A Lady Never Tells(64)

“Yes. Royce set off to look for you,” Fitz explained. “And now he appears to have disappeared as well.”

“I am certain he will turn up sooner or later,” Mary said cheerfully, walking away and pulling Rose with her. “Why don’t we go to the menagerie? No doubt when Sir Royce can’t find me, he will join us there.”

“No doubt.” Fitz’s eyes lingered on her face for a moment; then he turned. “On to the lions and tigers, ladies.”

“Mary! Slow down,” her sister said, half laughing. “You are practically dragging me.”

“Oh.” Mary glanced at Rose and obediently slowed down. “I’m sorry.”

“Is something the matter?” Rose asked in a low voice. “You seem … shaken.”
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“What? No. I …” She considered for a fleeting moment telling her sister what had happened with Royce, but quickly discarded the idea. She had always told Rose everything, but this was too fresh, too raw. Mary glanced behind them. They were several feet ahead of Camellia and Lily, with Fitz strolling along in the rear. Turning back, she whispered, “I thought I saw Cosmo.”

“What!” Rose looked at her in alarm, her face turning a deathly white. “Here? Are you sure?”

“No. He was so far away, I couldn’t be sure. I went after him to get a better look, but …” She shrugged. “I lost him.”

“You think he followed us here?” Rose gripped Mary’s arm so tightly it hurt.

“It seems absurd. Why would he? And if he had, why wouldn’t he make his presence known? He wouldn’t be content with following us about, going to the Tower and such. Besides, how would he know where we were?”

“He might have known the earl’s name,” Rose pointed out. “Mama could have told him at some point. If he tracked us down to Philadelphia and found out what ship we sailed on, he would have known we were bound for England—probably for Mama’s relatives. Why else would we come here? Even if he didn’t know the earl’s name, if he came as far as London, he could have picked up our trail again. I feel sure they would have remembered us at the inn—even more so because the Earl of Stewkesbury sent his servants to collect our trunks.”

Mary frowned. She had successfully concealed the reason for her agitation, but she was beginning to wish she had not brought up the other matter. “But to have followed us so quickly?”

“If you will remember, our ship was delayed by storms in the Atlantic. He could have left several days later and gotten here when we did. He might even have arrived before us.”

“But why? What could he hope to accomplish?”

“He wants me to marry Mr. Suttersby.”

“He cannot make you. He can’t even make you go back to Pennsylvania. We are free women and of age.”

“Not Camellia and Lily.”

“He’s not their guardian.” Mary thought with relief of Fitz’s words to her the other day. “The earl is. And the earl would not allow Cosmo to take them. I am certain of that. None of them would—not Stewkesbury nor Sir Royce nor Fitz.” She smiled. “Just think, Rose, we are not alone now. We have family who will help us.”

Rose’s brow unfurrowed, and she offered Mary a weak smile. “Yes, I suppose you are right.”

“I’m certain I am. It probably was not even Cosmo I saw, just someone with a fleeting resemblance. And if he does show up at the earl’s door, he will receive a welcome that’s even less warm than the one I got.” Mary chuckled at the thought and squeezed her sister’s arm. “That is as far as he’ll get. We won’t even see it, for tomorrow we’re leaving for Willowmere. We shall be miles and miles away. Cosmo won’t have the slightest idea where we are.”

Rose relaxed, her arm falling away from Mary’s. “Yes, of course.” She smiled, more naturally this time. “We will be far away and quite safe.”

“Exactly. Quite safe,” Mary repeated. Behind her she heard Royce call Fitz’s name, and she turned to look back casually. Royce was striding toward them, tall and relaxed, moving with easy grace.

She might be safe from Cosmo Glass at Willowmere, she thought, but how was she going to avoid the danger that was Sir Royce Winslow?

The party set off from Stewkesbury House right after breakfast the next morning. It was a relief to Mary to find that Sir Royce would be riding his horse. She had spent much of the previous evening wondering how she would act naturally, confined in the carriage with him, when every time she looked at him she was reminded of the soul-stirring kisses they had shared the afternoon before.#p#分页标题#e#