“What instrument are you learning?”
“The flute.”
“Hmmm, I bet it is challenging. But it doesn’t mean you should give up. And you should definitely respect your teacher and your sister for that matter. A gentleman does not malign a lady.”
“That’s what my da always says,” the boy grumbled.
“Will you come down now before you get into any more trouble?” He held a hand up to the boy. “I think you are making your situation worse by pelting your sister with apples.”
“Harry, just come down and I won’t tell Mother, I promise,” his sister called up. “And I’ll get you a bag of sugared nuts from the vendor at the fair tomorrow if you go to your lesson.”
Apparently, the boy had a liking for sugared nuts because the tree rustled and Harry shimmied down the trunk of the tree, jumping the last couple of feet to the ground.
“You promise?” Harry looked up at his sister.
“Yes, I promise. Now start walking, mister.”
The little boy turned and started down the lane with a skip in his step. His sister turned to Miles. “Thank you, sir. You did a good job diffusing the situation. He’s a good boy but his favorite uncle has just left to go home after a visit and he has been brooding the past couple of days.”
Miles fell in step next to her and they followed the boy back toward town. He should probably head back to the inn anyways. Ahead of them Harry stopped and turned to face them. “Uncle James tells the best stories. Why did he have to leave?”
“Because he had to go home. We’ll visit him soon at his house in the bay. Won’t you like that?”
“Yes! I love to swim.” His singsong voice rose and fell as he continued to walk ahead. “Swim, swim, I love to swim.”
Miles’s mind raced at the information she just imparted. It couldn’t be the same man, could it? No, it had to be a coincidence. “Excuse me, but may I ask your uncle’s name?”
She glanced at him askance. “Why do you want to know?”
“I am traveling to Weymouth Bay to find a man named James Marlow.”
Her eyes widened. “Yes, that’s my uncle. Why are you looking for him? Does he owe you money?” She took a step away from him.
“No, nothing like that. It is in fact a long story.” Miles cleared his throat. How did he explain the whole thing to her? He wished Susanna were here to do the story justice. That’s it, he would let Susanna explain. “It involves a relationship he had with my aunt. I am traveling with my…um my sister and she has it in her head to find him and help them rekindle the friendship they had. She could explain the whole of it much better than me.”
The woman still looked at him with distrust.Smart girl.He smiled hoping to put her at ease. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Miles Weston. My aunt is Diana Wells.”
“I’m Elizabeth St. George. And that is Harry. You said your aunt is Diana?”
Miles nodded.
“From the dedication in his book?”
Miles scrambled to remember everything Susanna had told him about the letters, but he didn’t remember anything about a book dedication. He thought it best to just agree. “Yes, the book dedication,” he repeated. He tugged off his hat and twisted it around and around by the brim. He was not good at falsehoods, but he was certain that this was the tip they needed. He jammed the hat back on his head. “Would you join me and my sister for supper tonight? We are staying at the Red Lion Inn. Susanna can explain the whole story far better than me.”
Miss St. George tilted her head and stared up at him. “I’ve always wondered about the woman he considered his muse. I will meet you and your sister. But I warn you, the owner of the Red Lion is a close family friend, so don’t even think you can take advantage of me. If I show up and there is no sister, I will scream bloody murder.”
Miles chuckled. He laid a hand on his heart. “I swear there is no cause for concern. Susanna will be very excited to meet you.”
She nodded. “Then I will see you this evening at the Red Lion.” She hurried to catch up with her brother.
Miles stayed in place to let them get ahead. He walked over to a nearby tree and plucked another apple from its branches. Taking a bite into the juicy fruit he smiled. He couldn’t wait to tell Susanna what he’d discovered today.
Chapter Twenty-One
He was stillsmiling as he walked down the lane that led past where Maddox had set up his circus for the fair. The exercise had invigorated him, and the clue he had discovered to Marlow’s whereabouts had been quite the piece of luck. He whistled as he walked toward the noise of the circus. Dogs barking and the neighing of horses along with Maddox’s booming voice all assailed his ears as he approached. Nothing could have prepared him for what was happening in the ring.
Susanna rode her horse around the ring at a gallop. Well, not exactly rode. She hung off one side of the horse with one foot in the stirrup and one hand on the pommel. Her other arm and leg were outstretched in an arabesque, her hair flowing behind her in a stream of copper fire. He stood rooted to the ground in fear. She was going to fall and be trampled.
