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Botheration—my apprehension must have been obvious.

“Your mare is well accustomed to this route and has no interest in toppling you.”

Sure enough, Penny continued into the flowing water without the least sign of alarm. “What a calm and clever girl you are.” I inclined forwards in the saddle to pat Penny’s neck, directing a grin at my husband. "If I had known riding a well-behaved horse could be this enjoyable, I should have agreed to this long ago.”

His brows knitted. “And yet I had described Penny as a gentle and well-trained mare who would be ideal for you.”

“Yes, but I understood you to be biased from your perspective as an expert horseman. A highly skilled rider may describe a steed as facile, whereas a novice might disagree. However, when it comes to Penny, we are in perfect accord.”

He inclined his head. “I am pleased you are content to ride her.”

A familiar set of croaking sounds drew my attention to the left, where a raven flew in our direction. Upon nearing us, the bird’s diminutive size revealed her to be Rachel. She landed on the branch of a birch situated just ahead of us.

I waved to her. “Good day, Rachel.”

My husband touched his hat in greeting to our diminutive friend.

Rachel bobbed her head. She travelled along with us for a time, moving from tree to tree, before taking to the sky again and flying away with several parting croaks.

I followed her progress until she faded from sight. “It is rather endearing that one or the other of them continue to attend to us each day. One might conclude they are concerned for our welfare.”

“Yes, one might think so.” He beheld me with a glint in his brown eyes. “In any event, I can see that it pleases you to believe that.”

“Indeed, it does.” I twisted at the waist to fully face him. “By the bye, I learnt a delightful piece of intelligence this morning. It seems a romance may be afoot between two people in our employ. Can you guess to whom I refer?”

“Hmm.” His jaw jutted as he appeared to ponder the matter. “No, I have no notion.”

“Winston and Sarah." I emphasised each name with my sight locked upon Fitzwilliam, yet he displayed no hint of surprise. Had Winston already confided in him?

He shook his head. “I am sorry to disappoint you, but there is no affair of love between them.”

Huh? “What makes you so certain? According to Stone, Winston’s long-established habits have altered since Sarah joined the household. The pair have taken to sharing many of their meals together in the back garden rather than dining with the other servants at the main table. Winston never gave such peculiar attention to any one person before.”

“No doubt your abigail’s report of their conduct is accurate. Nevertheless, there is another explanation.” My husband recounted his conversation with Winston on the day we brought Sarah home, effectively shattering my fanciful expectations for the pair.

“So, Winston has been spying on her?” I blinked at him.

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“Has he reported anything of concern to you?”

“No, nothing. I expect they continue to take meals together because they formed a friendship. At any rate, Winston is not the marrying sort. He is far too fastidious and uncompromising to allow for such an intimate association. He is a quiet, thoughtful man of routine who values his solitude above all else.”

“Well, that is a shame, for a match between them would have been ideal.” And Sarah deserves a bit of happiness.

“If you will recall, you once hoped for a match between Winston and Stone.”

“Yes, that would have been a desirable result, but the two of them do not suit.” According to Stone, she looked upon Winston in a fraternal manner. I shifted forwards. “I hope Winston takes care not to trifle with Sarah’s affections.”

“I have no concern in that regard. He is a man of keen understanding. No doubt he will be diligent to avoid any action that could be misconstrued as a romantic overture.”

Wednesday, 15 September

Darcy

Winston buttoned my coat, scoured my person with his usual discernment, and stepped back from me. “Sir, if this is a convenient time, I should like to have a word.”

“Very well.” I indicated the chairs by the fireplace, and we sat opposite each other.