He gestured toward the dining room.
“Dinner is waiting.”
She nodded her head and followed. Later, after they were seated and the first formalities had passed, Margaret spoke again, her tone light.
“Miss Eliza must visit often if she is so confidently expected.”
“She does not.”
The reply was immediate, for it had made Nathaniel nervous and he did not want her to question too much, but he would have been lying if he claimed that he was not intrigued by her sudden jealousy.
Margaret’s hand stilled briefly against the porcelain before continuing its slow circle.
“I see.”
He did not elaborate. Fortunately, the silence that followed was not heavy. Lady Fairleigh asked about the gardens, and Nathaniel answered with polite detail. Margaret listened, but he could feel it; the shift in her attention.
When they stepped onto the terrace after the meal, Margaret lingered half a pace behind him.
“You corrected him very quickly,” she said quietly.
“I do not permit speculation among my staff.”
“It did not sound like speculation.”
“No, perhaps not, but it was important that I corrected him all the same, was it not?”
She was quiet for a moment, looking out at the stars.
“If there is someone whose presence I should anticipate,” she continued evenly, “I would rather not be surprised.”
“There will be no surprises.”
She searched his expression for a long moment. He allowed nothing to surface, but in the back of his mind he cursed himself for lying to her.
At last she inclined her head.
“Very well.”
But when she turned toward the gardens, he saw it clearly. She was thinking, and he had given her just enough silence to do so.
CHAPTER 14
The carriage door shut with a firm click, sealing them into a quiet.
Margaret settled opposite her mother as the horses lurched forward. The movement was steady, the rhythm familiar. Outside, London rolled past in orderly procession. Inside, the silence stretched.
Her mother removed her gloves first.
“It is an impressive house.”
“Yes.”
“And well run.”
“Yes.”
Margaret smoothed an invisible crease from her skirt. Her mother watched her.
