"To avoid the children?" he said. "I must admit to a fondness for them all. It is pleasant, however, not to be 'Uncle Joe' every ten seconds."
"Not for that reason either," Honor said, the parasol positively whirling above her head.
"Very well, you have your wish, ma'am,"Sedgeworthsaid, resting his oars and giving her the whole of his attention. "I am fit to bursting with curiosity. Why did you bring me out here, as you putit?Thoughto my way of thinking it is I who have brought you out here. At least I have the oars."
"I want you to discover that you are madly in love with me and cannot live without me," Honor said. "And I want you to persuade Jane to release you from your engagement."
"Ah, is that all?" he said. "Why did you not say so immediately instead of building such suspense, my dear Miss Jamieson?"
"I am serious!" Honor said dramatically.
He looked at her, and his eyes remained steadily on hers for several seconds. "I think you had better start at the beginning, if there is a beginning to all this," he said, the teasing inflection gone entirely from his voice.
"Do you love Jane?" Honor asked.
"She is to be my wife,"Sedgeworthsaid quietly. "Of course I love her."
"Yes, I know that," Honor said impatiently. "But do youloveher is what I mean. Are your feelings deeply engaged?"
"Forgive me," he said, "but is that not a private matter between Jane and me?"
"I need to know," she said, leaning forward in her seat. "If the answer is no, then I may proceed with Plan A. If yes, then I must move on to Plan B."
He did not smile at the absurdity. "Suppose you proceed with Plan A," he said. "It sounds quicker."
"Have you realized," she asked, "that Jane and Lord Fairfax are head over ears in love with each other?" He did not respond. "It is as plain as the nose on your face."
"What has led you to believe so?" he asked eventually. He picked up the oars again almost absently and began to row.
"I must admit that I did not really notice until last evening," she said, "though looking back, I believe it has been obvious for some time. When I went to the music room to call them for tea last night, Jane came rushing out of the room before I got there and dashed up the stairs. I do not believe she even saw me. And I do not believe she had a headache, as Lord Fairfax said when he came to the drawing room later. People do not rush when they have a headache. And when I listened at the music-room door, there was no music. Just silence. Yet Lord Fairfax did not come out either.
"I grant that that is not a great deal of evidence. But I have observed them both closely today. They are both desperately unhappy, and they have a way of looking at each other, or not looking at each other, that tells a clear story."
Sedgeworthrowed several powerful strokes before he said anything. "I think perhaps your imagination has been overactive, Miss Jamieson," he said. "I cannot believe that either Jane or Fairfax would carry on such a… flirtation behind my back."
"Exactly!" said Honor. "That is why they are unhappy. It has obviously taken them by surprise. Do not take my word for it, sir. Observe for yourself later today. But if it is true, then you must set her free. And the best way to do that is to do as I say. Pretend that you are the one wishing to be released."
"Do you love your cousin so much that you are willing to become involved in such a way?" askedSedgeworth. "I thought you were trying to engage Fairfax' affections for yourself."
Honor pulled a face. "I was," she admitted. "But appearances can be deceiving, you know. Behind the handsome exterior of Lord Fairfax lives a man whose way of life would have me screeching with boredom within a fortnight."
Sedgeworthsmiled despite himself. "Then why are you willing so actively to intervene on his behalf?" he said."And to doom your cousin to such a life of boredom?"
"But you are involved too, sir," she said. "You would be desperately unhappy, would you not, to discover too late that your wife and your closest friend love each other?"
"And do I matter to you, Miss Jamieson?" he mocked.
Honor opened her mouth to reply, blushed scarlet, and suddenly discovered something of remarkable interest to the right of the boat. "Look, the island," she said brightly. "We are quite close. Do let us land, sir, and see what is here."
"Nothing but trees and overgrown grass, I would guess," he said, turning the boat and pulling directly for the shore.
Honor vaulted out almost without the assistance of his hand. She left her parasol in the boat. She ran amongst the trees, swinging around some of the narrower trunks, determinedly gay.
"How marvelous!" she called back toSedgeworth. "I would love to be marooned here—with the right gentleman, of course." She laughed brightly.
"It is a shame I tethered the boat so carefully then," he said, coming up to her just before she whisked herself away again.
"Will you please stop?" he said when he came close to her again. "There is more to say, Miss Jamieson. If you are right, and I follow your suggestion, what about the humiliation to you? Your cousin's betrothal is broken because of you, and then the gentleman escapes alone to the Continent."
