‘He looks quite friendly to me.’ Leo leaned back against the pillows, folding one arm behind his head. ‘It seems that we forgot to close the curtains last night.’
‘Doesn’t your valet usually do that?’
‘Yes.’ He waggled his eyebrows. ‘Obviously he thought we shouldn’t be disturbed.’
‘You mean…’ She groaned. ‘I knew Rimmer could tell when we went downstairs yesterday. All the staff probably know, don’t they?’
‘Notall, I’m sure.’ He laughed at her mortified expression. ‘But they’re also discreet. You were absolutely right about them deserving an increase in their wages.’
‘And additional days off.’ She lay down again, nestling her head against his shoulder. ‘Speaking of which, we’ll need to fend for ourselves today.’
‘What about food?’
‘Oh, I told Mrs Hotham we still had plenty left in our hamper, so there was no need to worry about it.’
‘What did she say to that?’
‘She said she couldn’t possiblynotworry, so I insisted.’ She lifted her head slightly, propping her chin on his chest. ‘I doubt we’ll need any fires in this weather either, although if we do, I’m perfectly capable of building one myself. A marchioness might not be supposed to get her hands dirty, but I’m still a work in progress.’
‘You’re more than that…’ He lifted a hand, stroking it gently over her hair. ‘However, if the staff are all allowed a day’s holiday, I think we’re allowed one too. Starting with spending the rest of the morning in bed.’
‘That sounds good to me. Although bowls in the long gallery also looked quite fun. We could have a game of our own later?’
‘I’d like that.’ His gaze wavered, drifting towards the bedside cabinet. ‘In the meantime, I have a question.’
‘Mmm?’
‘It’s about your locket.’ He tilted his head to where she’d placed it last night. ‘Whose picture is inside?’
‘Why?’ She looked at him suspiciously. ‘You’re not jealous, are you?’
‘That might depend.’
She laughed. ‘Well, then, you’ll be relieved to hear that it’s nobody.’
‘It’s empty?’
‘Not exactly.’ She reached across, scooping the necklace up by its chain. ‘It’s hard to choose one picture when you have such a large family, so I decided it should contain something else instead. Look.’
He peered inside as she opened the oval-shaped locket. ‘Is that your house?’
‘Yes. This way, I’m including everyone who lives inside.’ She arched an eyebrow. ‘Happy now?’
‘Yes.’ He rested back against the pillows again. ‘You know, maybe we should pay them a visit?’
She caught her breath. ‘Do you mean it?’
‘Of course. You left your family, expecting to see them again in two and a half months, and it’s been almost four. I know you said you didn’t want to see the inside of another carriage for a long time, but if we wait until the autumn, the roads might be in too poor a condition for travel. If you’d like to go, we should go soon.’
‘I’d like it very much.’ She beamed at him. ‘I’d like for my parents to meet you too. The letter I received from them when we got back from London was…odd.’
‘How so?’
‘It’s hard to explain. Just…distant somehow, and formal, as though they thought they shouldn’t be writing to me now I’m a marchioness. I know our marriage must have come as a shock, but I’d like to go and reassure them that I’m still their daughter.’
‘Then that’s what we’ll do.’ He lifted the necklace and clasped it around her neck. ‘It’s about time I explained myself to your father as well.’
‘What do you mean?’
