Page 71 of The Moonstone Hero
Amos put a big hand on Elmer’s slight shoulder. “It is a nice thing they are doing. Be quiet, Elmer. It is a sign of their respect for you. Appreciate it and just thank them.”
The boy blushed. “All right. Thank you. My mother will love it.”
Ella and Imogen then purchased cameos for their mother, Phoebe, Chloe, and Henley. The lovely shopkeeper was right—these brooches would sell out quickly.
Miss Harrow scurried into the back to wrap each gift. As they were waiting for her to finish, Lord Fielding walked in. “I thought I might find you here,” he murmured, smiling as he tipped his hat to her and Imogen.
Ella tried to appear pleased to see him. “Ah, Lord Fielding. When did you return?”
He had stayed on in Moonstone Landing for several weeks after Caden departed with his grandfather and their entourage. It had felt like forever to Ella. Seeing Lord Fielding every day as he ingratiated himself with her family was wearying. Well, he, Cain, and Cormac were longtime friends and enjoyed each other’s company.
But it was not only their company he sought. He wanted hers as well.
He was not openly courting her so much as trying to make her forget Caden. It was never going to work. She would neverconsider marrying him while her heart belonged to another. She had tried to be clear on that point.
She also thought he had returned to London after taking his leave of them. Why was he back now? She hoped it was not to pursue this unwanted courtship.
Nothing had changed for her. Caden still had her heart, and she was not ready to give up hope of marrying him. How could she when these weekly presents were a constant reminder of his affection for her?
“I arrived just last night and settled at the Kestrel Inn. I thought I would spend a few days here before returning to London,” Lord Fielding explained. “My travels have taken me away for quite a while, and it will be good to return.”
Ella frowned. “Were you not already in London?”
“No, I wasn’t.” He cast her a wry smile and said no more.
“Then where did you go?” Ella did not care if he thought the question rude.
“I had business up north.”
“We are also returning at the end of the week,” Imogen remarked, interrupting Ella before she could ask where precisely north he had gone.
“Ah, then perhaps I will wait and return to London with you. Which coaching inns will you be stopping at on the way home? I’m sure they are the same as mine. There are few along the way that are suitable.”
To Ella’s further dismay, Imogen told him.
“Excellent,” he said. “Yes, they are the same as mine. I’ll write ahead and push back my reservations.” He tipped his hat to them again and was about to leave when he noticed the cameos on display on the counter. “Is this what you purchased?”
“Yes,” Imogen interjected. “For ourselves and the ladies in our family.”
He studied the brooches with a serious eye. “This one will be perfect for my mother.”
When Miss Harrow returned, he asked for help in purchasing two brooches.
“One for your mother and the other…um, for a special young lady?” Miss Harrow asked.
He arched an eyebrow. “No, both for my mother.”
“Oh, then they are perfect.” She smiled brightly at him.
Ella could not quite figure out this young woman. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, or possibly a few years older, but she had a youthful face and was quite pretty. Her speech was elegant, and so were her clothes. Not that she put on airs, for she did not at all. Her gowns were beautifully designed but modest, and the colors were soft shades, nothing garish.
“Yes, I thought they would suit my mother,” Lord Fielding said, his manner polite and not as stuffy as he sometimes could be. Perhaps that was harsh. He really was a nice man, but Ella did not want him to waste his time courting her.
However, Ella noticed Miss Harrow staring at Lord Fielding and blushing slightly as he spoke to her. Of course, it was not likely that someone as elevated as Lord Fielding would deign to court a mere shopkeeper. If he liked her, he would likely propose another sort of arrangement.
Ella immediately dismissed that possibility. He was not a hound, as her Uncle Cormac and Cain had been. He would never be so crude as to suggest an improper arrangement with this young lady, would he?
She shook out of her rambling thoughts. If Lord Fielding had returned to Moonstone Landing for the purpose of courting her, then he would never cast his eye on another woman in the meanwhile. But could there be something between Miss Harrow and Lord Fielding?
