“And he wouldn’t even give us a hint.” Ellie cast him a glower he could be proud of.
“I most certainly did,” he said. “I told you it was something you both wanted.”
“That could beanything!” Ellie said.
“You want to eat only parsnips for a year?” Lord, it felt so good to tease his girls again. He hadn’t felt this alive in ages.
Anne laughed right along with him but mercifully saved the girls from their worry about a year’s diet of parsnips. “Your father has agreed to a puppy, just like little Flash.”
The girls launched themselves at him, then at Anne, taking turns hugging them both, their tear-stained faces radiant with happiness.
“I wrote to Mr. Ford first thing this morning.” He leaned closer and whispered in Anne’s ear. “And to your brother. If he agrees, and there aren’t three puppies available, I’ll enquire about another litter.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Colin.”
And although his daughters’ gratitude pleased him immensely, Anne’s joy soaked into him like rain after a long drought. He wanted to thank her for bringing joy back into his life and making him feel alive again. Hell, he wanted to kiss her soundly, pleasureher with his mouth again, explore more of her delightful book. But if he didn’t get his thoughts under control, he would embarrass himself in front of his girls.
Voice gruff with need, he managed a few words as he extricated himself from Anne’s arms. “You’re welcome. Now, if you all will excuse me, I have work to do.”
Cassie and Ellie had grown accustomed to abrupt exits, but the expression on Anne’s face cut him like the tip of Grey’s épée.
He strode to his study with mixed feelings of elation and guilt, but he vowed to make it up to Anne when they were alone later. As he entered, he came to a halt upon seeing Greene adjusting some papers on his desk.
“Greene?”
The man gazed up, his expression not quite one of guilt, but certainly not innocence. “My lord. I was looking for you.”
“Indeed? And you couldn’t see I wasn’t in the room from the hallway? Did you think perhaps I was hiding behind the desk?”
“Of course not, sir, but I remembered you needed the inkpot replenished.”
Which would be a maid’s duty. However, Colin didn’t press the matter and instead took a seat at his desk. “And that’s all?”
“Yes, sir. Unless you have need of me, I shall take my leave.”
Greene was halfway to the door when Colin stopped him. “Greene, I want the final entrance to the passages sealed. Choose one trusted footman and attend to it when I’m not here.”
With a nod, Greene left, moving faster than Colin could recall.
Inkwell? He’d penned the letters to Mr. Ford and Andrew Weatherby that morning, and the inkpot had been half full. A quick glance at the clear bottle confirmed his suspicions. Greene had lied. But why?
Had he been looking for something on or in the desk? Colin ruffled through the papers and found nothing out of the ordinary. Reports from his steward on the projected yield of crops, a request from a tenant for repairs, and a letter from Mr. Sedley to discuss Colin’s run for MP.
Reminded of his promise to his father toobtain the writ of acceleration, Colin fell back against his chair and exhaled a heavy sigh. So close. So close. Was it too much to hope the request would be denied and his father would make a speedy recovery?
Perhaps under Ashton’s, Somersby’s, or Marbry’s care, his father’s diagnosis would prove false.
A dry laugh escaped him. Married only two days and he’d already adopted his wife’s sunny optimism.
Oh, Anne. How she had turned his world upside down. Thoughts of her reminded him of his request for Greene to seal the passage. He wouldn’t put it past her to go snooping around and stumble upon the entrance.
And he couldn’t have that.
CHAPTER 28
Aweek later, having grown tired of searching the other rooms for another entrance to the secret passage and waiting for the study to be unoccupied, Anne sought out Colin.
As expected, she found him with his head bent over some papers in his study.
