Page 80 of The Muse of Maiden Lane

“I’m no Pre-Raphaelite,” Teddy said. “Biblical symbolism is lost on me.” He drove on alongside her in the direction of the Serpentine. “I can tell you, however, that in terms of light, you and your mare are magnificent.”

Stella briefly turned her head away from him, embarrassed by the compliment. “In terms of light,” she repeated as though examining the phrase. “What manner of light? Is it the sun? The shadow?”

He caught her eyes. “Starlight, of course,” he said solemnly. “For you, it will always be starlight.”

Her cheeks took on a faint hint of color. “You’re incorrigible. I haven’t even asked how you are yet, and you’re already plying me with your beastly artistic compliments.”

They weren’t purely artistic anymore. Not after that kiss. Teddy wasn’t too proud to acknowledge it, even if it was only to himself.

“You can still ask me,” he said. “If you must insist on preserving the proprieties.”

“How was your journey from Devonshire?” she inquired.

Teddy’s smile broadened at her air of formality. “Long,” he replied frankly. “The Finchleys accompanied us. We’re staying with them in Half Moon Street for the remainder of the month.”

“And your other friends? Did you leave them in good health?”

“They were hale and hearty enough when we departed Devon. The only person suffering any ill effects is my sister. Though it’s to be expected, given her condition. She and my brother-in-law have lately learned that they are to be parents.”

“Oh!” Stella’s eyes lit. “What happy news! You shall be an uncle.”

“Indeed.”

“You don’t sound very enthused. Don’t you like babies?”

“They’re very loud, in my experience. And perpetually sticky, with I don’t know what. Other than that—”

Her mouth quirked with amusement. “Spoken like a confirmed bachelor.”

“But true, nonetheless,” he said.

They continued over the rolling green that led away from Rotten Row. Hyde Park was a vast expanse, with more in common with a rambling country woodland than an isolated patch of grass in a bustling city. The further they drifted from the daily promenade, the fewer horses and carriages there were to distract them.

Stella allowed her mare to stretch into an extended walk. If she’d given a cue, Teddy hadn’t seen it. He at once comprehended why.

She had extraordinarily quiet hands, and an equally quiet seat. It was all of a piece with the mask she often wore. That beguiling expression of tender gravity that had left him riveted the first time he’d set eyes on her. It was beguiling precisely because of the fathomless depths beneath.

Indeed, she appeared to ride as she lived. Under her luminous stillness, she was subtly at work, managing her high-spirited mare with invisible aids—slight shifts in her weight, unseen pressure from her leg, and delicate crooks of her fingers.

“Is Mrs. Archer very ill?” she asked.

“A minor indisposition,” Teddy said. “It’s not uncommon in her condition, but it makes crossing the Channel at the end of the month an uneasy prospect for her. She isn’t much looking forward to it.”

“Sea sickness, of course. It must be doubly trying if one is expecting a baby.”

“Undoubtedly,” he said. “Though, Laura claims that the happiness of her condition outweighs any discomfort.”

“I’m sure it does,” Stella said. “She and Mr. Archer must be overjoyed. Please convey my best wishes to them.”

“I shall.” Teddy again caught her gaze. He hadn’t come to the park today to talk about his sister and brother-in-law. “Enough about my family,” he said. “How are you? That’s more to the point.”

“I’m very well. I am here, as you see.”

“I never doubted you would be. But how did you manage your escape from Elba? I trust you didn’t travel alone, as you threatened to do.”

“I would have done,” she said. “I’d even purchased a rail ticket to London, to my brother’s dismay. But before I could use it, the imperial guard arrived to rescue me.”

“The imperial guard?” He laughed.