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August blinked. Two of what?

Whispers reached his ears in the silence, and he was brought back to the very real and very alarming present.

Two, Livvy had said. Two people. Two people who could very well discover them and ruin both of their lives forever. He needed to focus. Livvy was depending on him to rescue her from this situation that he alone had brought her into.

He peered through the dogwood branches that held buds of promised leaves, shifting back and forth before seeing that there were, indeed, two individuals walking on the pathway nearby. From the looks of them, one was male, the other female.

Who on earth could they be? Had Sir John returned and was now taking a midnight stroll with his mistress? Or had one of the other gardeners discovered how lovely a nightly walk through the gardens could be with a significant…

His heart dropped. It was Emma and Nicholas.

Conflicting feelings rose within him, his mind spinning as he tried to process them all. On the one hand, he couldn’t be more relieved to know that his friends were in the gardens, for he trusted them more than anyone. They would never reveal to the Mount that August and Livvy had been discovered alone in a compromising situation.

On the other hand, a wave of dread rushed over him. Livvy couldn’t discover that Emma and Nicholas were together. Not only had Mr. May instructed August to keep to himself the charade between him and Emma, but also, if Livvy discovered the truth, August would have to ask her to keep their secret, too. How could he ask that of her when he was already lying to her?

Then another thought occurred. Even though he trusted Emma and Nicholas, he didn’t necessarily wish for them to know he was there with Livvy. They would ask him questions, particularly why he was hiding in a bush with a single woman. But August couldn’t answer truthfully without jeopardizing them both.

The easiest solution would be for Livvy to not discover the couple at all.

He shifted in the dirt soundlessly, ready to point out the moon above, the dirt below—anything to pull her attention away from the others—but he froze when she leaned toward him, their shoulders pressed against each other.

“That be Miss Pengelly and Mr. Cuff.”

August cringed. Blast this woman’s astuteness. “I…I don’t believe so.” He narrowed his eyes, feigning ignorance. “It be another gardener, per’aps.”

The words fell flat even for his own ears. Though, he couldn’t be entirely certain, as his head still spun due to their shoulders touching.

Livvy looked over at him, but he couldn’t meet her gaze. “Ye don’t ’ave to pretend any longer. I know they be in a relationship.”

He opened his mouth to protest again, then stopped. He’d promised himself to be honest with Livvy in every other way he was allowed to be. So honest, he would be.

With a heavy sigh and sunken shoulders, he nodded. “Yes, it be them.”

Her hand loosened her grip on his at the knowledge of their safety. Did she wish for him to let go of her, then?

With great reluctance, he did just that, though he regretted the decision immediately. “Forgive me for lyin’ to ye ’fore,” he said.

“Ye don’t ’ave to apologize. Ye were keepin’ the secret for your friends.”

Would she still feel that way if he told her that was the very reason he was doing her father’s bidding? “’Ow long ’ave ye known?” he asked.

“I’ve suspected somethin’ for a week now, but tonight settled it. I knew ye be too honorable to ask me to join ye tonight if ye be truly attached to Miss Pengelly.”

For the second time that night, he was grateful for the darkness, if only so his blush could remain unseen. She thought him honorable?

“Seein’ ye and Mr. Cuff exchange letters in the gardens this mornin’ was what convinced me, though,” Livvy continued.

Of course. He’d told Nicholas it was a stupid idea.

“No one will see us in plain sight, August.”

No one, indeed.

Livvy shifted, and their shoulders pulled apart.

August stifled a sigh. “And ’ere I be, thinkin’ I be so clever keepin’ their secret.”

The moonlight pushed its way through the boxwood branches, revealing a slight smile on her lips. “Ye were,” she assured him. “No one else would s’pect a thing. But ye be no match for me spyin’.”