Page 46 of Kiss Me Lady One More Time
Penelope sighed. “Oh, well. We shall keep our eyes peeled, in any case.”
“Let’s take this bench. We can see the door clearly from here. And while we wait, you can tell me what occurred between you and Sterne. You were quite pink when Tensford and I left you, yesterday.”
For the first time, she didn’t wish to talk of it. Sterne was soskittish. She felt sometimes as if she were coaxing a feral creature out into the light. She straightened. Yes, that’s exactly what it felt like. He would take a step and happiness would bloom. He talked of connection and that was exactly what was between them, in both the emotional and physical sense. They had both been completely engaged yesterday, but she’d felt it when they were interrupted. He’d rethought it, stepped away, perhaps even regretted it. Back he’d gone, into the shadows. Why?
“I heard he left an article for you, this morning?” Hope raised a brow. “I think we should take it as a good sign.”
“I would like to,” she admitted. It wasn’t as solid and conventional a declaration as the traditional bouquet of flowers, but honestly, an article on the regional distribution of various and unique forms of North American fauna suited her so much better. “To tell the truth, though, I don’t know what to think, from one moment to the next. I feel pulled in and pushed away in rapid succession.”
Hope smiled reminiscently. “Tensford was much the same. I had to—Look!” her friend said suddenly. “Someone is approaching Sheffield’s door—and isn’t it your cousin?”
She craned her neck to see. “Yes. It is James.” She frowned. “The butler’s left him waiting on the doorstep.” She glanced over at her friend. “Is that usual?”
“No. It is not.” Hope frowned. “Either something is happening in that house or Mr. Lycett is known to the butler—and known not to be welcome.”
“Let’s walk a little closer.” Penelope pulled her bonnet strings tighter and the brim down lower. “Don’t let him see us, though.”
They strolled slowly, arm in arm, heads bent together to converse.
“He looks impatient,” she said. “Perhaps a little angry. And he’s still wearing that same coat, with the button missing.”
“That is surely not why he’s been kept waiting. Oh, here’s the butler now.” Hope tensed. “He’s turning him away!”
“And James is not happy about it.” She could hear the tone as her cousin railed at the servant, but could not make out the words.
“Let’s head for the gate over there. We’ll follow a bit and see what he does.” Hope said. “Whoops. There he goes. Hurry.”
“I don’t think Tensford would approve,” she objected, though she kept pace with her friend.
“Nonsense. We will go no further than Oxford Street, I promise.”
They didn’t have to go so far, in the end. James marched out of the square onto Orchard, but he didn’t walk for long. A carriage waited just at the turn onto Somerset. He climbed in and it started forward.
“Can you see any markings?” she asked.
“No,” Hope mused. “But I do believe I caught sight of a woman’s profile inside.”
They turned to walk back. “James keeps popping up.” And Penelope was getting an uneasy feeling about it. “You don’t suppose he’s involved with the stolen fossil, do you?”
“I hope not.” Hope squeezed her hand.
“I just can’t see it. He’s able to charm the women, but I’ve always thought it to be his only skill. Honestly, he’s not very bright.”
“It’s likely just a coincidence . . . wait! Look there! Isn’t thatourcarriage? And it has passed the turn into our side of the square.”
They watched while the carriage turned into the side of the square they’d been watching, and pulled up in front of Lord Sheffield’s home. The door opened and Tensford, Whiddon and Sterne spilled out and went to knock on the door.
“Well! They were admitted quickly enough, weren’t they?” Hope tugged on her arm. “Come. Let’s go see what is happening.”
***
“All I know is exactlywhat I’ve said.” The Viscount Sheffield sat at ease in a chair, puffing on a cigar. He’d offered them around, but only Whiddon had accepted. They both puffed contentedly, and smoke curled about all their heads.
“Start again, at the beginning, if you please,” Sterne asked.
Sheffield sighed. “Stillwater was here. He is a . . . correspondent, really, more than a friend. He’s as interested in the latest geological finds as I am, and we have occasionally shared information in order to fill out our fossil collections. He asked if he could stay here for a short time, and of course, I agreed.”
“But he is no longer staying with you?” Tensford asked.
