The Accidental Countess (The Aristocrat Diaries 3)

“We got caught in that shower,” Matthew said from behind me. “There was a thick canopy of trees not far from us, so we ducked under there to avoid the worst of it.”

“I did text you,” I said, stepping up onto the shelter.

“With what signal?” Addy laughed, showing me her phone.

She had no bars of signal. Since we had the same provider, my phone would look the same.

“Oh,” I said quietly, stepping past her. “That explains why you didn’t know, then.”

“Yup.”

I stepped up to the windows that overlooked the water. There was a huge island in the middle of the spacious lake, and it was covered with trees that stretch high into the sky, bushes and flowers that sprawled over the mound.

It was the kind of place I’d sit and paint for hours.

Damn Matthew for taking me to all the pretty places on this island.

If this was a part of a master plan to never make me leave, the joke was on him. There was a contract that said I had to stick around until—

Nope.

I wasn’t going there.

I was not going to think about contracts or babies or children.

This place was far too pretty to get myself all worked up over other things.

“Olympia, look!” I waved her over. “Ducklings!”

She gasped, running over to me and pressing her face against the plastic window. I gently pulled her head back a little so that it wasn’t pressed against the grimy surface, then pointed out the ducks. A big mama duck traversed down the side of the island followed by at least eight little fluffy ducklings, and they plopped into the water one by one.

“They’re so cute!” Olympia’s entire expression was one of unbridled joy, and she moved around the shelter as the ducks swam in the lake.

I got it. They were adorable. I could watch them all day, too.

“It looks like it’s going to rain again,” Matthew said, cutting through my reverie. “If you want to try and miss it, we should go back the way we came. The other part of the trail is longer.”

“Hold on.” Olympia craned her neck until the ducks were out of view, then hopped off the bench and ran over towards Matthew.

I slowly turned away from the window and followed everyone off the platform to the path. I hoped we could make it back to the car before the rain started to fall again.

The last thing I needed was to be stuck in another rain shower under a tree with my husband.

• • •

Olympia had been tucked in the corner of the sunroom, reading, until it was time for dinner. After that, she’d disappeared up to her room once more with her book—and Lucy—and that was all we heard from her.

More people moved about Menai Castle on a daily basis than they did at Bentley Manor, in my experience, and I knew that was tiring for her. A new place, new people, and a new routine was a lot for her to take in.

Matthew had also been holed up in his office ever since we’d gotten home, and that was another thing I was extremely grateful for.

As soon as I saw him tonight, I knew he was going to bring up the fact that he’d kissed me, and I was going to have to respond.

I’d gotten away with it earlier, and I knew he wouldn’t allow me to do it again.

The git.

“How are the wedding plans going, Adelaide?” Eleanor asked, adjusting the cushion behind her on the sofa. “Have you found a dress yet?”

Adelaide nodded. “I have. I actually have some photos on my phone, if you’d like to see.”

“Oh, please. What about the bridesmaids’ dresses?”

“All found,” she said, scrolling through her phone. “We’re doing green, oh! I have photos of those, too.” She got up from the sofa and sat down between me and Eleanor.

I knew what the dresses looked like, obviously, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to see them again.

Hey—dresses and tiaras were the only things I liked about weddings.

Other people’s, anyway. It’d been a mixed bag for my own.

Adelaide’s wedding dress was stunning. It was a full-on princess skirt, and the lace that coated the entire thing made it look as though it had been plucked off the page of a fairy-tale.

The sweetheart neckline of the bodice was demure, and the lace reached up into a boat neckline, and it was just heavy enough that it gave the illusion of complete modesty. The thicker material of the bodice swept down under her arms to form a ‘v’ shape in her mid to lower back, and the lace that coated that was held together by tiny buttons that I knew would take me forever to do up on that morning.

As long as she was happy.

I was equally as obsessed with the bridesmaid dresses. We’d searched high and low for dresses that were both demure yet sexy at the same time, and we’d finally gotten lucky about a month ago. It’d been at the store where we’d both gone for our fittings for my wedding, and that’s what we’d been doing when we’d seen them.