"Mandi, are you awake?"

Miranda was woken with a start as a blinding light hit her eyes. Hiding her head under the covers, she groaned in response to Cissy's wake up call.

"Why are you still in bed?" Cissy asked with concern. "It is very unlike you to sleep in so late."

Miranda chose not to respond. She did not want her friend knowing that she had stayed awake half the night staring at the ceiling. She had been unable to close her mind off to the fact that tomorrow would be the start of possibly meeting her future husband. To say she was nervous would be an understatement. And it didn't help that whenever she tried to envision the perfect suitor, someone with a pair of striking blue eyes always came to the forefront.

"Are you feeling ill?" Cissy asked again. "I would understand if you needed to skip the morning greetings."

Sighing loudly, Miranda pulled down the covers. "I'm well Cissy, just a little nervous."

Coming over to sit on the bed Cissy gave her friend a reassuring smile. "You will be fine Mandi. Any man would be lucky to have you. He just has to realize it first."

Miranda rolled her eyes but she was thankful for the encouragement nonetheless.

"Now," Cissy said jumping up, "I'll send my maid over immediately to make sure you look your absolute best. I will also have a tray sent up as the guests are expected to arrive within the hour."

And without further adieu, Cissy swept out of the room just as quickly as she whirled in. Miranda chuckled at her friend's vivaciousness, glad that Cissy would be by her side to help navigate the house party. Putting herself on display for the marriage market did not sound very appealing but she knew it had to be done.

True to her word, Cissy's maid walked in just as Miranda was getting out of bed. And with her a tray of food that was giving off such delicious aromas it made Miranda's stomach growl.

Taking meticulous care with her hair, Miranda never thought one hairstyle could take so long. But after half of an hour, Miranda looked back at her reflection and felt like she barely recognized herself. Curls were piled on top of her head while a few soft ones were left to fall at her temples. It seemed to Miranda a bit much for a morning event, but she wasn't about to go against Cissy's wishes.

Feeling as ready as she'll ever be, Miranda left the sanctuary of her room to go join the multitude of strangers that were sure to be waiting. Even as she neared the top of the staircase, a cacophony of voices filled her ears. It seemed most of the guests had already arrived.

Miranda attempted to put on an air of confidence even though she felt like she had little to begin with. But she needed to at least appear calm and not the bundle of nerves that was bubbling beneath the surface.

As she drew closer to the drawing room the voices grew louder and more succinct. Miranda could even make out Cissy's trill laughter. Smiling at how her friend maneuvered the social scene so well, Miranda hoped some of her gracefulness would rub off on her. Just as she could begin to see some of the shadows, a deep laugh emanated and it made Miranda stop in her tracks. She knew that laugh. She knew it because she had replayed it a million times in her mind. But what was he doing here?

Miranda decided she needed to see for herself if it was really Lord Carlisle who was in the next room. Sending up a quick prayer that no one witnesses her strange behavior, Miranda creeped up to the doorway to have a quick peek inside. About ten various ladies and gentlemen stood around the room conversing with one another. Her face fell when she saw that Miss Chism was one of the ladies present. It didn't take her long to spot Alex standing near the window, talking with another gentleman who had the reddest hair she had even seen. She would definitely have to talk to Cissy about why she didn't mention that Lord Carlisle was on the guest list.

"Who are we spying on?" whispered a voice.

With a slight squeak, Miranda whipped around with a hand to her chest to stop her heart from jumping out. Mr. Archer stood behind her with a lazy grin on his face, like he found her behavior amusing. "You frightened me!" she admonished, once she was able to catch her breath.

"My apologies," Mr. Archer said with a slight bow. "But it is not everyday you get to see pretty young ladies playing detective. You just made this house party immensely more entertaining."

Miranda gave an embarrassed laugh, out of all the people to catch her, why did have to be Lord Carlisle's cousin?

"I'm afraid you have found me out, Mr. Archer. I was deducing if I would be able to handle a room full of strangers."

Mr. Archer gave a deep chuckle. "Well we are not strangers. I know one way to combat a room full of them is to go in on the arm of the handsomest man at the party," Mr. Archer said, offering his arm to her.

Although Miranda appreciated his gallantry, she could not agree that he was the handsomest. Nonetheless, she had to walk into the room at some point.

Accepting his arm, they both moved smoothly through the open door. Miranda couldn't help but immediately look for Alex as they entered. Even with the knowledge that he would be in the room, her heart still skipped as he turned around and met her eyes. For a moment they seemed to brighten, but then his eyes dropped to her hand on Mr. Archer's arm and his mouth instantly turned into a frown.

Thankfully, Cissy came over with a glint in her eye, giving Miranda an excuse to drop her hand. "There you are Mandi, I was wondering where you had gotten off to." She turned to Mr. Archer. "Thank you for bringing her back to us safely, Mr. Archer."

"Believe me, the pleasure was all mine Mrs. Benson," Mr. Archer replied. And giving a slight bow to Miranda with a quick wink, he went and joined the rest of the party.

Giving Miranda a quick wiggle of her eyebrows, Cissy hooked onto Miranda's arm. "Come, I'll introduce you to the other guests. Though they might not be as intriguing as the Earl's cousin," she added in a hushed whisper.

Miranda gave Cissy a playful nudge with her arm that made her friend giggle. Miranda did find Mr. Archer intriguing, but he gave her the constant feeling like he was hiding something. And he paled in comparison to Lord Carlisle. She hadn't realized before that over the past couple of weeks, Miranda had gotten to know Lord Carlisle quite well. She felt...comfortable around him. Maybe even a little too comfortable. Her hope had been to get some space between her and Lord Carlisle at the house party, allowing her to freely explore potential suitors. How was she to do that now when he distracted her simply with his presence?

+++

Who knew a house party could be so exhausting? And unfortunately for Alex it was only the second day. The first day went well enough. Mrs. Benson, the hostess, had been a little put out at the sudden change in response, but he knew she wasn't about to snub the most prestigious family in the county. Alex hardly knew any of the other guests, though he was very surprised to see Harrison there. It made Alex uneasy seeing him walk in the room with Miranda.

Waking early before the rest of the house stirred, Alex made his way down to the stables hoping to sneak a quick ride in. The men of course planned to go shooting during the morning and then join the ladies in the afternoon for tea. Alex was not overly fond of hunting, but he knew that the purpose of this trip was not for his enjoyment, but to guard Miranda.

Alex fought back a grimace as she came to mind. He had not even time to see her before she was walking in already on a man's arm. And then she avoided him for the rest of the day.

Exiting into the crisp morning, Alex breathed in the fresh air, glad to be out in open space where he felt no one could scrutinize him. The sky hung low with rain clouds but he hoped it would hold out long enough for his ride. He ambled down the path, lost in his thoughts. Not surprisingly Miranda was taking up the majority of them. And just as he turned through the barn door, it was if he had conjured her, for there in the aisle stood Miranda stroking the nose of his chestnut stallion.

Alex blinked a few times, making sure that it was actually her he was seeing. When she didn't disappear into thin air he sauntered towards her, unable to hide his smile that of all the horses, she had picked his to say hello to.

Still unaware of his presence, Alex leaned against the stall of the one beside and quietly watched as Miranda stroked the horse's muzzle. "He's usually not so comfortable with strangers."

With a quiet gasp, Miranda spun around, causing the horse to raise its head in annoyance. "Alexander Archer! You should know better than to sneak up on someone with a horse."

Alex's smile spread till it became a toothy grin. "You sounded just like my mother Miss Edwards. Though I think I like it much more when you say it." He watched as a blush flared up on her cheeks causing her to turn back around.

"I take it this is your horse then?"

Alex knew she was trying to change the subject, but he didn't mind. Walking around so he could face her, he joined her in petting the animal. "That's right. This is Noah."

Miranda raised an eyebrow at the name. "Noah? Don't lords usually name their steeds after Greek gods like Zeus or Apollos?"

Alex laughed. "You're not wrong. But this was actually my father's horse. He said he liked to be reminded how Noah built an ark in the middle of the desert when everyone else thought he was crazy." Alex felt his throat tighten in emotion. Even after five years, the pain of losing his father still felt very real. Clearing his throat he continued. "And he said he wanted to manage the Earldom the same way. That he would make decisions based on what God wanted and not man."

Focusing on rubbing under Noah's fetlock, Alex was afraid to look at Miranda for he couldn't remember talking so openly about his father with anyone.

"You miss him," she said quietly.

Alex nodded. "It's why I keep riding Noah, it feels like I get to keep a part of him with me." Realizing the turn their conversation had taken, Alex stepped back to create a bigger space between them. "But enough about me," he says, quickly changing the subject. "How are you enjoying the house party so far?"

Miranda gave a slight shrug with one shoulder. "It's alright I guess. I find I am still getting used to the attention. In such an intimate setting of people as this I find that it is only heightened."

"And is that why I found you in the stable this morning, petting my horse?" Alex teased.

She laughed. "Partly, yes. I have fond memories of riding as a child when my grandpa had his summer house in Yorkshire. But it's been years now, I don't know if I still remember how."

Alex's interest piqued. "Well I could take you," he found himself offering. It was like his mouth had disconnected from his brain. He knew he shouldn't be creating opportunities to spend more time with Miranda. He should be encouraging her to spend time with suitors who wanted to marry her. But when he pictured Miranda riding through the woods with someone like Harrison, the idea felt rather repulsive.

Alex attempted to appear nonchalant as Miranda mulled over his offer. He was sure she was trying to figure out what he was about. In all honesty, he wasn't too sure of it himself.

"Alright," she finally answered. "Shall we meet here tomorrow morning at the same time?"

Alex tried not to look too pleased at her answer. "I look forward to it."