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must discuss with my aunt, but I wondered if
you would care to walk with me when I am finished?”
    “That would be pleasant. I must go change.” She set her book
on a delicate side table and slipped from the room.
    After concluding his business with his aunt, Ben found Miss
Seton in a lovely apple-green walking gown with elaborate handwork at the hem.
Her boots and gloves were a matching shade of green. A feathered hat perched
precariously on her brown curls. He knew it to be a new purchase, as she’d worn
nothing so fancy during her stay in Greater Yarmouth. He felt warmed with
satisfaction at having played a part in allowing her to purchase some
fashionable gowns. Her beauty deserved to be enhanced by the finest things.
    If only she’d give him the chance to make certain she always
wore such finery.
    She took his arm as they walked down the street, her maid
trailing discreetly behind. Her bonnet hid her face from him, but he loved the
look of her on his arm. He was certain passersby would read his grin and think
him a fool. He didn’t care. “Tell me, have you seen all the sights here in
Town? Have you tasted the ices at Gunter’s and bought perfume at Faro’s?”
    “Yes, Mama and I have enjoyed the ices several times, but
I’ve not shopped for extravagances like perfumes. My cologne from home suits me
well enough.”
    He remembered the light fragrance of honeysuckle that
followed behind her when she walked through a room at Three Gables, and had to
agree it suited her. “And what was your favorite flavor of ice?”
    Her head tipped to one side and she chewed her lower lip for
a moment. “It’s between maple and lavender. I hadn’t expected to enjoy the
latter, but I did.”
    He wished he could ask the real questions in his thoughts,
such as what she hoped for in a marriage. How could he convince her they suited
if he didn’t know what she sought? It seemed an impertinent question, however,
and probably not one she’d appreciate. Instead, he asked after her brother.
    “I had a letter from him just this week. He’s had a slight
wound to his arm and is recuperating in camp. He’s uncertain if he’ll stay on
when his enlistment is finished.”
    “He was saying as much when I sold my commission when Sir
Waldo grew ill. I believe he has seen enough of the world to satisfy him.”
    She looked up at him and the sunlight threw a shadow over
one eye. He’d not noticed the threads of gold in her brown eyes. The outer
corners turned up slightly and appeared even more so when she smiled. “What of
you? Did you see much of the world? Do you wish to travel now that you have the
freedom to do so?”
    “I saw battle in France and Spain, and we passed through the
cities too quickly to enjoy them. I should like to go back. There is much
beauty beyond the shores of England.” An idea for a wedding trip came to him,
but he nipped that thought in the bud.
    After returning her to his aunt’s home, however, he made
straight for Gunter’s to enact a plan that had come to him while they talked.
    * * * * *
    Mrs. Granderson’s home was quite the popular spot to drop by
of late, and Jean enjoyed the company of her new friends. Nearly a dozen young
gentlemen and ladies mingled about the salon where she and Agnes shared the
chaise. Mr. Portwine waxed less than eloquently about some matter of
politics—she was embarrassed to realize she’d been woolgathering—when a footman
entered carrying a large basket. He came straight to Jean rather than Mrs.
Granderson.
    “If you please, miss, I was told to deliver these to you
personally.”
    “Deliver what?” She feared the basket held anything from
kittens to jars of honey, neither of which she wished to handle at the moment.
    The young man lowered the basket before her and removed the
cloth covering. Jean peered inside and gasped.
    “What is it?” asked Agnes as she scurried to stand nearby.
    Reaching in carefully, Jean lifted out the first of the
small bowls of glacées.