“The new rig?”He picked an imaginary thread off his sleeve.“Will it do?”
“Eminently.”
He fished inside his coat and produced a folded document which he presented to her with a civil half-bow.
“What is this?”She frowned, breaking the seal and unfolding it to reveal a blank page.She lifted her gaze to his face and her heart turned over for here at last was the smile she had missed, shy and humorous and indescribablynecessaryto her sense of wellbeing.
“It’s the message from Sir Hubert.I felt I should give you something to satisfy the curious.”
She refolded it and stuffed it into her reticule.“You came here just to tell me this?”
“I thought you would like to know.I have more to tell you, too, though neither are really why I came.”Before she could ask, he hurried on.“Smith’s story turns out to be substantially true, apart from the one important fact of his name.”
“Which is?”
“Lisle.”
She blinked.“Lisle?”
“He is another nephew of the late Lord Sark, one Hunter, son of Carrington.Which makes him, I understand, the true earl.”
“It does.Oh dear.”She sank down on the arbour seat, inappropriate laughter tugging at her breath.“No wonder there has been a delay with Ralph’s writ...He said it was because the poor king is mad.”
“I’m rather afraid it is Ralph who has gone mad.Someone shot at Hunter-called-Smith outside the solicitor’s office, and if it was not Ralph, I’m pretty sure it was someone sent by him.”
Suddenly she didn’t want to laugh anymore.“But Hunter has a son who also stands in Ralph’s way...It is incredible, Jack, are you sure it is true?Could Smith have been lying to you?”
“He could,” Jack allowed, sitting down beside her.“But I don’t believe he was.”He met her gaze and his lips curved ruefully.“You are right.I have little enough experience of people, but I have met all sorts over the last few weeks, and my judgments have always been substantially correct.”
“No one is infallible.”
“True.And I have alerted all authorities concerned, just in case.”
“Is that why you stopped hiding?”she asked curiously.“To have the authority of the duke?”
“No.”He hesitated.“I had already decided that.You were right at the Headless Horseman.Perhaps I needed my escape to find my way, and I did have a lot of fun.But it is time to do so openly.As myself.”
“And so the world opens at your feet.”She spoke lightly and yet her voice almost cracked, for she already missed her shy, mysterious young friend with the unique outlook and matching humour...
“And at yours, I see.”Unexpectedly, he reached up and touched her hair.
Her breath caught until she saw the circlet of daisies hanging from his finger.She laughed, her face heating with embarrassment.“Oh, the devil, I forgot all about that!And here I was on my dignity among all the dowagers and dukes!”
“A token from an admirer?”he asked lightly.
“Oh no, only Durward.He is an old friend.”She jumped to her feet.“Look, here comes tea.We should go back.Is there anything else?”
“Yes.”He rose and again walked beside her, not touching.Was that his ducal dignity back in place?“Ralph is struggling for money, even with the earldom behind him.As part of Lily’s settlements, I’m sure he plans to extract a personal payment from me that neither Lily nor the earldom could touch.”
Tabitha frowned.“Can he really think you are so desperate?”
“I imagine the uncles must have painted me as such.”He spoke with so little expression that she knew it hurt as well as annoyed.He cast her a quick smile, Jack once more.“They know I am here.I expect at least one of them within the next few days.I suspect you should also prepare for Ralph’s arrival.Shooting at Hunter might well have been a moment of madness, but now he’ll be determined to get Lily’s imaginary dowry before news of the alternative earl is out.”
Tabitha regarded him.“Do you know, before I met you, my life was dull?”
His smile dawned, sweet and yet heady in a way that was entirely adult.“Oh, so was mine.”
She almost took his arm, but quite suddenly her eyes fell on Carily, throwing himself back on the blanket and attracting the attention of the three young ladies.“Watch your back around him,” she said abruptly.
