“I wish I remembered something more than a coral necklace.” Her hand went to the coral flower pendant she wore that was so very similar to the one that had belonged to their mother.
“Perhaps Ivy Grove will spark a memory for you,” Rafe suggested.
She laughed lightly. “I was two and a half years old when the fire took our parents. It’s a wonder I recall the necklace at all.” She grew serious again. “What about the church in Croydon?”
“I thought perhaps we might stop tomorrow on our way to Ivy Grove.”
She hesitated. “Harry will be with me.”
Rafe understood what she wasn’t saying. “I’d rather it was just you and me. I’m not asking you to keep secrets from him, just that we go alone.”
“Thank you. We’ll go another day? Soon?”
“Yes.” Rafe smiled at her. “Sheffield is a lucky man.”
She shook her head. “I’m the lucky one. I hope you will be too—someday.”
“I don’t need to fall in love to feel fortunate.” He didn’t need to fall in love at all. Not again.
Anne flashed through his mind like a lightning bolt. He was momentarily blind. Until he blinked.
“Mrs. Sheffield, your first guests have arrived.”
Rafe blinked again. “I’ll be going.” Pivoting, he froze as Anne walked into the room with her sister; at least Rafe was certain it must be her sister, Lady Colton.
Anne’s expression flickered with surprise, and Rafe hoped Selina didn’t catch it. Except his sister was deuced observant. Such was the learned skill of a successful pickpocket.
“Good afternoon, Lady Colton, Miss Pemberton,” Selina said warmly. “Allow me to present my brother, Mr. Raphael Bowles.”
Raphael was the name he’d taken to make “Rafe” sound more sophisticated. When he was eight, he’d met a man named Bowles who’d owned a posh gaming hell. Expensively dressed and well-spoken, he’d impressed the hell out of Rafe.
“Good afternoon,” Lady Colton said. She was a couple of inches taller than Anne, and her eyes were darker, a true brown with none of the green that made Anne’s hazel. Their blonde hair was also slightly different somehow, not in color, but in liveliness, which made absolutely no sense when it came to describing hair. Nevertheless, the word completely embodied Anne’s curls, which often escaped their assigned style to graze her forehead, cheek, or neck. All places he wanted to kiss.
Hell.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bowles,” Anne said, nodding demurely, though he was certain there was nothing demure about her.
Rafe bowed. It was one of the few things he remembered that his father had taught him. “The pleasure is mine. I beg you to excuse me. I’ve no desire to disrupt your meeting.” He smiled before moving past them.
First, however, he caught the intense look in Anne’s eyes and the slight parting of her lips. She wanted to say something more, but he wasn’t going to give her the chance.
Only, Anne was quite persistent. “Will we see you at the picnic at Ivy Grove tomorrow?”
Rafe looked back at her and her sister. Of course they would be there. If Colton had prompted the event, it made sense they would be invited too. “Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”
Anne’s mouth lifted into a provocative smile. “I am too.”
Leaving before Anne said or did anything else that would stir Selina’s curiosity, Rafe stalked from the house. He needed to think about the picnic, about what he would say to Stone.
Except Anne would be at the picnic too. And damn him if that didn’t make the event all the more enticing.
As Anthony helped Anne from the coach at Ivy Grove, she looked up at the gray sky. “I fear it may rain.” She hoped the picnic wouldn’t be canceled. Or that Mr. Bowles—Raphael?—hadn’t decided not to come.
Anthony frowned as he cast his gaze toward the heavens. “It looks that way. Let us hope your godfather has a contingency.” He offered his arm to Jane, and a footman gestured toward the path that would lead them to the picnic.
Anne walked on her sister’s other side. She’d been to Ivy Grove on several occasions and hadn’t been surprised when a groom had directed the coach toward the lake. It was the perfect place for a picnic. The path rounded a copse of trees, and the Aphrodite temple came into view. As far as follies went, it was an extraordinary example. It was, perhaps strangely, her godfather’s favorite thing about the estate. Apparently his father had built it.
Round with a domed roof, the temple boasted nine columns around the perimeter. In the center of the building stood a grand statue of the goddess holding a dove while roses bloomed at her feet. Around the base of the temple were dolphins and other, smaller, sea creatures and shells.
“Do you remember coming here when we were children?” Anne asked Jane.
“I do.” Jane nodded. “I remember wanting to fish and not being allowed because Papa said it wasn’t appropriate for girls.”
“I’ll take you fishing, my love,” Anthony offered with a smile. “When it’s not about to rain.”
Several other guests were gathered near the lake where blankets were spread upon the grass. Anne immediately spied Lord Bodyguard, for he was taller than everyone else. She resisted the urge to walk straight toward him.
“Where’s Lord Stone?” Jane asked.
Anne scanned those gathered once more. “I don’t see him.”
“Lady Colton, Miss Pemberton.”
Arriving just behind them was Stone’s son, Lorcan Mallory, the Viscount Sandon.
“Whyever are you addressing us so formally?” Anne asked with a laugh. “You’ve known us forever.”
“Yes, but Jane is now a viscountess.” Sandon bowed to Jane and then to Anne. When he rose, he grinned at them both. “Forgive my father. He’s dithering about whether to move the picnic inside.” He glanced at the sky where a particularly dark cloud was heading straight for them. “I think he must, but he doesn’t always listen to me.”
“Perhaps we’ll be fortunate and the rain will stay away,” Anne said.
Sandon’s gaze strayed to where footmen were pouring wine. “I beg your pardon, but I must attend to picnic management. Father wants to hold off on the wine for a few more minutes until those darker clouds pass.”
Deciding she’d waited an acceptable amount of time before approaching Lord Bodyguard, Anne looked to where he stood with his sister and her husband. “Let’s go and speak with Selina.”
Jane nodded, and the trio made their way to Selina, her husband, and Mr. Bowles. Selina greeted them warmly, as did her husband, Mr. Sheffield. Mr. Bowles bowed, and Anne decided he was rather good at it.
Anne positioned herself next to Lord Bodyguard. “Did you see the temple?”
“I did.” He looked toward the folly, which stood several yards away. “It’s rather hard to miss.”
“Come, I’ll show you my favorite part.”
His brows rose. “You’ve been here before?”
“Many times.” She clasped his arm and led him to the folly. “The Goddess of Love.” She looked at him askance but he gave no reaction. “She came from the sea, so the base of the temple is decorated with creatures from the ocean. I love the dolphins, but there is one in particular…” She guided him around to the back of the temple. “Here. This one looks as though it’s smiling.”