‘Go along, Leo.’ Cassie twirled her parasol in a queenly fashion. ‘I’ll deal with any problems while you’re gone.’
‘Is that so?’ He quirked an eyebrow at her. ‘You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were beginning to feel at home here again.’
‘Oh, I’m enjoying myself immensely. I’ve already decided, we’ll be coming to your summer fair every year from now on.’
‘See what you’ve done?’ George lifted his eyes skyward.
‘You’ll be very welcome.’ Florence laughed, linking her arm through Leo’s and pulling him along beside her. ‘We won’t be long.’
‘You know, wecouldtake our time,’ he murmured, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close against his side. ‘There’s all sorts we could get up to in the woods.’
‘Not with my family and all of our tenants here, there isn’t.’ She nudged her hip against his. ‘What if somebody saw us?’
‘Good point. That could be awkward.’ He pressed his lips into her hair. ‘In that case, I suppose we’ll just have to wait until tonight.’
‘We will, but then I’ll be all yours.’ Heat rippled through her veins as she cast him a sidelong look. ‘Just like last year.’
‘I’ll find us some cushions.’ He waggled his eyebrows and then stopped abruptly, spying a couple strolling arm-in-arm along a nearby path. ‘Good grief. Is that—arethey—who I think they are?’
‘Mmm? Oh, yes.’ Florence nodded complacently. ‘I invited them.’
‘You invited Fitch and Sewell?’
‘Yes. It only seemed polite.’
‘It might be, but I’m still amazed they came, given how much they disapprove of everything we do.’
‘Actually I think those days might finally be over. I visited Mrs Fitch’s cottage to ask in person and she was much too embarrassed to be disapproving.’
‘Why embarrassed?’
‘Because when I arrived, Mr Sewell was already there, lookingverycomfortable.’ She smiled smugly. ‘I do believe they’re courting.’
‘Fitch and Sewell?’ Leo sounded disbelieving.
‘Yes. Isn’t it delightful?’
‘No.’ He put a hand over his face. ‘I don’t want to picture it.’
‘All right, but I’m still glad they’re here. Everything’s just as I hoped it would be.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Especially since I have an ulterior motive for inviting you to walk with me.’
He gave her a confused look. ‘I thought you just said that we couldn’t?’
‘Notthat.’ She rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her stomach. ‘There’s just something I need to tell you.’
He looked down and then up again, his jaw dropping with the motion. ‘You mean…?’
‘Yes.’
He caught her up in his arms and then quickly put her down again. ‘Sorry. I shouldn’t lift you.’
‘Of course you should. I don’t even have a bump yet.’ She beamed. ‘It seems you’ve fulfilled your “first and most urgent task”, after all.’
‘I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, so long as it’s healthy.’
‘Me too, but if it is a boy, we arenotnaming him after all the former marquesses.’
‘Agreed. And if it’s a girl…’ he crouched down, plucking a small white flower from the grass ‘…what do you think of the name Daisy?’
