Page 78 of To Treasure an Heiress
He had that dark gaze of his set fast. Looking, as always, so much like Mother. And soseriousas he tried to understand her. She sighed. “Because I didn’t think there was anything left to find in the Scillies, Ollie. I didn’t fall in love with any of the local boys like all my friends here did, and it didn’t seem likely that my own prince would ever come to the islands. I imagined I’d have to find him myself.”
“Ha. Well, as Ainsley would say...” Sheridan slid to her side and slipped a bold arm around her waist. “You ought to have had a bit of faith.”
Her cheeks felt hot as the sun itself. He’d been so restrained the last several days, she’d rather thought it was because he hadn’t wanted to give anything away to her brother quite yet. But here he was, all but announcing their relationship to everyone.
And no one looked the least bit surprised. Oliver, in fact, just snorted a laugh. “That she should have. Well, I’m coming in. Didn’t find the book, though.”
“Oh. Right, that. Sorry. Found it here after all. Buried, you know.”
Oliver didn’t examine it too closely, though whether it was because he was just in a hurry to come inside with Libby or he thought it a reasonable explanation she didn’t know.
Nor did she think about it overlong. When she faced the newly arrived girls again, she noted at once what she hadn’t when they were outside. All the laughter was from Mabena and Libby. Emily kept herself a step behind and was, just now, seemingly trying to melt into a bookcase. She looked pale, her eyes downcast.
“There you are, Darling.” Libby had crouched down to set her basket on the floor and flipped the latch that held the top down. It was all the invitation her little tabby kitten needed to poke his head up and then leap out. With a happy meow, he rubbed against Libby’s ankles for a second and then ran straight for Telford.
“There you are.” Telford chuckled as Darling leaped onto his lap and stretched up to bump his head into his chin. “I missed you too. I keep telling Oliver he needs to get a dog to keep me company when you’re not here, but he won’t listen.”
Beth shook her head. Oliver had always loved dogs, and they’d had several over the years. If he wasn’t listening, it was likely just for the point of it. Telford had been a bit of a bore when he first arrived, after all.
Butshehad to determine how best to get over to Emily and get her to tell her what was wrong, not get dragged into a conversation about the merits of a puppy. Emily would never breathe a word about what was bothering her in company, though. Not unless no one was paying attention to them.
So then. A distraction. And the yellow paper still sitting on the arm of the sofa provided just the one she needed. “Sheridan received word that his sisters will be here in two days.” She lifted her brows and turned to him. “Have you addressed Mamm-wynn’s rather cogent point of last week?”
He blinked at her.
She motioned to the house. “They need a place to stay. And as we have already well established, all the holiday cottages and hotels are booked for the summer, and we’re already bursting at the seams.”
His face screwed up. “Right. That.”
As she’d expected would happen, everyone had an opinion or suggestion, and while they talked them over, she slid away from Sheridan and skirted the table, gave a hello squeeze to Mabena’s elbow and a grin to Libby, and then worked her way to Emily’s side.
“Oh, but I don’t mind at all!” Libby was saying. “I love staying here on Tresco with the Moons. Your sisters are welcome to stay in my cottage as long as they like. Only ... well, I don’t know that theywouldlike. It’s rather basic, and they’re ... not.”
Laughter rang out from Sheridan, Telford, Libby, and Mabena—the ones who clearly knew the Howe sisters.
Those acrobats in her stomach took up a new routine. All sorts of gentry and nobility took their holidays on St. Mary’s in the cottages outfitted for the purpose. What made these two less likely to enjoy it than all the others?
She rather dreaded finding out.
But that wasn’t the point. Emily. She tucked herself close to her friend’s side and leaned close. “I didn’t see Briggs with you. Did she not come?”
Emily’s nostrils flared. “She’ll follow later. The Wights are touring the Gardens this afternoon and offered to bring her. She had letters to answer.”
“You’ve had news.”
Still, Emily didn’t look up. Just to the side. “No.Shehas had news. That Nigel had been back in London after that trip to Portugalchasing Sheridan’s false leads, and the house has been a veritable flurry of activity ever since.”
“Oh, Em.” She leaned in until their shoulders touched, unable to imagine how it felt to be completely ignored by her own family. To have to hear from her maid what her own parents and brother were doing. “I’m so sorry they’re acting this way.”
Emily squeezed her eyes shut and then, when she opened them again, fastened on a smile that was trying too hard. Or not hard enough. “Well. I can’t really worry with that right now. We have bigger considerations.” The false smile slipped away. “They report that something big is happening, though they don’t know exactly what. Only that my family has been running around like mad, and they’ve been told to prepare the house for a special guest.”
“What? Who?”
Emily shook her head. “They don’t know. My parents just keep calling him ‘the American.’”
The American. Beth let her breath hiss out. “The same one who owns theVictoria, do you think? Who would bid against Sheridan for anything I found of Mucknell’s?”
“I imagine. I don’t know what other American it could be.”
