Page 7 of Kiss Me Lady One More Time
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Sterne tooka long drink of dark coffee and tried not to wince at the rattle of dishes as Tensford sat down to breakfast beside him.
His sharp-eyed friend caught the expression and laughed. “I did warn you.”
Lady Tensford paused on the doorstop of the dining room. “Warned him? What is it, Sterne? Are you not well?”
“I warned him last night that the mead at the Crown and Cock packs a wallop, for all that it goes down smoothly,” Tensford told her.
“Oh, dear. Shall I fetch you something from the stillroom? Does your head ache?” The countess eyed the plate in front of him, which held nothing but toast. “Or is it your stomach?”
“I am perfectly fine, though I thank you.”
“It’s no trouble,” she assured him. “We are already on our way up there.”
We?He looked up to see the lady had stepped further into the room and now Miss Munroe lingered in the doorway. The pounding in his temple kicked up a notch. She looked fresh and lovely in a sprigged white gown and a green spencer elaborately trimmed in lilac. His mouth, already dry, suddenly felt as parched as a desert. He took another long swig of coffee.
“Good morning, Miss Munroe,” Tensford said easily. “You are up and about early.”
“I’ve found an early start helps when I’ve something important to accomplish.”
She carefully did not look at him as she said it. She hadn’t spared him a glance at all, and suddenly it irritated him. “What do you have there, Miss Munroe?” He nodded toward her occupied hands.
She glanced down as if surprised. “Honey. We are making a trade.”
“Penelope is helping Mary Davies start an enterprise, selling honey,” Lady Tensford said with pride.
“Oh, that is a good idea.” Tensford put down his paper. “That family could use a boost and Mrs. Davies is far too proud to accept charity.”
“Mary is in need of some independence,” the girl said quietly.
“How?” Sterne asked abruptly. She still wasn’t looking at him, but he could not tear his eyes from her. She looked almost elfin with the morning light highlighting her cheekbones and sliding down the gentle slope of her face, passing that full mouth on the way to her narrow chin. His gaze wandered down and he looked at her fingers holding the jar and her slight wrists. She looked fragile, but he knew she was steady and strong—and her curves filled out that spencer in all the best ways.
“How?” she asked. “How . . . what?”
“How have you helped the girl begin her enterprise?”
“Well, we began by reading Monsieur Huber’s studies—”
“She’s done an incredible amount of work, that’s how she’s helped Mary Davies,” the countess interrupted. “She researched it all, helped Mary coil the straw and build the . . . what did you call them, dear?”
“Skeps.”Nowthe girl’s eyes were on him. She was watching for his reaction, he could tell.
“Yes, well, they’ve labored hard and now, at last they have honey ready to sell.” Lady Tensford took the jar. “I thought I would serve it to the women who come to work on our sachets and other products, in hope that they might want to buy from the Davies girl, as well.”
“Ah, yes. I remember your project, my lady.” Sterne frowned, pulling forth the memory. “You wanted to get a cottage industry going to help the wives of your tenant farmers earn a bit of extra money. Your lavender field has done well?”
“Extremely well,” she said with satisfaction.
“Well, it is the right soil for it, around here.”
“We are expecting a large crop soon and have been working to prepare for it.”
He looked back to Miss Munroe. “Why not set up a hive or two near the lavender field? The plants will benefit and you’ll get lavender scented honey. It will lift up both of your businesses.”
Miss Munroe blinked at him, but the countess clapped her hands. “What a marvelous idea! Thank you, Sterne.” She took the girl’s arm. “Come, let’s discuss it while I find that ointment you came for.”
The ladies departed and Sterne managed to choke down a piece of toast along with his next cup of coffee. Tensford sliced his sausage and watched him thoughtfully. “That truly was a clever idea.”
