“I could use a retreat like this in my garden,” James said. “My wife would love it. Might you be willing to make another, Brunswick?”
Brunswick responded with a wry grin. “Not a chance.”
Sarah smiled while giving her attention to the far corner. She allowed her hand to slide over the stones Brunswick had carried and hauled into position. “You should plant some fragrant climbers, Your Grace. I can just picture this wall overgrown with honeysuckle. Imagine it spilling over the top edge right there and–”
“No.”
His clipped tone caused her to turn and look at him with surprise. A muscle in his jaw flexed. “There won’t be any honeysuckle or any other plants for that matter.”
“But–”
“I believe I promised refreshments. After you, Miss Townsbridge.”
Sarah only hesitated for the amount of time it took to give her brothers a questioning look. When Charles jutted his chin in the direction they’d come, she started forward while trying not to feel too put out.
It was only a suggestion, she wanted to say. Brunswick needn’t be so curt. Glancing back, she saw that he walked alone right behind James and William, but it was his dark expression that tore at her heart. Something in her words had put a severe damper on his mood.
“Do you think we ought to make our excuses and leave?” she asked Charles. Her brother had fallen into step beside her right before they reached the terrace.
“That depends entirely on you and how much you care,” he told her softly.
Sarah watched Brunswick’s scowl deepen. “Then I suppose we’re staying. Shall we sit?”
Charles pulled out a chair for Sarah. She was just sitting down when the rest of the party arrived, all of them claiming a seat. Except for Brunswick.
“I’ll call for some tea,” the duke said, not breaking his stride as he disappeared into the house.
“I think His Grace may have an aversion to honeysuckle,” William whispered.
Sarah glared at him. “Be quiet.”
“It does seem a bit odd,” James murmured.
“Shut up,” Charles hissed.
A maid appeared in the next instant, carrying a tray filled with cups, saucers, a teapot, and a plate containing some tasty looking biscuits. Brunswick, however, remained absent.
“I’m going to find the necessary,” Sarah informed her brothers several minutes later when Brunswick still hadn’t returned and most of the biscuits had been eaten.
“One of us should go with you,” James said.
Sarah turned to him. “Absolutely not.”
“You can’t go alone.” James turned to Charles. “Tell her it wouldn’t be proper.”
Charles met Sarah’s gaze and smiled. “She’s a grown woman. I think she can manage a visit to the necessary on her own.”
Relief flooded her veins. She’d not expected her oldest brother to be so accommodating.“Thank you, Charles.”
She stood and he caught her by the hand, stopping her for a moment. “Don’t be too long.”
His voice was firm. Sarah answered with a swift nod and he promptly released her. As she hastened away she heard James say, “You do know she’s going to see what’s keeping Brunswick.”
“We might have to force a marriage,” William muttered.
Charles’s response was lost to her as she hurried toward the front of the house. All was quiet. She opened the first door she found and peered inside what ought to have been the dining room. Only it was completely empty, devoid of all furniture. There wasn’t even a painting on the wall.
The same was almosttrue of the parlor though it did contain a seating arrangement consisting of two sofas and two armchairs placed around a low table. But that was it. There were no knickknacks, no personal items to speak of, not even a clock or a vase.
