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Sebastian was still chuckling to himself as he made his way back to his grandfather’s side. That unbound, flaming red hair on Calliope’s head was flying out behind her like a battle flag. Already she had made it nearly halfway to the village.
“It’s a shame you didn’t have the foresight to attend an old man,” his grandfather snapped when he returned to his side. “I’m starting to wonder if I’m the only person that has any sense around here.”
Seb lifted a brow, even though he had returned to pushing his grandfather’s chair and he couldn’t see the action. “Are you saying you didn’t like Lady Calliope?”
“Stop putting words in my mouth,” the gruff voice returned. “I will say she’s got a sharp tongue in that head of hers.”
Sebastian laughed. “So, do you.”
The marquess snorted. “You are as hardheaded as your mother was when she was a gel in leading strings!”
He clamped his mouth together to keep from chuckling.
“I’m not sure you can reel that one in. She’s a real spitfire.” The marquess shook his head and grumbled. “There has to be some Scottish in that line.”
Sebastian wisely kept his thoughts to himself as he helped his grandfather back to their rooms. As the marquess waved him away with the desire to rest, Seb found himself left to his own devices. Since he didn’t think Lady Calliope would appreciate him calling on her across the street, he decided to stroll along the storefronts in the village. A little-known fact that his good friend, Grey didn’t know about him was that Seb actually enjoyed rock collecting. Although he didn’t have much room in his bachelor’s lodgings to display the specimens he found, he kept a decent collection at his estate.
He wasn’t sure why he’d never told anyone about his secret obsession, but perhaps it was because he hadn’t wanted anyone to think of him as some sort of scholarly type, when quite the opposite was true. He didn’t care for science or astronomy or mathematics. He just liked how some rocks shone with a certain inner light and how various patterns preserved from the passage of time looked as though they were painted by a celebrated artist.
Thus, when he spied the Anning fossil shop, he found himself heading in that direction.
An older woman glanced up as he entered and offered him a polite smile. It was obvious at first glance that she had fallen on hard times. Her clothes were worn and mended several times over, but she comported herself as gracious as any society hostess. “Good day, sir, and welcome to Lyme Regis.”
He lifted a brow and teased, “How did you know I wasn’t one of the locals?”
She laughed. “I daresay it wasn’t difficult to discern at all. Everything about you speaks of a Londoner.”
“Hmm.” He lifted a hand and rubbed the days’ worth of stubble along his jawline. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No, it just means you don’t blend in easily here.”
He gave a mock sigh. “I fear you are quite right.” He bowed lightly. “My name is Sebastian Ford.” He left off the title on purpose. He found that people were more genuine when they assumed he wasn’t part of the upper class.
“Mrs. Molly Anning,” she returned pleasantly. She gestured to the interior of the store. “Is there anything in particular I can help you find?”
“Not really. I just happen to have a particular fondness for special rocks.” He shrugged. “It’s something of a hobby.”
She nodded. “Then you came to the right place. My son and daughter have filled these shelves with everything from seashells to preserved bones. Feel free to take a look around and let me know if I can help you.”
Sebastian nodded his head, as the lady continued about her work, temporarily slipping away into a back room.
He clasped his hands behind his back and carefully inspected each item that was displayed. There was everything from small boxes and hand mirrors covered with shells as a decoration piece, and a few chains with shells attached as a piece of jewelry. Of course, everything was meticulously cleaned and polished, so that each bit of detail could be seen.
Sebastian paused when he caught sight of something that looked remarkably like a tooth carved into the side of a rock. He blinked, and then picked it up to study it more closely. The impressions on the side told him it was likely just a preserved plant of some kind, but it definitely made him look twice. For that reason alone, he decided that it needed to be in his personal collection. A decided souvenir from his time here.
Unless he managed to charm Lady Calliope as well.
“You have this annoying habit of showing up like a bad penny, Lord Blakely.”
Sebastian dropped his head. He turned around to see Lady Calliope regarding him with annoyance and he couldn’t stop a lazy grin from spreading across his face. If he could simply think of her and she might appear, he would have to try it a bit more often to see if he came up with similar results. “Surely you can’t fault me for wishing to peruse some of the local shops?” he murmured dryly. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do, or so they say.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have anything better to do than harass me?”
He laughed aloud. “In point of fact, my lady, I was minding my own business when you accosted me.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t act the innocent. We both know you are far from it. I do not appreciate you playing these games at my expense. I came here for a purpose, and I won’t have you distracting me.”
He immediately latched on to that. “I distract you, do I?”
