“Yes, for certain.”He quietly tasted everything Tulip had served herself, piling a spoonful of each of her choices onto his own plate.
Nothing tasted amiss.
He also pretended to take an interest in the tea poured for her by a footman, taking a sip out of her cup before she’d had the chance to drink it herself.“Ah, that’s good.”
“Alex,” she said, laughing.“You could have asked for a cup of your own.”
“Would you care for tea, Your Grace?”the footman asked, holding out the teapot in his hand.
“No, just curious.I’ll have coffee.”
Once poured, he drank it slowly, trying to discern anything odd about the taste, but there was nothing wrong with the coffee, either.
In fact, it was quite good.
What was going on here?
Not that he should be irritated that a hearty breakfast had been served.
So what had Tulip taken last night to knock her out cold?
He did not like puzzles he could not solve.
Mr.Carver was waiting for them by the carriage when he and Tulip walked out of the manor house a short while later.“Climb in with us, Carver.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”He scampered in after them and took a seat across from him and Tulip.
It was a blustery morning, but the sun was still shining and the sky was a vivid blue.There was no threat of rain anywhere in sight, but English weather was always unpredictable.It was best to complete their tour of the local Davenport farms as soon as possible.
Alex kept the conversation light and pleasant as they rode toward the first farm.
He stared out of the carriage window as Mr.Carver and Tulip pointed to various places of interest.
For the most part, however, their carriage rolled swiftly along these rural roads that were fairly isolated.
The scenery was beautiful, a refreshing change from the crowded London streets, but the quiet was a bit disconcerting to Alex.
He’d grown used to the noises and odors of London.
He looked north and saw glistening water in the distance, the sun-dappled gleam of the Bristol Channel.
They rode past salt marshes and streams that were offshoots of the channel.
But as their carriage moved further inland, the terrain became lush and green.Those salt marshes were replaced by rolling hills and flower-dotted meadows.
Pastures were plentiful and divided by ancient stone fences.
Some of these pastures held sheep grazing on the grass while others had cows wandering in them.
He noticed several apple orchards on their approach to the first of his farms.
“Here we are, Your Grace.Lollibridge Farm,” his estate manager said with obvious pride, and then proceeded to give them a tour.“This one’s your largest and best producer.”
The farmer who ran the place came out to greet them as they began to walk around the grounds that were comprised mostly of apple orchards.
“This is Mr.Rawlings,” said Mr.Carver.
Tulip apparently knew him from church, for she stepped forward to greet him warmly.“How lovely to see you again, Mr.Rawlings.”
