Hopeless Heart

“I just got here,” Will replied, desperately trying to ignore the sound of swishing water that belied her departure. “Get out. I will take you home.”

“I don’t need you to take me home,” she snapped. “I can get there myself.”

Will sighed. “You are not ten years old any more, Georgiana. This is highly inappropriate behaviour,” he chided, trying to keep the heat out of his voice. “Your mother is back at that house fretting. Your father has locked–actually locked–himself in his study and refuses to come out. Your brothers went to see your father but he refused to speak with them. They then refused to take tea with your mother and left, which upset her even more. If that hasn’t caused enough problems, you-” he pointed one accusatory finger at her over his shoulder, “-you are out here like a recalcitrant child completely oblivious to everything but your own selfishness.”

He realised then that he had temporarily forgotten his need to keep his back to her. The arresting sight of her petticoats clinging desperately to her dampened flesh made sweat pop out on his brow. Although he quickly turned back around, he couldn’t ignore his body’s instant reaction.

Georgiana wrestled her dress over her head. “How dare you call me selfish?”

Her voice was temporarily muffled, but she knew he heard her because she kept her gaze trained on him the whole time. His shoulders tensed the way she had seen them do on many occasions in the past when he was angry or deeply offended about something.

Well he can be offended. I don’t care anymore, she mused waspishly, and took a moment to squeeze her hair out while she tried to decide how to handle the situation.

“I dare because you are,” Will replied. He leaned one shoulder nonchalantly against a tree in a casual pose that belied the tension within him.

“You arrogant swine,” she snapped. She was so incensed that she didn’t notice his startled glance as he pushed away from the tree and turned to face her. Nor did she notice the long, sweeping look he gave her. Instead, she stalked up to him and poked one finger into his chest.

“Every day of my life I get told what to do, what dress to wear, where I am going, which social function I simply positively have to attend, and I am given no choice in the matter. I am told what I should wear for God’s sake, and I am one and

twenty!” She was yelling at him but something in her refused to stop. “All the time I push aside what I want to do, and where I want to go, just to live a normal and relatively peaceful life–and you have the audacity to call me selfish? What I want to do doesn’t feature in anybody else’s selfish world, especially yours. Nobody bothers to ask me. Now, I have heard that you are to marry someone of your choosing, yet I have to sacrifice every second of my bloody day looking at material, ribbons, bows, shoes, and material for dresses while listening to Cecily carp on and on incessantly about what she wants, where she should consider we go, what she wants me to wear. I am never consulted, I am told that I have to do it yet you have the utter contempt to stand there and tell me that I am selfish?”

For the first time in her life she wanted to hit someone–more importantly, she wanted to give Will the smack upside the head she believed he needed. Not least because he had chosen to marry sodding Penelope Smedgrove! When he merely stared at her as though he had no idea who she was she glared at him in complete disgust.

“You, sap that you are, listen to Cecily’s utter tripe and swallow it while she manipulates you into doing her running about for her. I am sure she has blistered everyone’s ears about how wayward I am for going out with my friend and taking a walk because she wants to sit inside and making bloody wedding preparations for your stupid wedding.” Once again she poked him in the chest. “What about what I want?”

She didn’t wait for him to respond. Instead, she spun on her heel, swept up her boots, and walked into the trees to put them on before she hurt her feet. Riding high on a tide of fury, she battled with trembling fingers while she tugged on her laces, completely oblivious to the blissful warmth that stole over her as soon as her chilled toes were covered.

“Damn him,” she muttered. “Damn them all.”

CHAPTER FIVE

“What’s wrong, Georgiana?” Will followed her to make sure she came to no harm while so furious about everything. He had never seen her like that before, and it was as disturbing as it was revealing.

Georgiana snorted. “You have to ask? You try living your life with everyone telling you what to do all the time. Even you tell me what to do and blithely ignore me. You are no different to them. You are always following me around, telling me off when I do the same things you have done all of your life.”

“I was eight the last time I went skinny dipping, Georgiana. You are a young woman now. It isn’t safe for you to do such things alone,” Will replied reasonably and calmly.

“Oh, I can just see how that goes. What do you expect me to do, ask Cecily if she wants to come with me?” Georgiana shook her head and glared at him. “I can just imagine how that conversation would go.”

In spite of his tension, Will’s lips twitched. Still, now was not the time to tease her about it. From the baleful look in her eye, Georgiana was likely to smack him

“I didn’t realise you were so discontent with your life,” he sighed. “What can I do?”

Georgiana shook her head. She hated the devastation that was left in the wake of the anger and hurt but seemed helpless to stop it building.

“Go away,” she whispered. “Get on with your life and stop trying to tell me what to do. What I do with my own life now is no concern of yours or my parents.”

“While you are under your father’s roof you are in his care,” Will said firmly. “You are duty bound to honour his wishes.”

“Well, not for long,” Georgiana snapped. “I am leaving first thing in the morning and I won’t be back.”

Will blinked and stared at her. “You can’t leave.”

“Yes, I can. I am one and twenty now; of the age where my father ceases to be my legal guardian. You are right in that while I live with them I have to abide by their rules. So, if I move out then I have to sacrifice myself to nobody.”

“But where will you go? What will you do?” Will demanded, desperate to find a way to persuade her to change her mind. It was clear that she meant every word. “You can’t leave.”

When she tried to walk around him he caught hold of her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I am not going to let you do this,” he snapped, and he shook her to get her to listen to him.