Annie nodded. “I cannot wait to see them.”
“Enjoy yourself, pet,” Hattie said.
“I’m already enjoying myself, Hattie,” she replied, thinking she could never have imagined such a perfect start to their afternoon jaunt.
“And please be careful,” Janet added. “Don’t fall in the river!”
“Never fear, ladies,” Julian said, taking Annie’s hand to help her into the carriage. “I promise I’ll have Miss Fairfax back before dark.”
*
“The visit wentwell, I think.” Julian closed his fingers against the fading tingle of Annabelle’s touch as the carriage set off down the lane. “A pleasant start to our outing.”
“The visit wentverywell,” Annabelle replied. “I could not have wished for better.”
“Told you so.” Evie gave her brother an impish smile. “Clara and I can behave ourselves when we want to.”
“There should never be a question of wanting to,” Julian replied. “And, since the day is not yet over, I’ll reserve judgment on your behavior for the time being, but I have to say, so far so good. Keep it up.”
“I’ve decided I’m going to ask Papa if I might have a dog,” Clara said, wriggling in her seat. “A little one, like Ruffy.”
“I believe there’s a lady in the village who has some puppies for sale,” Annabelle replied. “Very similar in appearance to Ruffy, I’m told.”
Julian barely stifled a grin at Annabelle’s implication. “The answer is ‘no’,” he said, as Clara opened her mouth to speak. “We are not going to look at puppies today.”
“Tomorrow, then?” Clara asked.
“We’ll see,” Julian replied.
Evie nudged her sister. “Which means ‘yes’.”
As the twins continued to discuss the likelihood of acquiring apuppy, Julian leaned a little closer to Annabelle. “I hope you approve, Miss Fairfax,” he said, softly, “of my inviting the twins.”
“I most certainly do,” she replied. “They are so much fun.”
Julian winced. “Well, that’s one way of describing them.”
She laughed. “No, really, Mr. Northcott, it’s perfect. Hattie is a dear, and she means well, but she can be a little…”
“Fierce?”
Annabelle laughed again and cocked her head. “She means no harm. In any case, it seems you won her over today. Miss Caldridge, as well.”
Julian’s mouth quirked. “Did I?”
“You know you did, sir.”
Yes, he knew, though he’d merely been himself, no pretense, no charades. Unlike, he suspected, the two women in question who, in his opinion, were not quite all they seemed to be. The first time he’d met Hattie Henshaw, he’d felt it. A sense of covertness, specifically when she’d denied knowing the location of Annabelle’s childhood exodus to the north of England. That same feeling had arisen when he’d met Miss Caldridge, or rather, encountered her in the long gallery.
“They’re merely protective of me,” Annabelle added. “Especially Hattie.”
No, Julian thought, it was more than that. Having just seen the two ladies together, he was more convinced—and intrigued—than ever. He’d surreptitiously watch the looks the women had exchanged during that half-hour. It was a shared language, silent, but well-practiced, the meaning known only to them. Annabelle was either oblivious to it or misread it completely.
He twisted in his seat, facing her. “How long have you known them?”
Annabelle’s brows lifted slightly. “Hattie and Jan… er, Miss Caldridge? I’ve known Hattie all my life. That is, for as long as I can remember. I’d never met Miss Caldridge till we arrived here last month. I didn’t even know she existed, actually, although Hattie insists she mentioned her to me in the past. Perhaps she did, but I have no recollection of it.”
“So, Miss Caldridge is related to Hattie?’
