Tinsdale was dressed for travel and readied to depart without delay for Raven’s Park. Settling into the cushioned seat, Natalie was grateful her mother had not allowed her to attend the breakfast. As the travelling coach pulled into traffic, she allowed her tears to fall.
She felt both happy and sad for Joseph. She was happy for Lilly and the duke. And she was frightened for herself. Would she ever find love? Natalie collapsed into Tinsdale’s familiar warmth and allowed her old nanny to comfort her.
“There, there, luv,” Tinsdale cooed. “Let’s get you home. Everything will work out. You trust your old nurse now. You’ll feel much better when we get home.”
After two days of travel,being at home had, in fact, brought Natalie some small comfort. At least here, she could go outside whenever she wished. She could spend hours at a time taking nature walks outdoors—alone—without a maid trailing her.
But even that was not enough to shake her doldrums.
So, upon sensing a lowering of her father’s watch, on thisparticular morning, Natalie took it upon herself to venture off the estate and go into the village alone.
Rising earlier than all but the servants, Natalie set out on foot, determined to enjoy the beautiful day. She’d known these people as far back as she could remember and welcomed the familiarity of the village as she greeted the milliner, the baker, and the dressmaker. But ultimately, she still just felt…flat. Everything, everyone else, it seemed, was exactly the same as always.
It was she who had changed.
Despondent, Natalie headed home. Perhaps tomorrow she would take some baskets around to the poor. Her mother swore helping others was the best way to lift one’s own spirits. She wished she’d had the foresight to think of this today. For already, restlessness nipped at her heels once again.
Natalie’s agitation increased even further when she stepped into the foyer of the large country manor. Mr. Winston, the ever-present butler, stood at the door to assist her, the same as he’d done a million times before. He waited patiently as she removed her bonnet and then unbuttoned and peeled off her gloves.
Looking up to thank him, Natalie noticed a small nick along the butler’s jaw. “Still letting Marcus practice on you, Winston?” she asked. Winston did not deserve her ire. He’d done nothing to cause it.
Mr. Winston nodded. “Indeed, my lady. He is improving, though.” Pointing to the cut, he added, “This one is from two days ago. I’m hoping it’s the last.”
Marcus was a favorite amongst the servants. At seventeen, the illegitimate son of her father’s valet hoped to become a gentleman’s gentleman himself someday. He’d yet to master the fine art of shaving, though.
Natalie unconsciously touched her own face. A cut with arazor must be painful indeed! Her smile brightened momentarily. “You are too kind, Winston, far too kind.”
The sound of rapid footsteps descending the large curving staircase interrupted her musing. Neither her mother, her father, nor any servant clipped down the stairs in such a carefree fashion. She gawked upwards and let out a happy squeal. Stone!
He and Darlington had been traveling throughout all of England this spring, and they’d barely arrived back in London in time to attend Joseph’s wedding. She, of course, had not been able to stay to visit with them. They must have arrived home while she was out.
She wassohappy to see him! His dear, sardonic smile told her he understood exactly what she was going through. In possession of considerably more charm than her other brothers, Stone had the uncanny ability to turn her mood without uttering a single word. His easygoing personality made him an excellent counterbalance for Roman, the eldest and their father’s heir.
She ran up the steps and threw herself into his arms. “Oh, Stone! I am so happy to see you!” Her brother grasped the balustrade so the exuberance of her welcome didn’t send them both tumbling. Laughing, he returned her embrace affectionately with his free arm.
Natalie spoke into his shirt front. “You certainly took your time in London. You are staying for a while, aren’t you? I’ve been so miserable!” She hadn’t spoken with him in ages, so she had no difficulty summoning a few tears to garner sympathy. What a pitiful creature she was turning into! “With Joseph gone, I have been so bored. Papa is being a tyrant.”
Stone tilted her chin up and frowned.
“Ah, Nat, it can’t be all that bad.” He stepped back and looked her over in mock judgment. “You are still in one piece. All of your parts appear to be in working order.”
She summoned a tremulous smile, and his blue eyes sparkled back at her. He could be merciless in his teasing.
“But, Stone, Mama’s guests are ancient! I’m stuck here all summer with none of my friends, and I have absolutely no one to talk to! You cannot imagine how utterly wretched Father has been.”
Stone dropped his arm around her shoulders and led her down the majestic staircase. “I thought Monfort was here,” he said with a quick glance in her direction. “I was surprised to hear they were hosting a party at all. Nobody tells me anything.”
Natalie would hardly consider it a “party.” Her mother’s guests were all at least twice her age, if not three times! The Duke of Monfort was somewhere near his late thirties, but might as well have been seventy, for all his irritability and lack of humor. “Monfort doesn’t count.”
Stone emitted a low chuckle. “So you are not heartbroken, then, over the loss of Cortland? Just suffering from the consequences, eh?” Pulling her toward the back of the house, he stopped for a moment to regard her affectionately. “And feeling sorry for yourself, too, I’ll bet.” At Natalie’s rueful nod, he guided them down another stairway to the kitchen. “I must locate some trunks a friend left here for safekeeping a few years ago. Tell me everything while we track them to ground.”
“Have you asked Mrs. Winston where they might be?” Natalie was intrigued. “What’s in them? Whose trunks are they?” She was ready to jump on any undertaking, no matter how minor, if Stone was involved. His mere presence lifted her disposition.
With a hint of condescension, Stone answered her barrage of questions. “I am in search of Mrs. Winston this very minute, asof courseshe will know where they are stored. As for what isinsideof the trunks, you will have to ask Lord Hawthorne. He merely told me they were important to him, and he did nottrust them in his father’s care. With good cause, apparently. Seeing that the old man torched Maple Hall.”
“That manisn’t coming here, is he?” She wrinkled her nose in distaste, remembering his demeanor in the park, and on several occasions before that. She didn’t care so much what his father had done. The new earl had established his own rakish reputation with no trouble at all, thank you very much. And yet…she shivered at the memory of his nearness…
Stone continued to drag her along without answering. When he caught sight of the sturdy woman who kept house at Raven’s Park, he greeted her warmly. Within the same household, a butler marrying the housekeeper was highly unusual, but Natalie’s father, having come into the earldom later in life, kept an open mind regarding such matters. He wasn’t nearly as traditional as many of England’s noblemen.
