a brief glimpse of eyes peering through the branches; then they disappeared.
Aha! she thought with satisfaction. Jonathan had followed . . . as sheâd hoped. Also, as sheâd expected, he had appeared to be irritated with her choice of companions. Perfect . Of course, sheâd hoped to have Alice along with her son as wellâsheâd figured that the best way to get the two together would be to have her son in as many situations with the girl as possibleâbut everything was a matter of timing, and she would be able to work with this.
Wait! Fate appeared to be smiling on her plans. Margaret was suddenly aware of a light pink cloth showing through the underbrush, and she was fairly certain it was not from anything her son would be wearing.
Turning back to the lunch she had just set out, Lady Fairley murmured under her breath so that only Lord Houghton could hear, âWe have visitors.â
Much to her amazement, rather than finish sinking down onto the blanketâas he had been doingâthe old nobleman straightened and pulled his sword inexpertly from its scabbard. He whirled in place, calling anxiously, âWhat is it? A wolf? A boar?â
Rolling her eyes at his panicked reaction, Lady Fairley tugged at his breeches. Impatiently she said in a hiss, âSit down, you old fool. I meant my son and your niece.â
Really, she must love her son to be putting up with this clod: Looking slightly embarrassed, Lord Houghton promptly resheathed his sword and settled on the blanket beside her. He grumbled, âWell, you could have just said so.â
Her mouth tight with irritation, Margaret tried for a discreet glance toward the bushes, but she couldnât see anything. Hoping that the pair hidden there had missed Houghtonâs odd behavior, she sought out and found the strawberries. Now she would enact the second part of her plan.
âW hat are we doing?â
âShh,â Jonathan hissed at Alice, squinting at the pair in the clearing, trying to sort out what was happening. Lord Houghton had jumped up and done a brief spin on the blanket with his sword drawnâas if preparing to fend off a horde of bandits.
Was the old fool trying to impress his mother by acting out made-up tales of bravery? If so, all would be well. Lady Fairley was nothing if not a bright woman, hardly the sort to be impressed by such posturingâespecially by such a jester as Lord Houghton. The man was no match for Jonathanâs fatherânow, there had been a true knight and husband!
Reassured, he once more peered through the bushes. His mother was leaning close to the silly Lord Houghton, offering him a strawberry. Oddly, she didnât just hold out the bowl for him to take; she was urging a fruit toward his lips as if he were a babe needing to be coddled.
âWhat is happening there?â Alice asked impatiently by his ear, making him grimace.
He felt confused himself. âThat is what I am trying to figure out! Why is she feeding him like that? Is your uncle so decrepit he cannot feed himself? Must he be fed like a babe?â
Alice moved close enough to peer through the foliage at the couple on the other side. She shrugged impatiently, then said in peevish tones, âShe is not feeding him like a babe; she is feeding him like a lover.â
âA lover?â He stiffened. âThatâs impossible. My mother would never do something like that. Besides, I donât see what you mean, anyway.â
Alice glanced through the brush again, then looked at him, wide-eyed. âYou truly donât see what I mean?â Sighing, she gave an irritated expression he didnât understand, then struggled to her feet. âWait here.â
âWhat are you doing?â
Alice ignored him and pushed through the bushes out into the clearing. Deaf to his panicky hissed protests, she walked straight over to the couple on the blanket. Smiling at the startled glances her arrival
Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson