A Country Affair Read Online Free PDF Page B

said.
    The light from Selina's lantern cast a glow upon Mr. Lint, who was unrolling his sleeves in preparation for putting on his jacket. Selina stopped at the doorway, taken aback by the sight of a man's lean chest covered in fine white cotton.
    Then, seeing streaks of dirt against the white, she was overcome by remorse. "Oh, dear! I fear your shirt has been ruined."
    Mr. Lint glanced down at his chest. His eyes returned to hers, and he smiled. "You mustn't worry. I am sure it can be washed, and if not, I have others."
    Of course. He would not be penniless as she and Augustus were.
    Selina dismissed this thought, which was unworthy, and straightened her shoulders. "My brother and I are very grateful to you for your kind services, Mr. Lint. We would be pleased if you would take your supper with us."
    She could see hesitation in his eyes, and something about it made her lift her chin higher. Undoubtedly, he thought he would get a better meal from Mr. Croft.
    To her surprise, Mr. Lint accepted her invitation with a graceful bow. Selina thought she had never seen the courtesy performed with such ease. She could imagine that Lord Webb's steward would be at home to an inch in a London withdrawing room, though, of course, she herself knew nothing of such places.
    With his back turned towards her, she watched him put on his coat, a snug-fitting garment, which took quite a bit of effort to work into. So much effort, in fact, that Selina felt her fingers itching to help him into its sleeves. She was amazed that a man who made his living on an estate could afford to waste his time on such an impractical garment, and she began to wonder if Mr. Lint might not have a touch of the dandy in him. His clothes appeared to have been sewn while he stood in them, they fit so well.
    Then, as he stretched the jacket over his back, she dismissed such a foolish notion. No man with muscles like his could be a dandy. Selina was used to seeing men's muscles as they worked in the fields: bulging forearms, thick necks, and straining backs. What made this man different was the litheness of his movements, a seemingly unconscious grace which reminded her suddenly, and most uncomfortably, of her father.
    Disturbed by this reflection—which was certainly improper, as well as a grim warning that working as she did, she must have developed the sensibilities of a peasant—Selina left Augustus to show Mr. Lint into the house. They joined her as she was cutting the bread.
    Mr. Lint paused upon the threshold. He seemed to take in their situation at a glance—their eating in the kitchen, tallow candles on the table instead of wax, the modesty of their furnishings—even though Selina had set out her mother's old silver.
    Fighting the urge to explain that they had not expected company or else she would have opened up the parlor, even going so far as to light a fire in the old chimney place, Selina squared her shoulders.
    "If you would care to freshen up, I have warmed some water. It is there by the hearth."
    Mr. Lint thanked her, and peeling off his jacket again, set about washing his hands. Augustus shared his soap, then rushed to sit at the table.
    "Augustus . . . ." Selina warned him before he could pinch a slice of bacon. "Do not forget that we have a visitor."
    Mr. Lint was shrugging himself back into his coat. He tugged at the collar and sleeves as if he were formally dressing for dinner. Selina did not know whether to be amused or gratified by his manners.
    He insisted upon waiting for her to be seated, which only complicated the job of serving. In the end, she was obliged to put all the platters and her mother's large soup tureen on the table and to take a chair herself, or he would never have consented to eat.
    Flushed by this unaccustomed attention, Selina ladled out the bowls of soup, conscious that the visitor's eyes followed her every movement.
    "I must apologize," she said, to cover the fact that her hand was trembling, "for the behavior of our bull