through her brother’s hair. He wondered what Mama saw. He knew what he saw—a strong, frustrating, intriguing, caring woman.

“I do not think that will happen,” Mama mused.

Dalton scoffed. “How can you be so sure about that?”

“Mother’s intuition, my dear boy.”

“Even a mother’s intuition cannot predict what Miss Thirley will think of me tomorrow,” Dalton chuckled, feeling surprisingly glum at his own words.

“And what do you think of her?” Mama asked thoughtfully. “That is an equally important question.”

Dalton faltered, a rarity for him. He had to slow his thoughts down so he could examine them for a few moments before answering. The sensation was unfamiliar yet not wholly unwelcome. Dalton had always been sure of everything his whole life. He did not need to think twice about anything. His first thought, his initial instinct, had never led him astray.

Yet when it came to Miss Thirley, he wanted to take his time to consider her and his feelings toward her. At one point, he would not have hesitated to tell Mama that he could not stand her, that she was no fun at all and frustrated him to the ends of the Earth. Though some of those sentiments still remained, he had to admit that somewhere along the way, his views had slowly started shifting.

With a sigh, he decided to tell the truth—at least, as much of the truth as he currently understood. Mama would accept nothing less.

“I have been enjoying getting to know her better. Though we have not discussed the topic in so many words, I think I can understand where her demeanor comes from.

“I do not mean to speak poorly of your friend, but I can sense from their family dynamic that Miss Thirley has adopted this cold, strict attitude as some way of appeasing her parents. Until recently, I thought she simply turned her nose up at everything for no reason. Now, I see that perhaps she does have a reason. I cannot imagine what she must feel since I have been blessed with such a warm and loving family,” he finished sadly, his eyes never leaving Miss Thirley.

He could see it in everything she did, from the way she held her chin up in painfully perfect grace to the measured way she spoke to the way she stiffened whenever her mother or father showered their son with smiles and praises.

Mama let out a melancholy sigh. “I am afraid you are right. I did not realize how disconnected Mrs. Thirley is from her daughter until I saw more of their interactions after arriving here. It is a terrible pity, truly. They give that boy so much love, yet seem to forget about their other child.”

The thought baffled Dalton. How could anyone forget Miss Thirley? He had not been able to forget her over these last two years, no matter how much he wanted to. When he looked at her again to see her pleasantly chatting with Caroline, Dalton deeply regretted not giving her more of a chance on that fateful carriage ride.

Then again, perhaps she would not have let any of her walls down without this situation that had trapped them together for the whole summer. He silently congratulated Mama on her smart plan. She had known that Dalton and Miss Thirley could never hope to heal the rift between them without being forced to see each other on a near daily basis.

Perhaps they would never truly be friends. Dalton hoped that he would at least no longer have an enemy by the time the Thirley family returned to their own home. He could sleep easier at night, knowing that Miss Thirley no longer wished to send daggers flying at his head.

“Have you developed affections for her?” Mama’s question jarred Dalton away from his thoughts.

In truth, her question did not surprise him. Only Mama would be so forthright in her curiosity. Still, he did not enjoy being asked. They really only had been friends for just shy of twenty-five minutes now.

“It is far too early to be thinking about anything like that,” he explained firmly, hoping to deter his mother from this line of questioning.

Mama fell silent for several uncomfortable moments, only increasing Dalton’s worries. “Is something the matter?” he asked quietly, almost hoping she would not hear. The pit growing in his stomach told him that he would not like the direction this conversation was about to take.

“Have you developed affections for anyone, Dalton?”

The pit in his stomach expanded into a gaping cavern. His jaw twitched with bitter satisfaction. He had known this would come up sooner or later. He just wished it had come much, much later.

“Really, Mama—”

“Dalton, listen to me,” the baroness interrupted. With a sharp sigh, Dalton snapped his mouth shut. “I genuinely do not wish to rush you, but it would not be a bad idea to start considering the idea of marriage more seriously.”

Dalton’s mood soured so rapidly he wondered how he had not sunk straight through the ground into the bowels of the Earth. He hated discussing marriage in general, let alone right on the heels of discussing a woman who was, until very recently, his only enemy in the world. Dalton did not have to be as intelligent as Patrick to see the connection Mama had made.

“I can assure you that I do indeed think about it,” he grumbled through pursed lips. “I am simply waiting for the right time.” Dalton silently prayed that that time was still very far into his future.

His eyes darted to Miss Thirley and then to Papa, acting as the dutiful host. No, there was no need for Dalton to go there yet. If he did, he would find himself that much closer to his unavoidable fate.

Mama squeezed Dalton’s arm, her smile failing to mask the hint of sadness in her eyes. Dalton had no doubt that she saw deeper into his heart than she let on. She knew her son hid his darkest feelings from her, even if she would not push him to reveal it now. He had not shared these fears with anyone. A pleasant stroll across the grounds with guests did not seem like the appropriate time to do so.

Dalton looked at Miss Thirley again, his chest slowly expanding. He had not realized until that moment that something had been crushing him from the inside out. When he looked at Miss Thirley, shining under the summer sunlight, he almost relaxed.

The mystical moment did not last long as something darted across Dalton’s peripheral vision. His head snapped to the side and he immediately caught sight of the culprit. Not too far away, a fluffy white cloud with lanky legs trotted through the field.

Just as Dalton opened his mouth to let Papa know that a lamb had escaped the pasture, Miss Thirley’s panicked voice disrupted him.

“Warren, stop!” she cried. The boy raced past Dalton, arms outstretched as if to catch the lamb. The creature bolted without a moment of hesitation.

Dalton did not hesitate either. He jumped into action, racing after the wayward lamb. Harriet’s cheers echoed in Dalton’s ears, a surge of exhilaration pushing him forward. It had been so long—too long—since he had run like this, feeling the wind in his hair.

His long legs quickly closed the distance between himself and the lamb. Just as Dalton prepared to jump forward and catch it, his foot slipped on the grass. He only managed to stop his body from crashing into the ground with an outstretched hand, his knee thudding against the Earth.

Dalton hardly noticed any pain as excitement coursed through his veins. He had lost his lead, the lamb hopping away while Dalton struggled to catch up once more. Glancing over his shoulder at the rest of the group, he noticed quite a range of expressions on their faces. Mama and Papa both looked flustered while Mr. and Mrs. Thirley stared in wide-eyed shock. Caroline hid her laughter behind a gloved hand while the youngest Harcourt and the youngest Thirley cheered him on.

Only Miss Thirley surprised him. Dalton had expected her to look disgusted that a gentleman would go chasing after a lamb, making a fool of himself in the process. She had shown him time and again that she did not care for even an ounce of foolish behavior.

Miss Thirley’s face had split into a wide grin, her shoulders shaking with the force of her laughter. He had never seen such a lovely, carefree, bright expression on her.

Somehow, her joy spurred him on. He felt like flying at the thought of making Miss Thirley laugh like that. Finally, Dalton caught back up to the agile lamb, herding it back toward the others in the hopes that someone else would catch it if he failed again.

His boots thundered against the ground as he leapt forward, completely confident that he would soon have the creature in his grasp. Sensing danger, the lamb hopped to the left at the very last second, leaving Dalton to slam into the ground on his hands and knees.

The pain rushed up this time, surging through his body, stinging sharply where he had made contact with the Earth. He knew his trousers must be terribly grass stained. His poor valet would nearly have a heart attack when he saw the mess Dalton had quite literally landed himself in.

Gingerly, Dalton pushed himself back onto his bottom, his chest heaving up and down from the exertion. Laughter rippled through him, starting deep in his stomach. He certainly had not imagined his day turning out like this. He always loved these opportunities for the ridiculous and unexpected. Dalton lifted his face to meet the cool breeze as it brushed his hair away from his sweaty forehead. His laughter stopped immediately, eyes popping, at the sight before him.

Miss Thirley sat on the ground in front of him, her legs tucked under her gracefully—at least, as gracefully as she could manage with a disgruntled lamb struggling in her arms. She met his gaze with a breathless smile and a beautiful sparkle in her eyes. Her dress would no doubt be stained and her bonnet had fallen off, dangling around her neck by its ribbons. She seemed not to care.

Somehow, this day managed to become still more surprising. Dalton would have never guessed in a million years that Miss Thirley would do something so out of the norm for a well-bred and perfect lady like herself, let alone actually seem to be enjoying it.

Miss Thirley looked down at the lamb and then back to Dalton. “Well, what are we meant to do now?”

Dalton threw his head back, a roar of laughter filling the air. What a charming woman! Miss Thirley’s sweet, lilting laugh joined Dalton’s. He loved how perfectly they went together.

“Goodness! Are you two alright?” Papa called as he rushed over to them. “Miss Thirley, are you able to stand?”

“I think so,” she sputtered, trying to stifle her giggles now that the baron had joined them.

The lamb did not struggle much any longer, even as Miss Thirley slowly rose to her feet with Papa’s help. She gently transferred the lamb to the older gentleman’s care. The scene looked quite touching to Dalton. For the briefest moment, it reminded him of the first time Anna had passed Beth into Papa’s arms. The thought did not linger, though, as his father let out a heavy sigh.

“I must confess I am not sure what to do next,” he mumbled with an embarrassed chuckle. Thus far, it seemed no one had given any thought to the rest of the plan. They had all been so focused on simply catching the rebellious creature.

Dalton groaned as he pushed himself up off the ground, growing more stiff and sore by the second. “If you can hold onto that rascal, I will take one of the carriages and fetch the shepherd to collect it,” he offered. “Though he does look perfectly comfortable with you, Papa. Perhaps you should take it in and raise it as your own.”

Papa and Miss Thirley turned their attention to the lamb to find it resting its head against the baron’s broad chest, all the fight gone out of it.

“He has just had a bit too much excitement for one day,” Papa said gently, smiling down at the lamb with kindness and understanding.

Dalton left them behind, his body aching with every step. He did not get too far before he heard light footsteps on the grass behind him, a familiar yet thrilling presence by his side.

“Are you injured? You did take a few rough tumbles out there,” Miss Thirley asked, her eyes darting from his dirt-covered fingers to the dark patches of green on his trousers.

He shrugged, pride swelling in his chest from his athletic display. “A few tumbles will not bother me for long. I am just glad we caught that lamb so it can be returned home.”

Miss Thirley nodded slowly, clearly not quite believing Dalton’s assurances. She remained silent, walking beside him as if waiting for him to topple over in pain.

“You know, Miss Thirley, I did not take you for a sheep chaser,” he teased, hoping to see more of the lightheartedness she had shown earlier.

The woman swallowed, looking down at her feet in embarrassment. Dalton wondered if he should regret his words. Not long ago, Miss Thirley would have snapped at him for saying something so absurd and bringing attention to her disgraceful behavior. Something inside Dalton told him that she would not do that this time.

In fact, she smiled, a little shyly at first, though it grew more confident—more free. She looked absolutely radiant.

“You looked to be having so much fun that I just had to join in,” she said, a trace of laughter woven into her words. “I have not had that much fun in goodness knows how long,” she added quietly.

Dalton did not know if he had been meant to hear that. It tugged at his heart all the same. He paused, turning to her so he could gaze into her lovely face, cheeks bright red with excitement and hair thrown about in all directions.

“I hope you find many more opportunities to have fun in the future.”

Miss Thirley nodded with a small smile, pulling her eyes away from Dalton’s. “As long as I am here, I am sure the opportunities will find me.”