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We raced for the tree on the opposite side of the park where my dog barked ferociously, her tiny paws scraping at the trunk in an attempt to climb. Molly was running toward them but was not yet halfway there, while the squirrel, safely up in the branches of the tree, raced back and forth in a taunting rhythm.
By the time we reached them, Molly was trying to pull Coco away, but every time she got her arms around the dog, Coco would jump back down and resume her post at the base of the trunk.
“Coco, come,” Lord Cameron demanded with all of the authority being the son of a duke instilled in him.
I was utterly shocked when Coco disobeyed. I did not believe it possible to contradict such a command.
“Well, she is your dog,” he said wryly.
I tried not to read too much into that.
“Perhaps I ought to go find a rope,” Molly suggested, breathless.
Lord Cameron stepped forward, sneaking up behind Coco while she barked relentlessly at the poor squirrel and scooped her up in one smooth motion. He pivoted away and I struggled to keep up with his long strides, taking Coco from his arms after we safely crossed the road.
“You naughty girl,” I said softly. “You have been bullied before. You really must know better. I am ashamed of you and you’ve lost your extra bacon treat.”
I felt the burn of Lord Cameron’s gaze and caught laughter dancing in his eyes.
“Must you judge me?” I said harshly, instantly regretting my words for how taken aback he looked.
“Judge? Miss Cox, the only thing about you I judge is the silly pact you and Rosie made when you were school girls.” His lips formed a sarcastic smile. “You know, the impossible one that was ill created and ill-sustained.”
I was never so vexed in all my life. So many angry thoughts floated through my mind that I immediately determined the best course of action would be to say none of them at all. If Lord Cameron had shown me anything from the very beginning of our acquaintance, it was that he was not open-minded and would not welcome my radical ideals. There was no sense in trying to convince a brick wall that the garden before it was lovely; the brick wall would never hear or see anything to begin with.
Setting my gaze forward and holding Coco closer to my chest, I hastened toward my house at the far end of the street. Lord Cameron picked up his pace to match mine.
“Are you truly offended? That was meant to be a joke.”
I stopped in my tracks to face him head on and he had to backtrack a few steps to meet me. “Do you mean that honestly?”
He shifted from one foot to the other, his gaze landing somewhere over my head. He was not the tallest member of his family, and though he was of a good height, he only reached a head’s length over my eye line. He could not answer me, which I knew would be the case. I turned and continued to my house.
“Miss Cox, do not be silly.”
“Heavens, no. Silly? I should never. I should always be amiable.”
He ran a hand over his face and I took a twisted pleasure in seeing him so irritated.
“I am sorry if what I said bothered you.”
I scoffed. “But are you sorry you said it? No! You think me naive. You simply cannot imagine that a young woman would choose not to wed, or that I would believe there could be more out there for me than to do someone else’s bidding for the rest of my life.”
“No, I cannot,” he said, agitated.
“Then we are done here,” I said, reaching my front steps. “Thank you for the walk, and good day.”
He remained behind when I mounted the stairs to my front door, Molly racing up before me to open it and let me inside. Every part of me wanted to look back at him before the door closed, but I proudly refrained. I caught his outline in my peripheral vision and was glad I had not given into the temptation.
I slouched against the back of the door, Coco still clutched in my arms, when a shriek pulled me from my brooding.
Mother stood at the base of the stairs across from me, one hand clutched to her heart and the other firmly supporting the banister.
“Elspeth, what are you doing in this house with that creature?”
“Mother, this is my dog. Her name is Coco and she is very well behaved.” I held her out for inspection, my mother’s mouth drooping in shock. After a minute I said, “I shall be in my room if you need me,” and took myself upstairs.