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Her grandfather had gifted Titania to her mother just before she married, but by the time Lenora had matured enough to spend time in the stables, the horse was old, blind, and missing most of her teeth.

Lenora had snuck into the stables to help the groom make mush for Titania’s meals.

She’d forgotten about that.

Or, not quite forgotten. She’d tucked the memory of Titania’s big, sad, unseeing eyes into the same box she kept the memories of her equally sad mother. A mother whose fate—a disastrous marriage—Lenora intended to escape.

Horses.

She settled back into her seat. An excellent notion. They were meeting in his stable, after all.

As the carriage rolled to a stop in front of Lady Asquith’s house, one of the carriage horses whinnied in a happy fashion. Lenora took the sound as a sign.

“Shared interests,” she repeated with slightly more relish.

No matter what happened today, she would leave Asquith House knowing Asquith better. And she would be one step closer to securing his heart, or at the very least, becoming his friend.

***

Asquith sidled through the mews behind Asquith House. He tried for an expression of manly nonchalance but suspected he resembled a shamefaced boy.

Scared Simon. Lily-livered Landon. Silly! Stupid!

He silenced Willard’s voice. He was no longer stupid, silly, or lily-livered. And he had no reason to fear his neighbors.

Anyone looking out their window would see nothing out of the ordinary. He visited the stables at Asquith House daily. He sometimes traveled across Mayfair from his Albany rooms multiple times per day.

Everyone knew his horses meant the world to him. So why was he imagining watchful gazes concealed behind every window?

His friend Neville would say he was feeling the effects of a guilty conscience. And Neville wouldn’t be wrong.

Asquith had agreed to Lenora's plan, intending to use the meetings for his own benefit, but he’d underestimated the difficulty of infiltrating his own garden under the bright afternoon sun.

“Your Lordship!”

Asquith came up short, having almost collided with Barker, his head groom.

“Barker! How—ah—unexpected.” Silly thing to say. What was so unexpected about Barker making his way down the lane?

The groom’s shoulders hunched, and his eyes darted back up over his right shoulder to the upper floor of Asquith House. “I—I am out on an errand,” he answered an unasked question.

And Asquith had been worried that his furtive manner would betray the plot! But why would Barker be nervous?

Was it possible Lenora had bribed Barker to vacate the stable and hadn’t told the groom whom she expected to meet? If so, no wonder Barker looked guilty!

Asquith didn’t know whether to be relieved or furious. He was going to keep a closer eye on his wards.

And his staff.

Asquith cleared his throat. “You may carry on. I will not need you. I'm only headed to the stables for a brief visit with Montgomery.”

Barker relaxed. “Oh, Mont is hale and hearty. Just went over him myself with a straw wisp I tied special, just for him.”

“Good man,” Asquith said. “And his nervous licking?”

“Better.”

“Does he still need the blanket, or has he grown used to the poultice?”