Madeline looked down at her nails and began filing down some infinitesimal snag. “I wonder what she thinks of Monsieur Laurent.”
“No more of him now, darling.” Drew stood. “It’s well past our bedtime.”
“I’m serious. I want to learn French.”
He gave her a sly grin and came back to the dressing table, slipping his arms around her as his eyes met hers in the mirror. “Shall we begin at once?”
Her dark lashes swept to her cheeks, which had turned a fetching shade of pink. “If you like.”
“Very well, repeat after me. Tu es divine.”
“Tu es divine.”
“Very good,” he murmured, nuzzling her ear. “Je t’adore.”
“Je t’adore.” Eyes still closed, she leaned her head to one side so he could trace his lips along her neck. “Je t’adore.”
“J’t’aime,” he whispered and reached over to switch off the light. “J’t’aime. J’t’aime. J’t’aime.”
A long stripe of sunlight fell across Drew’s closed eyes. He frowned, squinting, and turned his face more into the pillow to escape it. He could feel Madeline next to him, nestled under his arm, and a familiar warm weight between his shoulder blades.
“All right, Mr. Chambers,” he muttered, trying to reach back with his free arm. “Time to get up.” The weight did not respond, and Drew continued to flail. “Come on, Chambers, old man, I need to turn over. If you would be good enough—”
He broke off, just then remembering he wasn’t in his own bed at Farthering Place, and his own cat, Mr. Chambers, was not here at Winteroak House. He opened one eye, winced in the morning light, and looked over his shoulder once more. Staring back at him was a sleek little tuxedo cat, her white legs tucked under her, her white chest and muzzle a stylish contrast to the shiny black of the rest of her. She didn’t seem the least bit afraid or even faintly curious about why there were strangers in what he suspected was the bed she had appropriated.
“Ah. Good morning,” he whispered. “Uh, Drew Farthering here. Don’t wake her, but that’s my wife, Madeline. And you are?”
Her dark green eyes looked back at him with serene unconcern.
“If you’ll pardon me, miss, I’d very much like to get up now. Plumfield will be coming to draw my bath any moment, I expect, and then Beryl will want to attend to Madeline’s and there’s bound to be a lot of commotion. After that, we’ll likely clear out for the day, and you can have your bed back. Fair enough?”
The cat gave a slow blink and then yawned. With a nearly soundless chuckle, Drew twisted until he could reach her and pull her around against his chest as he turned to his side. Even this did not disturb her equanimity.
“What are you doing?” Madeline turned over beside him, nestling now against his back and peering over his shoulder. “What have you got?”
Drew turned so she could kiss his cheek. “I’m not entirely sure. But I think we’re in her bed. Uninvited, mind you, which is pretty bad form.”
“Oh, dear,” Madeline said with a sleepy laugh. “Do you think she’ll forgive us?”
“I’m not sure she minds one way or the other.”
Drew found it comfortingly homelike to carry out his morning ablutions under a placid feline gaze and was in a cheery mood when he and Madeline boarded Monsieur Laurent’s yacht, the Onde Blanc. She was a stylish craft, spacious and beautifully fitted, down to the stylized emblem of a white wave repeated on everything from cabinet knobs to table linens to signify her name. Laurent was unabashedly proud of her and seemed delighted to show his guests around as they set sail toward the Beaulieu River.
Drew lagged behind a bit while their host led a small group from the aft deck to the lounge, curious about the marks on the otherwise pristine planks. He traced them with the toe of his boot: little crescent-shaped discolorations in the teak, less than a quarter inch wide and nearly invisible except in the crevices between the planks. He almost hadn’t noticed them, for they were only faintly lighter than the rest of the deck. Despite the luxurious bed and table linens, he couldn’t imagine the crew did the ship’s laundry aboard, but he wondered if someone had perhaps spilled bleach in this part of the hold. No, that would have lightened all of the deck there, not just the crevices. Of course, there might—
“What are you scowling at now?” Madeline said, her voice low as she took his arm and smiled up into his eyes.
“You are displeased with my charming lady?” Laurent said, coming back to them, his eyes, as always, on Madeline.
“Displeased?” Drew narrowed his eyes and put his arm around Madeline’s waist, though he kept his voice light and pleasant.
“I mean my lovely Onde Blanc, of course.”
“Oh, no,” Drew said, moving forward so his top boots covered the little marks he’d been studying. “She is perfection in every way and a credit to your success in your trade. You must do very well.”
“Monsieur is too kind,” Laurent said, bowing deeply. “But she serves me both in business and pleasure, so you see I am an economical fellow after all. But, eh, what is that? Today there is no business and no economy. We shall enjoy the river, no?”
They sailed around a long, thin finger of land that separated the Beaulieu River from the Solent, and then they were on the river itself, rolling along past the tree-lined banks, lulled by the motion of the boat and the sound of the water. Much to the amusement of the local residents, they disembarked at Beaulieu in their period finery and paraded down Palace Lane to luncheon at a charming seventeenth-century country house turned hotel. Afterward they saw the opulent Beaulieu Palace House and the neighboring Abbey Church.
The return trip was rather more sedate than the trip out. Most of the party had broken up into smaller groups of three or four, chatting and watching the scenery slide by. But as they rounded the bend at Buckler’s Hard, Alice came to stand at the railing, leaning over a bit to get a better view of the Georgian houses, once again solemn and preoccupied.
“Poor thing,” Madeline said, leaning closer to Drew. “She looks as if she would welcome a friendly ear just now.”
“Girl talk, eh? Just leave me out of it.”
“You,” she said, making a face at him, “were not invited.”
She went to stand next to Alice. With a chuckle, Drew leaned back in his deck chair and closed his eyes.
Their conversation was low and earnest, muffled by the hum of the engine and the rush of the river, and Drew nearly dozed in the warm sunshine. Then he heard the thump of boots and barely lifted one eyelid to see who was there.
“Alice.” Tal came up beside the two girls, his coat over one arm and his cravat hanging loose around his neck. “Gossiping, are we?”
Alice took his arm, bright-eyed and smiling. “We were just trying to decide what to do with the naughty little boys we’re meant to be minding.”
“Naughty?” Tal protested. “I categorically deny any and all charges. Of course, I can’t vouch for that lout there.”
He walked over to where Drew was dozing and gave the leg of his deck chair a sturdy kick.
Drew opened both eyes. “That was a decidedly rude awakening.”
“We’ll be at the house before long,” Tal told him. “Better enjoy the view while you can.”
Drew managed to struggle to his feet and make his way to the railing with the others. “Oh, I say, Tal, there’s a little black-and-white cat in our room. She must have come in through the window sometime last night and made herself at home.”
“Not to worry. That’s just Eddie.”
“Tal thought she was a tom,” Alice said, giving him a saucy grin.
“We were told she was a tom,” Tal said firmly. “By the time it became obvious she wasn’t, the name stuck. Call her Edwina, if you like.”
“Oh, no. Eddie’s rather sporty, don’t you think?” Drew said. “It suits her somehow. She seems awfully friendly. For a cat, you know.”
Tal chuckled. “She’s a funny little thing. Obviously she knows wh
en she’s admired.”
“A lady, a ship, or a cat?” Nick asked as he and Carrie joined them. “Which are we talking about?”
“A cat this time,” Tal told him. “It seems ours has attached herself to Farthering here.”
“Cats are like that,” Nick observed. “They have a way of honing in on the person most likely to spoil them.”
“Where’s your watchdog, Nick, old man?” Tal asked.
Nick glanced at Carrie. “I convinced him Miss Dornford was one of the chief suspects in the case of the missing pearls, so now he’s trying to find out just what she’s been up to.”
“I’m afraid I put him up to it,” Carrie admitted. “That was mean, I know, but it’ll be good for Billy. He should make some of his own friends instead of just tagging after me.”
“One does like a change now and again.” Nick looked at Carrie. “Three’s a crowd, eh?”
“All in a good cause, Nick. How are you and your chaperone getting on now?” Drew looked toward the aft deck, where Miss Dornford was looking worshipfully up at Will, who was decidedly not looking worshipfully back. “Have the two of you made any progress in the great pearl mystery?”
“Nothing yet. Will thinks the pearls were hidden in the kitchen by the groom’s gardener, but the cook doesn’t seem to want to humor us and let us take a look around. Me, I’m more suspicious of the Australian cousin who may not be exactly what she seems. How about you?”
“I’m afraid I’ve come up empty, as well,” Drew said. “I’m sure the bride’s father’s solicitor is up to no good, but whether he actually had a hand in the theft remains to be seen.”
Madeline gave him a mischievous grin. “Face it, darling, Carrie and I are far too clever for all three of you.”
Carrie giggled. “We’ll definitely hand it to you if you figure it out before the end of the party.”
“But no more extra clues for you,” Madeline said, feigning sternness. “You have all the information you need.”
“Extra clues?” Drew sputtered. “What extra clues?”
Madeline’s only answer was a smug look.
The Onde Blanc made her leisurely way back toward Winteroak House. She easily outclassed anything else on the water that day, especially a little fishing boat called The Gull that chugged along the shoreline. One of the men on her deck gaped at the yacht as it glided past until finally another man on the smaller ship shoved his shipmate on the shoulder and tossed him an armload of netting.
Drew chuckled. “If that wasn’t ‘get back to work,’ I don’t know what is.”
“We seem to have made quite an impression during our little outing,” Madeline said.
Laurent strolled up to the rail and scowled down at the little Gull. “He makes himself insolent. Eh, these vulgar fellows, they should be kept out of sight of reputable people. I trust he did not offend you, Madame Farthering.”
Madeline’s eyes twinkled. “I couldn’t really expect to sail out dressed as Elizabeth Bennet and not attract some attention. But I don’t think he was looking at me at all.”
“I suppose that is a possibility,” Laurent said. “But that would make him more of a fool than I already think him.”
Drew put his arm around his wife’s waist. “For once, monsieur, I would have to agree with you.”
By then The Gull and the curious fisherman were out of sight.
Three
The next day the whole party picnicked out in a wide, grassy meadow on the estate. A host of liveried servants had gone before them and set out a sumptuous array of roast meats and broiled fish, cheeses and hearty brown bread, boiled eggs and pickles, and a variety of little cakes for afters. Once everyone had eaten and the servants had taken away the remains, the guests chatted and sunned themselves and played charades until the afternoon grew truly hot.
The ladies began talking about going back to the house, so Drew volunteered to go get some cold water from the little brook they had crossed on their way to the meadow. That way they could all bathe their hands and faces and cool off.
“I’ll come along.” Tal snatched up two more empty wine bottles and followed him over the hill. “Mother hasn’t been so pleased about seeing her guests stuff themselves in ages. I see Regency dress hasn’t dampened your appetite.”
“Not at all,” Drew admitted. “And there’s much to be said for this sea air. It not only encourages a healthy appetite, it makes one sleep like a baby. Speaking of sleep, Eddie kept us company again last night. I didn’t know she was under the coverlet and nearly laid on her. Madeline and I were thinking perhaps we could put a bell on her. Then at least she wouldn’t get stepped on or anything.”
“Good idea. We probably should have done that long ago.”
“And of course she crept right up behind me when I was shaving this morning. I almost cut my throat trying not to step on her.”
Tal grinned. “That must have been quite a sight.”
“It amused my wife to no end, I can assure you.”
His grin softened. “She’s a nice girl, Drew. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks, old man. They say grace is getting blessings we don’t deserve, and in my case she’s certain proof of it. I hope you’ll find it the same with your Alice.”
They had walked for a moment in silence before Tal, frowning, turned and said, “When you and Madeline were engaged, I mean, when you were getting close to actually being married, did she seem . . . odd to you?”
Drew smirked. “Odder than usual?”
“I mean it. Did she change?”
“Actually, she did a bit. I think it was nerves mostly, realizing what we were about to do was for keeps. She even called it off once, but we slogged through it all right. I finally made her realize what a wretch I’d be without her, and she took pity on me.”
“Yes,” Tal deadpanned. “Looks, money, wit—it’s a wonder you found anyone who’d take you.”
Drew scoffed. “But you say Alice is acting odd. How do you mean exactly?”
“Jittery, I suppose. Always on edge about something, but saying nothing’s wrong and then acting too happy.”
“I have thought there was something a bit off, but I didn’t know if she was always that way. Is this just recent?”
Tal nodded. “Not that she hasn’t always been rather vivacious, except there’s something different now.”
Drew considered for a minute. “Have you just come out and asked her?”
“She says it’s nothing, but then she looks at me as if I’m supposed to know that there’s something. What’s one to do with a creature like that?”
“Admire and enjoy, old man.” Drew swatted his shoulder. “Admire and enjoy.”
Tal blew out his breath in frustration. “That’s hardly any help.”
“If I knew the answer, I’d make a tidy sum selling it to husbands everywhere. If you’ve already asked her, I don’t suppose there’s much else to do. Perhaps you can tell her that, no matter what she says, you know there’s something wrong and you’re ready to talk about it whenever she is.”
“I told her that already, too.”
“Well, you’ll just have to be patient until she wants to tell you or it becomes glaringly obvious. And you don’t have any clue what it could be?”
Tal shook his head. “She seemed fine until recently. Excited about the party. Particularly eager to meet you and Nick. I know she wants to ask your Madeline about your wedding and honeymoon, all that sort of thing. But she’s become more and more unlike herself. Yesterday it was particularly bad.”
“What happened yesterday?”
“Nothing I know of.” Tal paused, thinking as they walked. “She was helping Mother get things ready for company. Some of the guests arrived. She seemed very happy to have a couple of her own school friends come. The Deane girl, Georgie, and the other one, Violet, both of them hunting husbands, I’ll wager, but since Alice is already spoken for, I can’t imagine that would bother her.”
“You don’t think you�
��re blowing this all out of proportion, do you? Grooms have been known to suffer from the jitters, too.”
Tal swallowed hard. “It is a big step. What if I’m a complete bust at being a husband?”
“You love her, don’t you?”
Tal shrugged and nodded, a little color coming into his face.
“And she loves you?”
“I believe she does.”
“Well, there you have it. Just love each other. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but a bit of patience, kindness, and humility go a long way. I’ve found you’ll never regret putting each other first, forgetting old hurts, or telling the truth. Love is well worth holding on to, even when you don’t feel much like it. Keep that in mind, and you’ll both do fine.”
“What’s this? Trying to do my job, are you, Drew?”
Drew and Tal both started and then turned.
“Didn’t see you there, Padre,” Tal said.
Broadhurst chuckled as he came up to them, and Drew found it unsettling somehow. The man was soft-footed, if nothing else.
“I’d be a poor substitute, Vicar, believe me. I’m only just learning all this myself.”
“From what I’ve heard, you’re doing just fine. Saint Paul gave very nearly the same advice to the Corinthians.”
“Well, I certainly didn’t think it up all on my own,” Drew admitted, “though I’ve found it to be extremely practical so far.”
“Have you been sent for us, Padre?” Tal asked.
Broadhurst glanced back toward the rest of the party. “I’m afraid I have. The ladies are getting restless.”
“Can’t have that, can we, Tal?”
They approached the stream, and Tal said, “Claridge Rindle, the coldest, freshest water on the estate. It’s always beautifully clear.”
Drew stepped closer, meaning to fill the empty bottles, and then frowned. There was a faint trace of white just at the waterline, marking the stones and the earth and even some of the grass that grew low on the bank, even though the water itself appeared to be clear. “I say, Tal . . .”
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