The tempo of life in the city exhausted him, though it had never been that way in his youth. For most of his life, he'd loved being elbow-to-elbow with all kinds of people, hearing their noise and knowing that all the world could offer was at his fingertips. Everything except the quiet he now craved, that is.Over the past nine months of his retirement in the country, Rupert had grown fond of the wide spaces around him. Here, he had room to spread out. And, if he wished, he could spend days at a time not seeing anyone apart from his few servants. Here he might do his work and not be disturbed. Unless, of course, he received yet another urgent plea to return to London.Rupert dismounted and handed Lady's reins to one of his grooms. “Pamper her, please,” he said as he patted the beautiful white mare. The young man nodded and led her away.Even after the hard day of travel, he found the quiet, still, winter cold of his own house refreshing.“Good journey, sir?” Rupert's butler asked.“Not too hard.
