Grace looked around and spied a smartly dressed gentleman walking parallel to the path they were on. “I wonder if that’s Simon.”
Kathryn shrugged. “If it is, he doesn’t seem in a hurry to answer.”
When the gentleman finally saw them, he looked a little startled to have come upon them. “Hello there,” he said, closing the gap between them.
Grace moved next to Kathryn, and they linked arms. “Good day, sir,” Grace said.
“What a pleasant surprise to see two lovely young women walking along the path today,” he said. He stopped in front of them and gave them a tip of his hat. “Lord Dudley at your service. May I ask your names?”
“Lord Dudley, we haven’t been properly introduced,” Kathryn said, pulling Grace away from the stranger.
“Come now, my lady, this isn’t London. No one will be scandalized if we converse with each other,” Dudley said. “The country has a more relaxed set of rules, and it’s not like I’m asking you to call me by my given name, which is Simon, by the way.”
Grace had to giggle at that. It really was most inappropriate for him to offer his given name to strangers, but he had such a twinkle in his eye when he said it that she instantly liked his playfulness. As she continued to study him, she couldn’t deny that he was quite handsome with his raven-black hair and soulful brown eyes. His jacket fit to perfection across his broad shoulders, and she wondered if there was padding underneath or if that was all the man himself.
What harm was there in a simple greeting? “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Dudley. I’m Miss Parker, and this is Lady Kathryn.”
“Lovely to meet you both,” he said as they heard someone calling to him again. “Are you visiting the area?”
“My family owns Dandridge Manor,” Grace explained.
“Simon!”
“Shouldn’t you answer whoever’s calling you?” Grace asked.
Lord Dudley chuckled. “I suppose I should. Good day, ladies. I hope that we shall meet again soon,” he said as he strode away in the direction of the voice.
“Do you think he’s your neighbor?” Kathryn asked.
“I have no idea, but why else would he be in the woods? I’ll ask Mrs. Hutchins about it when we return to the manor.”
“Let’s head back. Even though Lord Dudley seemed pleasant enough, his sudden appearance has left me a little unsettled.”
“Were you? I suppose he did pop up out of nowhere, but he seemed quite cordial in his greeting,” Grace said as they headed back to the manor. “I wonder who was calling him. Lord Dudley didn’t seem particularly in a rush to answer.”
“I agree. That was a little strange,” Kathryn said. “Maybe that’s why I was unsettled.”
Jones opened the door when the ladies returned. “I hope you enjoyed your walk.”
“It was lovely, thank you. By the way, do you know a Lord Dudley? We ran into him while we were walking along the path in the woods.”
“The Berkeley estate abuts Dandridge Manor. Lord Dudley and his father, the Earl of Berkeley, reside there. I believe a sister was married a few years ago and moved away.”
“Thank you, Jones,” Grace said as the women walked into the drawing room to find Audrey sitting on the sofa.
“How was your walk?” Audrey asked.
“It was lovely,” Grace said. “We met our neighbor, Lord Dudley.”
“Oh? How did that come about?”
“It was quite by accident while we walked in the woods, but he seemed quite affable.”
“Hmmm… we should pay our respects to our neighbors. I’d feel better knowing who Lord Dudley is, especially if there’s a chance you’ll meet him again along the path.”