He came in and took a seat next to her.
“And I was most certainly talking about you. You are impossible to win an argument with. You are too often right, it’s quite annoying,” she teased.
Miles harrumphed with a frown. But she could tell he was pleased with her description. She poured him a cup of tea. “Miles, this is our host, Mr. James Marlow. He is the one who scared off the highwaymen.”
“Thank you, sir. We are indebted to you,” Miles said.
“There are quite a few former smugglers at loose ends that have resorted to robbery of the coaches along this route. I always carry my pistol on my saddle. But it shouldn’t deter you from the beauty of this coastline. The town is lovely and is often bustling in the summer months with families visiting to enjoy the sea air and beautiful views.”
Miles turned to her. “I would love to stretch my legs and walk a bit. Would you accompany me?”
“Certainly, but are you sure you are feeling up to it?” Susanna chewed her bottom lip. She didn’t think he should wear himself out on the first day that he was finally up and moving around.
“The path to the beach from the house is a very easy walk. Perhaps half a mile,” Mr. Marlow offered.
“See an easy walk. Let’s go.” Miles’s expression was so eager she couldn’t say no.
“All right. Let me change into my half boots and grab a bonnet.”
They walked out of the house fifteen minutes later into bright sunshine and a cloudless blue sky. Miles paused and sucked in a deep breath. She studied his profile enjoying the sharp lines of his cheekbones and jaw. The dark mink of his thick eyelashes made her sigh with envy.
Miles turned his head to glance at her. “What was that sigh for?”
“Oh nothing, I was just thinking how beautiful your eyelashes are. Mine are barely visible. It is the curse of being a redhead.”
They began walking out of the back garden, through the gate, and made a left to head to the beach as Marlow had instructed.
“Why would it be a curse? Your hair is beautiful, striking.”
“That’s just it, it is striking. There is no blending in with hair like this. Which is why I decided long ago that standing out is far more fun than trying to look like all the others. But I did so wish on every star when I was younger to have lush dark lashes, like Charlotte.”
“Charlotte?”
“Your sister-in-law.”
“Ah yes, Daniel’s wife.”
She nodded. They continued to walk and she enjoyed the exercise. She ran her hands over the tips of the tall sea grass that they walked through. A small breeze kicked up and raced over the nape of her neck. Miles slid his hand into hers, threading their fingers together. Neither of them had worn their gloves and his hand was warm as it engulfed hers.
He squeezed her hand. “Tell me about how we met?”
She glanced up at him unsure. Just stick to the true parts. “Well, you were engaged to be married to Charlotte.”
“I was?!”
“Yes, but it was a marriage of convenience. You barely knew her. And her parents threw an engagement party at their country house, in Marbury. You had something very important to do elsewhere. You never did tell me what it was.” She frowned up at him. “You are always terribly busy. Anyway, you asked Daniel to go to the party in your stead, pretending to be you. And that’s how Daniel and Charlotte fell in love.”
This time he just raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“Yup, it was all very dramatic. In the end you ended up becoming part of our circle of friends. Charlotte and Daniel, Eleanor and Lucius, who is Charlotte’s brother, Olivia and her husband Max, and Sophia. And that’s how we became friends.”
Miles seemed to be filing away the information as he walked along. His brow wrinkled in concentration. She squeezed his hand this time. “It will all come back to you eventually.”
His expression cleared and he nodded. “I have spent the whole morning trying to remember even a shred of who I am. I sat in the bath turning into a prune concentrating on nothing. Everything is blank before I woke up next to you. It’s like there is a thick curtain blocking all the answers, but I can’t push it aside.” His stride lengthened and she lengthened hers as well to keep up.
Her lungs began to burn and her muscles felt warm and lax by the time they reached the sandy beach. Feeling energized she grinned up at Miles who looked down at her quizzically. She smiled. “I always enjoy walking with you because you never slow your pace just because I am a woman. You’re the only man of my acquaintance who doesn’t treat me like a hothouse flower.”
“Perhaps I just love to see your face flushed so prettily.” Then he leaned in and kissed her. Soft and tender, his kiss lasted mere moments. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she closed her eyes briefly to savor the taste of him. Then he was tugging her toward the water. When they had crossed the empty beach to the water’s edge Miles toed off his shoes.
