‘Exactly.’
‘And then, when the picnic is finished, we can clear the blankets away and have dancing!’
He smiled. ‘It’s beginning to sound better than the original plan.’
‘So we don’t have to cancel?’
‘And let Fitch and Sewell win? Absolutely not.’
‘This is going to work. Leo, you’re a genius!’
‘I’m glad you think so.’ His gaze dipped to the top of her nightdress. ‘I like this.’
‘Do you?’ Her voice sounded curiously high-pitched all of a sudden. ‘It was a present from Cassie.’
‘I like that less.’ He gave her a wry look. ‘But you look very pretty. Mornings suit you.’
‘Oh.’ She ran her tongue between her lips as the air around them felt very dry suddenly, despite the rain outside. Half of her was distracted by the long list of jobs already stacking up in her head. There was justsomuch to think about. Aside from moving furniture, messages needed to be sent out all over the estate. People needed to be told about the change of plan before they assumed everything was cancelled. Only the other half of her didn’t care about any of that, not when Leo was standing right in front of her, his eyes smouldering so intensely that she felt as if a match had just been struck between them.
It was almost funny, she thought, considering how fast she’d run into his bedchamber, how impossible she found it to move now. Only it wasn’tactuallyfunny and she wasn’t completely still either. Her insides were swirling wildly, making her tremble with nervous energy. It occurred to her suddenly that she no longer thought of him as the scowling and severe Marquess of Rainton, the man with storm clouds for eyes, who’d arrived in London and begun paying court to Amabel. Whoever that man had been, the one standing before her now was somebody else entirely, somebody who’d kissed her on the beach yesterday andwho she wanted to kiss again, even though now really wasn’t the time.
‘You’re shivering.’ His hands skimmed the sides of her waist. ‘I’d offer you my robe, only…’
She didn’t let him finish, lifting up on her toes to press her lips against his.
He gave a low moan and then swept his arms around her, pulling her flush up against him, until she was completely enveloped in his body heat and the swirling sensation was a practical hurricane.
‘We could just cancel the fair,’ he murmured.
‘We can’t.’ She kissed him one last time before pulling away reluctantly. ‘It would let too many people down.’
‘Then we take this up again later. Tonight.’
‘Tonight,’ she agreed.
Three hours later, Florence stood in the middle of the ballroom and marvelled at the transformation that had occurred since that morning. The huge empty space had metamorphosed into a countryside idyll. There were tubs of flowers all around the walls—considering the number of children attending, vases had seemed like an invitation to trouble—garlands and ribbons around the windows, and an assortment of brightly coloured blankets on the freshly polished floor, as well as a few tables and chairs for the older guests.
‘That’s it!’ She wiped the back of her wrist across her forehead. ‘I think we’ve done pretty well.’
‘We’ve done more than that. We’ve worked wonders.’ Jane, standing beside her, exhaled loudly. ‘I never imagined that being a lady’s maid would involve quite so much flower arranging.’
‘It’s just for today, I promise.’ Florence smiled apologetically. ‘At this rate I’ll have to promote you to Housekeeper.’
‘No, thank you. Clothes and hair I can manage. The rest of the house, absolutely not.’
‘Fair enough.’ She braced her hands on her hips. ‘You know, His Lordship said he was going to write to his man of business in London to fill the position, but is there anybody downstairs you might recommend instead?’
‘I don’t think so.’ Jane scrunched her mouth up thoughtfully. ‘Mrs Fitch was so strict that most maids left after a couple of years. And those of us who stayed were hardly ever given any additional responsibilities. That’s how she kept control of everything.’
‘So there’s no natural successor?’
‘Not really, except…’ Jane snapped her fingers ‘…Catherine Chenoweth. She stuck it out as a maid a good fifteen years before taking another position last November. I suppose she gave up hope of Fitch ever retiring.’
‘Was she good at her job?’
‘Very, and we all liked her. She was the one everyone went to with problems when we knew Fitch would only have scolded us. I don’t think I ever heard her raise her voice or say a bad word about anyone. She’s Housekeeper to Squire Norris now, but I’m sure she’d jump at the chance to come back.’
‘That sounds promising.’ Florence pursed her lips. ‘But the squire might not be pleased if I poach his housekeeper.’
