Ashton crumbled the note from Patsy in his hand. His housekeeper had a servant inform him that Nicole had gone for a walk, and hadn't returned. That confounded woman!
Grumbling under his breath, he hurried out of his office and mounted his horse. He'd never in his life met anyone so bullheaded...and yet so charming. Sometimes he wondered if she had a brain at all, and then, most times, he couldn't believe how intelligent she really was.
Right now, however, his thoughts were leaning toward her absent brain. Why would she want to take a walk in her weakened condition? Patsy had kept him abreast of Nicole's recovery, and although she was healing nicely, she for certain couldn't have regained all her strength, especially to walk back to his house by now.
Not knowing which way Nicole could
