“Being the Marquess of Hawksridge comes with its own set of expectations,” Diana added. “If you care about upholding the family name. Some don’t, but my Miles is a good man.”
Everyone nodded. Even baby Emily gurgled her agreement. Susanna reached for the baby, “Can I hold you, sweet girl? Give your mama a break?” Emily didn’t protest as she lifted the baby from her mother’s arms. Susanna shamelessly sniffed her soft brown hair and placed a kiss on her crown. What was it that made babies smell so good? Someday, when she had tamed her dark-hearted pirate and traveled the world, she wanted one of these. Perhaps a wild little girl that she could take on adventures.
“She likes you,” Charlotte said. Then she sighed and stretched her arms out in front of her clasping her fingers and rolling her shoulders.
“Of course, she does. Everyone likes me,” Susanna cooed at the little girl.
Olivia set down her teacup. “Diana, will you come to Marbury this summer?”
“You are more than welcome at our home,” Charlotte said.
“I might later in the summer. I have plans to visit the Grangers at their fete in June. And then perhaps go see my friends in Brighton for a week or two. I have also been invited to visit with my cousin in Derbyshire.”
“My parents will be at the Grangers as well in June,” Susanna said. “My mother is quite looking forward to it.”
“Will you come along as well?”
Susanna shook her head. “Not if I can get out of it. Three weeks of socializing with my parents’ friends is not appealing. I’d much rather be poking around the bookstore in Marbury.”
Olivia grinned. “My new employee, Miss Martin is working out beautifully. Her cheerful demeanor will certainly bring in more customers.”
Susanna remembered her plans to find James Marlow. “That certainly is a lot of travel this summer, Diana. You know what I was recently wondering? Where was that lovely seaside place that you visited from the letters? Where did Mr. Marlow’s aunt live?”
“It was along the Dorset coast, Weymouth Bay.” Diana’s lips turned up in a soft smile. “It’s beautiful coastline. Grassy knolls, and dramatic cliffs.”
“Sounds idyllic,” Susanna said. Weymouth Bay. Excellent start. “Was his aunt his father’s sister or his mother’s sister? I remember from the letters that he supported his mother.”
“It was his father’s sister. She married Baron Heyward, the two of them were a cheerful couple I remember. Those holidays in Weymouth Bay were just lovely.”
“Probably due to Mr. Marlow and less to do with the scenery I would guess,” Susanna teased.
Diana blushed but nodded her head. “You may be right. Why so much interest in my holiday with Mr. Marlow?”
Susanna looked down at baby Emily and bounced her gently. “Oh, just thinking about summer holidays, I guess. Those beautifully written love letters have stuck with me. I’m happy we were able to get them back to you.”
*
Miles straightened thepile of papers in front of him, then shifted the organized pile to a shallow wooden box on the right corner of his desk for his assistant to file. He set his metal-tip pen carefully on to its ceramic dish, then twisted closed the lid to the inkwell. A sense of satisfaction bloomed in his chest at the neat desktop. It felt good to get his morning tasks accomplished before the meeting with his solicitor at four o’clock. Miles pulled out his watch, flipping open the top to check the time. He had twenty-two minutes.
He stood and crossed to the window. The view from his study encompassed the back garden. His gardening staff had done an excellent job planting flowers this spring. A riot of colorful blooms waved in the breeze from tidy beds. The fountain he had ordered was worth every penny. He pushed his window open, letting in the soothing and tranquil sound of gurgling water.
From the other side of the room the door opened and Miles turned with a frown. Who would dare enter his private study without knocking? Susanna glided in with a soft rustle of her green skirts. She didn’t pause at the glower he sent her but moved across to stand next to him at the window. She leaned against the windowsill and tilted her face up to the sunshine. “What a pleasant sound. I told you a fountain was the right choice for the garden.”
“Pardon?Youtold me?” Miles raised his eyebrows at her absolutely false statement.
Susanna’s lips quirked up. Her sunny smile spread, its warmth rivaling the sunshine outside. “Well, I definitely agreed with you.” She wandered over to his desk and ran her fingertips over its polished surface. Then she flipped up the lid on his snuff box. “I didn’t know you smoked.”
“I don’t. It’s there to offer to others.” He frowned as she shut the box with a snap. Her fingertips continued to walk across his desk. He suppressed a sigh, why was she in here disrupting the few moments of solitude he had before his next meeting? “Susanna, have you heard of knocking first? I’m busy.”
“If I knock then that would give you the opportunity to turn me away. And I need to speak with you.” She meandered over to the chess table and picked up the black king moving it to the middle of the board.
This time he didn’t hold back the sigh. “Are you purposefully trying to annoy me?”
Her gaze snapped up to meet his. Her eyes shined with humor. “Perhaps. Everything in here is so tidy. It makes me itch to muss something.” She moved the king back into place. “But that’s not why I’m here. I was just visiting with Charlotte and your aunt and I had an opportunity to ferret out some information about Mr. Marlow.”
The trouble with having guests is that there were always people in his house. He gestured for Susanna to take a seat in one of the chairs by the fireplace. “What did you find out?”
“The seaside villa where they visited his aunt and made love in the tall grasses—”
