A knock at the door made her cringe. Sitting up, she granted the guest entry. Her dread was not lessened to discover Elizabeth at her door.
"May I join you?"
"Please. Come in and have a seat." Brianna honestly did like Elizabeth, but as Richard's sister, she was one of his biggest supporters.
"Your mother sent me. She wanted me to remind you to prepare yourself for your daily ride with Richard," Elizabeth informed her as she sat on the bed beside her.
"How she could think I would forget is absurd." Brianna attempted to keep the irritation out of her voice.
"May I ask you something?"
"Certainly." Brianna's heart stopped, and she wondered how much Richard told his sister about her.
"Why do you dislike him so much?"
"Him? Are you referring to your brother?" At Elizabeth's nod, she continued. "I don't dislike him. Why would you think that?"
"At times I have seen you look at him as though he were the single most important person on the earth. Other times, like now, you react in the opposite way."
"I'm not sure to what you are referring. My reaction a moment ago was due to my mother's interference and nothing more."
"Don't tell me falsehoods. Simply because I'm his sister does not mean I'll excuse him if he exhibits ill behavior. Was he unkind to you, or did he make inappropriate advances?"
"He has never been anything other than a perfect gentleman," Brianna defended, shocked Elizabeth would come to such a conclusion.
"I don't understand. Then why do you act so strangely around him?"
Brianna bit her lip, wondering if she should tell Elizabeth the truth. Seeing the determined set of her jaw, Brianna decided the girl would not refrain from asking questions until she was completely satisfied with the response.
"If you must know, my problem does not lie with him, but what I would be with him." Elizabeth turned her head to the side in confusion, forcing Brianna to elaborate. "I have no wish to be a marchioness. I think your brother is a wonderful man, and I enjoy spending time with him. My worry is the more I'm with him, the greater the possibility feelings will grow on either side."
"I see, but if your feelings could increase, why would you wish to avoid them? You are so willing to discard him over his title?"
"It's a complicated matter," Brianna stated inadequately. She could not describe exactly how much she wished Richard didn't have a title or how much she wished she didn't care. Everything was already so muddled she had resorted to hiding in her bedchamber.
"Well, complicated or not, I hope you are not holding him accountable for something not within his power to change," Elizabeth lectured as a knock sounded at the door announcing the arrival of Brianna's maid. "Well, I'll leave now to give you time to prepare for your ride. Thank you for speaking with me."
"It was my pleasure," Brianna obliged, although her feelings were quite the opposite.
As she allowed her maid to dress her, she thought about Elizabeth's words. She didn't feel she acted unkind to Richard. However, she was not being fair. Her offer of friendship was a sham, for she had not held up her end of the arrangement. One thing was certain, either he or she needed to marry fast or this farce would never end.
Less than an hour later, all her troubles faded as the wind caressed her face, and the speed of her mare bolstered her spirits. There was nothing quite like the elation she felt from the freedom of riding through the property. Although a pastime she typically took pleasure in alone, she found it more enjoyable with Richard. When they reached the cool stream that had become their favorite location, they dismounted, allowing the horses a much-needed rest.
"Are you looking forward to returning to London in a few days?" Brianna asked, her joy slightly fading at the thought of leaving the freedom of the country. "I'm sorry my mother forced you to stay another week."
"I'm not overly anxious to return to London," Richard assured her, leading the horses to the stream. "I don't recall being forced to do anything. I have enjoyed spending time with your family. In addition, Lady Grace mentioned, several times in fact, how honored your mother was to have me as a guest. I imagined my acceptance would be appreciated." Richard shrugged as if his sacrifice was unimportant.
"Grace probably told you how much she wanted you to stay as well." Brianna tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice.
Richard stopped, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Actually she did, which made it harder to deny two ladies' requests for my company."
"I noticed you have been spending a considerable amount of time with her."
"She is a lovely young lady," Richard explained with a bright smile.
The pleasure in his face caused a surge of anger to pass through her body, and she stalked toward him, fists balled. The overwhelming urge to slap the smile off his face nearly won out over her better sense.
"I hope she also told you she has barely reached her fourteenth year," she retorted.
"It may have come up in one of our conversations, but her age is of no consequence to me."
"I would think it would be of great importance, considering she has not reached the acceptable age for marriage," she ground out, but Richard's mirth only seemed to increase. "May I ask what is so amusing? This is a serious matter."
"I apologize. You are right. Lady Grace's age isn't a jovial matter. Your jealousy, however, I find delightful, if not amusing."
"Jealousy!" Brianna exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief. "I'm not jealous."
Although she hated to admit it, he was right. She could not believe she had given into the feeling. Of all people, it was her little sister she felt envious of, simply for holding a few conversations with Richard. The notion was completely ridiculous, but she could not help the emotion, nor could she stop it.
"If you are not jealous, why are you so concerned with your sister's relationship with me?" His words brought on a new wave of envy that burned her with its intensity.
"As her older sister, I'm merely looking out for her well being. I would hate to see my sister wrapped up in a scandal because she was pushed into marriage at an unacceptable age," Brianna explained, grateful for the cooling breeze that helped calm some of her ire.
"Well, rest assured, as much as I enjoy your sister's company, I'm not interested in her for anything other than as a friend."
"I'm glad to hear that." Brianna allowed the jealousy and anger to leave her body.
Once the drive to harm him dissipated, she became more aware of her surroundings. What a picturesque day. The sun was shining, the breeze was cool, and Richard was so close she could feel his warm breath washing over her face.
Her body called out in need and anticipation, begging her to reach out to him, but she stood still. She knew Richard could feel the change as well. His smile faded, and his brilliant blue eyes fell to her lips. Her breath hitched as she waited for him to lean forward and calm the ache within her. Less than a minute passed before his smile returned, and he turned away from her.
"It's a beautiful day, is it not?" he inquired after he stopped a fair distance away.
"It is," she whispered, barely able to find her voice. Her body burned in turmoil, and her mind contemplated impossible scenarios. She didn't know how much longer she could stand this. The only solution to her problem lay in marriage. Suddenly a brilliant solution struck her. "Richard?"
"Yes?" He turned back to face her.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed her nerves. "Since we decided to be friends, we should be able to help one another, right?"
"Regardless of where we stand, I'll always be willing to offer my assistance to you whenever you require it."
"Thank you." She blushed at the sincerity in his voice. "Well, we are both looking to marry and have very specific qualifications, correct?"
"Yes." He drew the word out as he watched her through the corner of his eye.
"As a lady, I have more access to the true nature of the other debutantes. With that knowledge, I'll be able to inform you which ladies will suit and which to avoid. Then you can do the same for me with the gentlemen."
He paused so long, Brianna wondered if he was going to respond.
"I see," he said at last. "If you don't like my choices, what happens then?"
"We would only be offering options to one another. There would be no obligations to go forward with any of them."
"As it turns out, I already have a perfect option for you-the Marquis of Stonemede."
"If you don't wish to help, you only need to say. Bringing up unsuitable gentlemen will not help either one of us," she snapped, then shook her head. She was not surprised he offered himself first as she had expected it.