A Hope Remembered Read Online Free PDF Page A

Fitzgerald.”
    “Lord Weatherly, Lady Weatherly, welcome.” Colin tipped his head in acknowledgment of the earl and his wife, then turned his gaze on their daughter. Gibson hadn’t been wrong—Lady Sophia was nice to look at, with her artfully arranged blond hair and glittering hazel eyes. “Lady Sophia.”
    She held out a gloved hand to him. “Mr. Ashby, a pleasure to meet you.”
    “The pleasure is mine.” He bowed over her hand, noting the way she gripped his fingers, confidently, almost possessively, before she released him. Would she prove to be like every other young lady his father had paraded through the house of late? The war had brought a dearth of wealthy, eligible young men, which meant Colin truly had his pick of whom to marry. Only problem was he had yet to find a young woman with more than a pretty face and coy manners to recommend her.
    He took a seat beside Lady Sophia. One of the new footmen, hired to replace those who’d been killed in the war, appeared at his elbow with a tray of food. Colin filled his plate and tried to ignore another reminder of how things and people had changed in the last six years. He took a bite, realizing he was famished. Flying typically heightened his appetite.
    “Your mother was telling us about your aeroplane.” Lady Sophia leaned toward him as if imparting a great secret.
    Colin dabbed at his mouth with his napkin. “Yes, I enjoy flying.” He schooled his tone to match hers; although he couldn’t help wondering how truly interested she was in planes and flying. Several of the ladies he’d met recently had shown great enthusiasm for his aeroplane until they realized it wouldn’t better their chances with him.
    “You were a member of the Royal Flying Corps, correct?” she asked.
    He nodded.
    “How thrilling.”
    Images marched through Colin’s mind—the explosion of artillery, the sinuous line of trenches, the tiny figures strewn like straw over the battlefield. He’d once thought the same thing about being a pilot, until he lost his first friend in a dogfight with the Germans. Colin had watched helpless as the man, shot dead, plummeted to the mud-churned earth in his smoking plane. No, thrilling wasn’t the word for it anymore.
    He settled for a simple “yes” before taking another bite of food. Sir Edward sent him a hard glare from his spot at the top of the table. Colin didn’t miss the insinuation—he was expected to entertain the earl’s daughter. Swallowing the annoyance clogging his throat, he turned to his dinner guest and inquired with a charming smile, “Tell me, Lady Sophia, how are you enjoying your time in the Lake District?”
    “Very much.” She offered him a brilliant smile, which almost made him forgive her naïve comment. Of course someone like her, pampered and sheltered her entire life, couldn’t be expected to understand the atrocities of war. Hadn’t he gone off to fight in part to preserve such innocence, to keep it from being destroyed? “In fact,” she added with a light laugh, “I almost prefer it to London. I love the cooler summer weather and the green fields and mountains.”
    “You should see them from a plane.” He regretted the words at once—he hadn’t meant to imply the invitation Lady Sophia would likely read within them.
    Sure enough, a glint of triumph lit her eyes. “What a lovely idea, Mr. Ashby. I think flying in your aeroplane would be marvelous.”
    Colin studied her flawless face for a hint of sarcasm, but found none. He’d received plenty of terrified exclamations from other girls about his flying. Perhaps there was more to Lady Sophia than he’d surmised.
    “I may be able to provide you with an opportunity to fly before you return to London,” he hedged, “if your father agrees, of course.”
    A mischievous smile tweaked her red lips. “Then I must make him agree.” She laughed again. Colin smiled in return and felt himself relax slightly. The dinner was going better than he’d