“I know.”
Our eyes lock. He seems to hesitate, as if considering something. Then he says, “I do not wish to lose you.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Duncan. Like I said, I’m here to stay.”
“I mean… That is to say…”
He glances aside and then stops, eyes narrowing. I turn to see what he does, and a figure moves in the distance.
I instinctively roll over and flatten to the ground, which would be fine if I were wearing jeans and a T-shirt. I can only imagine how I look, flipping over in my skirts, because Gray’s eyes widen in alarm and he starts bolting up, as if he might need to save me from a seizure. I frantically motion for him to get down.
“Someone’s out there,” I say.
I literally just thought that no one can prove anything unless we’re found in a compromising position. Lying together on the grass in the middle of the night? Even if we’re fully dressed, that’s Victorian for “compromising position.”
Why the hell did we decide to picnic on a hilltop?
I lift my head. The figure is down by the road, making her way quickly toward the house. It’s a woman. I can tell that by the bonnet and shawl. Otherwise…? With the shawl, it could be any of the women in the house with the exception maybe of Alice, who is still too slender to be mistaken for a grown woman.
“Can you tell who it is?” I whisper.
“The shawl is…” He squints. “Brown? Blue? I cannot tell. The bonnet looks like Isla’s, but I will admit to paying little attention to the other women’s headwear.”
“It does look like Isla’s. Any chance she’s slipping out for a romantic assignation with Hugh?” I waggle my brows.
“One could hope,” he says. “While I doubt that would be the nature of their foray—sadly—they could be doing as we are. Slipping off for a night walk.” He cranes his neck farther. “Blast it, I should be able to tell whether or not that is my own sister, if only by height.”
“I was just thinking the same. She’s nearly half a head taller than any other woman here, but I don’t see anything to judge by.”
The figure is a few hundred feet away, hurrying along the moonlit road, with nothing nearby to allow us to determine her height.
She disappears around a bend, and I push up onto my elbows. “You wanted me to meet you at the sundial, which is only twenty feet from the door. Would Hugh let Isla meet him so far from the house?”
“That is an excellent point. No, not at night and certainly not with those traps about.”
“No one should be out with those traps about,” I mutter. “But first Archie is and now someone else.” I pause. “Could whoever that is be meeting Archie?”
“Then it wouldnotbe Isla. I cannot imagine any reason for Violet to meet him at night, but I suppose they might, if they needed to discuss some family matter in private. That is, as you would say, a stretch.”
“Mmm, maybe not? We overheard that fight about the whisky business. Violet assured us everything’s fine but…” I look at him. “How shady is Archie?”
“Interpreting your word choices in context, I presume ‘shady’ means someone who is dishonest in business in a fraudulent way. I would not be surprised if Archie was exaggerating his success somewhat. As one must often do in business.”
“Pumping it up for investors. If Violet knows, Violet and Archie could be discussing that. It could also be Fiona, but from what he said to Sinclair about her, there’s little chance Archie’s luring her out for stolen moments together, even if they are marrying in two days.”
“Agreed. The most likely suspect is Edith.”
“For stolen moments? Or business?”
“The latter.” He hesitates and then leans in. “Although, Archie and Edith did have an attachment years ago. Briefly.”
“Romantic or intimate?”
“Definitely romantic. Though it might seem hard to believe, Archie is a gentleman in such matters. He seemed to consider her as a potential bride, but then Hugh broke it off with Violet, and Archie and Edith’s attachment also ended.”
“Because one of them changed their mind? Or because Archie was told not to make any marriage plans, with Fiona in the wings?”
“I cannot say. And thinking more on it, I suppose I should not be so quick to presume Edith would be meeting him for business. That is simply more likely. She could have seen him go out and wish to confront him about her husband’s investment. But they do have a history, and while I cannot imagine anything illicit, there might be a personal reason for their meeting.”
