Starcross Lovers

by Merry Farmer

  Mr. Adler, on the other hand, had paused his conversation and was looking in their direction. As soon as their eyes met, he broke into a wide smile and raised a hand to wave at her. And even though Lady Mariah, a countess and the wife of the man who had employed him, was standing only a few yards away, he didn’t seem to see her.

  “Oh my,” Millie said, bringing Ginny back to the conversation. “He most definitely has his eye on you.” She peeked at Lady Mariah, winced, and said, “My lady. Again. I’m sorry, I’m just so not used to addressing my betters.”

  “I promise you, it’s all right,” Lady Mariah laughed. “And I agree with you. I know what a man looks like when a woman has caught his eye, and that’s it.” She grinned at Ginny.

  “Do you really think so?” Ginny wanted to study Mr. Adler across the expanse of the yard, but she wasn’t sure she dared to catch his eye again. Not if it meant she was encouraging him.

  Then again, maybe she should encourage him. Maybe it was time she set aside dreams of romance and passion, and settled for travel and a man who actually wanted her. And in truth, that wasn’t really settling at all, she supposed.

  “I think you should take Mr. Adler up on his invitation,” Millie said as she helped Ginny and Lady Mariah gather the empty plates and platters scattered across the tables with one hand while balancing little Lowry against her shoulder with the other. “You’re not getting any younger, you know.”

  “And what about Mr. Pond?” Lady Mariah whispered as the three of them converged near the center of the table.

  Ginny blushed hard, and Millie gasped. “Lady Mariah knows about Harry?”

  “Not everything,” Ginny warned her friend through a clenched jaw.

  “There’s more to know?” Lady Mariah asked, as much mischief in her eyes as though she, Ginny, and Millie had all worked scrubbing dishes in the scullery together at one time.

  “Lady Mariah knows that Harry and I are friends,” Ginny explained.

  “Lady Mariah suspects there is more between the two of them,” Lady Mariah whispered.

  “Lady Mariah would be right,” Millie whispered back.

  “But not the way you think.” Ginny stood straight and let out a frustrated breath. “Yes, Harry and I have kissed a time or two,” she confessed, unable to look at either woman for fear that she would reveal more than she intended to. “But that’s as far as it’s gone.”

  Lady Mariah arched a brow as though she didn’t quite believe her.

  “That’s a good point,” Millie said, her expression resolved instead of titillated, like Lady Mariah’s. “If Harry hasn’t declared himself or taken thing further by now, will he ever?”

  “Has he really had a chance to take things further?” Lady Mariah asked. “Forgive me, I’ve only been here a short time, and I feel like I’ve picked up a book and turned straight to the middle, but have the two of you ever discussed what it is you each want?”

  Ginny winced and glanced down, gathering a few used serviettes from the end of the table. “Not in so many words, but Harry has been pretty clear about what he wants from the beginning.”

  “And what is that?” Lady Mariah asked.

  “A home here in Cornwall,” Ginny said. “A good wife who matches his station. And a parcel of children.”

  “But that sounds ideal,” Lady Mariah went on. “You’d make a perfect wife.”

  Ginny sent her a wary look. She didn’t couldn’t possibly confess that she wasn’t exactly good and certainly not the kind of woman who could be content staying at home all the time. “I don’t know.”

  “Well I do,” Millie said with a surprising certainty. Both Ginny and Lady Mariah turned to her. “Harry had his chance and he did nothing,” Millie explained. “This Mr. Adler seems like a perfectly reasonable and eligible man. The two of you would certainly have things to talk about. So why not accept his invitation to lunch? I think it sounds like fun.” She glanced to Lady Mariah, then bobbed a quick curtsy and said, “My lady.”

  Lady Mariah sighed and shook her head, grinning from ear to ear. “I suppose Mrs. Llewellyn has a point. Mr. Pond is lovely, but you can’t wait for him forever.”

  Ginny chewed her lip, glancing from Millie to Lady Mariah, then off into the distance. She would wait for Harry until the end of the world if she thought that he’d ever declare feelings for her. There was only one way she could find out if that was ever going to happen, though.

  “I’ll think on it,” she said, gathering empty plates into her arms. “But for now, there’s work to be done.”

  “Come talk to me if you need to,” Millie said, squeezing Ginny’s arm as she passed, then curtsying to Lady Mariah and heading off to join Owen.

  “You’re always welcome to speak to me about these things as well,” Lady Mariah said, moving all of the dirty serviettes onto one of the platters.

  “Thank you, my lady.” Ginny smiled.

  “Oh, my lady, don’t carry that.” They both turned to find Poppy rushing across the grass toward them. “I can—oh!”

  Arms flailing, Poppy fell like a sack of bricks the same way she had earlier in the day.

  “Poppy, what are you doing?” Nick Parsons, Starcross’s gardener, said in a deep, rich, laughing voice as he strode up to where Poppy had spilled.

  “It’s these shoes,” Poppy sighed. “They’re too big for me, but I can’t afford—” She gulped as Nick hooked his hands under her arms and hoisted her to her feet.

  Not that it did any good. Poppy twisted to face him, falling against Nick’s broad chest. She glanced up at him with a look of pure longing in her eyes. Nick had to put his arm around her to keep her upright, but he didn’t seem to mind. He laughed, brushing the lock of hair that had fallen out of Poppy’s mobcap back behind her ear.

  “Easy now,” he said. “Shoes or no shoes, we wouldn’t want you breaking your ankles.”

  “Yes,” Poppy sighed. She blinked and stiffened, standing on her own power, and turning bright pink. “I mean no. No, we wouldn’t want that.”

  She stared at him for a few more moments, then glanced in Ginny and Lady Mariah’s direction. As soon as she realized she was being watched, she let out a high-pitched squeak and ran off in the direction of the house. Nick glanced to Lady Mariah, bowed and removed his cap, then strode on to where some of the household staff had begun carrying tables inside.

  “Well,” Lady Mariah said with a laugh. “It seems as though romance abounds at Starcross Castle this summer.”

  “So it would seem,” Ginny agreed. Although she would have done anything to have her love life be as simple as Poppy and Nick’s. The sooner the two of them got together, the better. “I’m going to take these to the kitchen,” Ginny told Lady Mariah, then headed off toward the path that would take her around the house to the kitchen.

  She was halfway through the courtyard when Harry stepped out of the stable, leading Lord Peter’s favorite horse, Charger, with him. He was frowning, and when he glanced up and saw her, instead of melting into a smile, his frown deepened. A shiver hit Ginny’s heart that she couldn’t shake. It wasn’t like Harry to be out of sorts. She didn’t like it, and she was determined to do something about it.

  “Cheer up,” she said as she approached him. “It might never happen.”

  “What?” He blinked as she and her armful of plates came to stand in front of him.

  “Whatever has you looking so down in the mouth,” she said. “It might never happen.”

  He studied her for a moment, a strange sort of heat in his eyes. For half a second, she thought he would say something glorious, possibly throw the plates out of her arms and draw her into an embrace, no matter who was looking. But all too soon, he breathed out heavily and rubbed a hand over his face. “It probably will happen.”

  It was her turn to ask, “What?” which she did with a tremble in her heart.

  Harry shook his head. “I shouldn’t interrupt your cleaning.”

  “That’s all right,” Ginny said. “We’re a
lmost done anyhow. Although I should get these into the kitchen as soon as possible.”

  “Don’t let me stop you.” Harry touched the brim of his cap, then led Charger toward the archway that opened out to the front of the house.

  “Harry,” Ginny stopped him, her heart rate doubling. She had to know if there was a chance for anything between them. She had to hear from Harry’s own lips that he didn’t want her.

  “Yeah?” he asked, turning back to her.

  She panicked. She couldn’t bear it if she put her heart on the line and heard for certain what she was sure she already knew. So her question came out as a clumsy, “What do you want out of life?”

  Harry laughed, but it wasn’t a humorous laugh. “I just want peace,” he said. “I don’t want to wonder about things anymore. I want to be certain, solid. That’s all anybody wants, isn’t it?”

  Ginny swallowed, fighting the tears that stung at the back of her eyes. “Of course it is.” She faked a broad smile and shuffled her feet. “Well, I won’t keep you from your work.”

  She turned and bolted for the house. She knew it. She could have saved herself the trouble of tears if she’d gone with her assumptions, kept her questions to herself. What else could he mean but that he didn’t want a wild woman like her?

  “What seems to be the problem with you?” Mrs. Harmon asked as Ginny set her plates down on the counter beside the sink. The two harried kitchen maids jumped right to work, taking them away to the two huge sinks, which were brimming with soapy water.

  “Nothing, Mrs. Harmon,” Ginny lied, sniffing and wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “I think some dust got in my eye as I was crossing the courtyard.” She did her best to smile and pretend what she was saying was true.

  “Mmm-hmm.” Mrs. Harmon nodded, arching a brow at her.

  “Excuse me, Mrs. Harmon. There are more dishes to be brought in.”

  Ginny turned to head back to the courtyard. As she did, she glanced through the long window that lined one wall of the kitchen. Anyone who had been standing where she was a few minutes earlier would have seen her entire conversation with Harry. Anyone like Mrs. Harmon.

  Cheeks heating with embarrassment, Ginny rushed out of the kitchen, through the courtyard, and back to the path leading to the yard. She took a moment when she was out of sight of everyone to breathe deeply and pull her thoughts together. She knew Harry didn’t want her. She was a fool to be taken by surprise by the knowledge. He wanted a certain, solid type of girl, not her. But that didn’t mean that her prospects were dim. No, in fact, her prospects were widening as she stood there feeling sorry for herself.

  She pushed herself into action again, forcing a smile to her face as she marched back out onto the lawn. Poppy and Miss Victoria were now helping Lady Mariah with the tables, but that wasn’t where Ginny headed. She spotted Mr. Adler talking to some of the few remaining miners and turned her steps toward him.

  Mr. Adler saw her coming and excused himself from his conversation, which was a relief to Ginny. She could do what she had to do without drawing attention to herself.

  “Miss Davis,” Mr. Adler greeted her with a smile as she came to within a few yards of him, heart racing. “Have you finished with your tasks?”

  “Not quite,” she said, pretending to be cheerful and casual. “Lady Mariah still has a lot of work for me to do. But you asked me a question, and I’m here to give you an answer.”

  “Oh?” He perked up.

  Ginny smiled, even as her heart broke. “I’d love to go for lunch and a walk with you, Mr. Adler. Just let me know when and I’ll be there.”

  He burst into a gratified smile. “How about this Sunday afternoon? Servants have half days on Sundays, don’t they?”

  “Yes, we do.” Ginny nodded. “I can meet you at the church and we’ll walk from there. Does that sound reasonable?”

  “Very reasonable.” Mr. Adler laughed, then nodded. “I’ll see you then.”

  Ginny smiled, nodded, then turned to go. As she marched away, her smile faltered, then collapsed completely. A man had asked her to walk out with him. She should be over the moon with excitement. But all she could think was that Mr. Adler wasn’t Harry.

  Chapter 4

  Ginny could hardly sit still through the entire church service on Sunday. Everyone from Starcross Castle attended services together in the quaint parish chapel, the servants sitting near the back and Lord Peter and Lady Mariah, along with Miss Victoria, in the front row. The vicar’s sermon was something about having a generous spirit, which Ginny would have approved of, had she been able to focus on anything but her upcoming rendezvous with Mr. Adler.

  She stole a glance across the pew where the Starcross women sat to where Harry and the Starcross men took up more space than Ginny could have dreamed possible. Harry’s broad shoulders and thick thighs needed an entire pew to themselves, whether or not Jimmy, Nick, and the strapping young footmen were seated with him. Harry had shaved and brushed his hair, which swept rakishly over his forehead in a sandy-blond wave. And even though Harry’s eyes were fixed determinedly on the vicar in his pulpit, Ginny couldn’t shake the feeling that he was aware of her every move. He didn’t disapprove of her walking out with Mr. Adler, did he? After all, he’d made it clear she shouldn’t entertain hopes where he was concerned.

  “Amen. Now let us rise and sing ‘Jerusalem’.” The vicar ended his sermon so gently that practically everyone else in the church was on their feet while she was still staring at Harry.

  She cleared her throat and leapt up, glancing to the hymnal Poppy held open for both of them, but her gaze darted across the aisle to Harry once more.

  He was staring at her. Not with his usual teasing grin, but with a gravity worthy of the most somber church service. Ginny pressed her lips shut and snapped her face forward. Too late, she remembered she was supposed to be singing, not harboring irrational frustration over a man she’d made no promises with. But heaven above, Harry Pond had a way of getting under her skin.

  “Are you ready for our outing?” Mr. Adler asked as he approached her in the church yard after the service. It was a sunny and hot day, and the congregation—Starcross staff and locals alike—lingered in the shade of the churchyard.

  Ginny turned to him with a smile. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Mr. Adler offered his arm, and Ginny took it. He was dressed in a fine suit that looked new. It fit his slim frame well, and his tie was modern and impeccably tied. His oval face was clean-shaven, and his hair slicked back in the latest style. His cologne was pleasing, and the expectation in his eyes was flattering…but Ginny didn’t feel a single zip or quickened pulse for him.

  “I hope you don’t mind a bit of a walk,” he said as they headed out of the churchyard, stopping to pick up a basket that had been nestled in the shady roots of one of the trees near the lane. “I wanted to show you the site where the new mine will be.”

  “That sounds fascinating,” Ginny said. And it was fascinating. Just not particularly…thrilling.

  A flicker of movement caught her eye as she and Mr. Adler turned onto the lane. She glanced to the side to find Harry marching away from them, his hands in his pockets. His shoulders were hunched, and even though she could only see him in profile, his frown was glowering. The sight left her itchy and out of sorts. What right did Harry have to sulk when he’d never so much as asked her to share tea in his office?

  Although, they’d shared quite a few other things in his office. But the last thing she wanted floating at the front of her mind while walking out with Mr. Adler was memories of sitting astride Harry’s lap while he had his hand up her skirt, doing deliciously naughty things that resulted in sparkling explosions of pleasure.

  She cleared her throat. “So how difficult is it to open a new mine?” she asked, her voice hoarse.

  “It’s a challenge,” Mr. Adler said, smiling as though he were the luckiest man in the world, not a single clue where Ginny’s thoughts had flown off to. “But Lord Dun
sford and I have been in close communication about the process, and he and his workers are up to the challenge.”

  “Lord Dunsford is a good man,” Ginny said. Thinking of her employer would certainly cool her heated memories. “The way he looks out for the people he employs…well, there aren’t many lords these days who show such care.”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Mr. Adler shrugged. “I’ve worked with quite a few members of the nobility who feel a great duty of responsibility to their tenants and dependents.”

  Prickles broke out across Ginny’s back, and she had to work to keep a sour frown off her face. How dare Mr. Adler belittle Lord Peter’s generosity and kindness by implying he was like any other lord? He most certainly was not. Men like Lord Peter were as rare as diamonds, and she resented anyone who implied otherwise.

  “When we surveyed the land, there were several possible locations for new mines,” Mr. Adler went on, puffing out his chest as he spoke. “Lord Dunsford is incredibly fortunate to own a vast stretch of land rich in ore. And he and his forbearers have managed their finances with surprising finesse. Too many of the landed class across this great kingdom have been so reluctant to change their ways and introduce modern techniques to whatever it is their estates produce that I’m afraid the entire land-owning system could collapse.”

  “Truly?” Ginny did the polite thing and pretended more interest in the potential collapse of the aristocracy than she felt.

  “Yes, indeed. Which is why I’m so intrigued about my upcoming trip to Australia.”

  At last, Ginny was genuinely interested in something Mr. Adler said. “Is Australia so very different from England?”

  Mr. Adler laughed. “Exceptionally. The climate and topography is antipodean, for one.”

  “Antipodean? You don’t say.”

  “Indeed.”

  They walked on, Mr. Adler sharing everything he knew about the flora and fauna of Australia. Ginny found it fascinating that the seasons were reversed, that August was the cool part of the year and Christmas came in the middle of summer. She drank in Mr. Adler’s descriptions of exotic birds of every color that were as common as starlings in England. She was even interested in his explanation of the expansion of settlements on the continent from Queensland and New South Wales inward to the inhospitable outback.