“I’ll walk down to meet Sarah,” he said, refusing to discuss it further and suffer a barrage of further questions. “Might hire a horse. It will be pleasant to ride on such a sunny day. I’ll go and change into my riding clothes.”
As he left the house on foot, Hugh met his sister and Miss Kershaw walking up the road from the stables with the groom.
He returned Sarah’s suspiciously casual greeting, noticing twin spots of color on her cheeks and wondering what had happened during his absence.
“Lucy has agreed to join us for luncheon,” Sarah said. “Did you enjoy your trip to Kent? How is Miss Ashton?”
“She is well.” Hugh took note of his sister’s use of Miss Kershaw’s first name. They were becoming bosom friends, and while that pleased him, it would be torture to see a lot of Miss Kershaw during the next month and be unable to pursue her. “Mother will tell you more about that. After a ride, I’ll see you at luncheon.” He glanced casually at Miss Kershaw, noting the intense look in her eyes beneath the rim of her black riding hat. Was she sending him some kind of warning? “Did you enjoy your ride, Miss Kershaw?”
“I did. Thank you, my lord.”
“Mr. Beaufort might still be in the park,” Sarah said. “We saw him there with some gentlemen.” She blushed. “You might invite him to luncheon.”
“Very well.” Hugh walked on, his crop resting on his shoulder while his mind remained on the lady who was ever present in histhoughts. Her guarded expression. Sarah’s skittish mood. Had something occurred he should know about?
Hugh returned to the house over an hour later and told Sarah, as she and Miss Kershaw started up the stairs, that Beaufort was coming to luncheon after he changed out of his riding clothes. He was gratified to see how pleased Sarah was, but a romance required reciprocation, and his friend had given no hint that he was interested in Sarah.
He hoped to have a quiet word with Miss Kershaw, when she and Sarah came down from freshening up.
When Sarah excused herself to see her mother, Hugh took his chance. He stood with his back to the fire, at a distance from where Miss Kershaw sat on the drawing room sofa. “Did something untoward happen in the park this morning?”
She frowned. “I’m not at liberty to tell you.”
“Dash it all, Miss Kershaw. Don’t you believe it is important enough for me to know?”
She rubbed her brow. “I do, but I cannot break Sarah’s confidence.” Her clear gaze searched his. “You might ask her yourself.”
“It appears I must.”
Determined not to allow him to wrangle information from her, she raised her chin.
“As Mr. Beaufort is coming to luncheon, you might ask him about it.”
“Luke was there in the park?”
“Yes, he was very helpful.”
Hugh cocked an eyebrow. But she firmed her lips and refused to say more.
“Very well, I shall ask him,” he said finally as Sarah entered the room.
“What are you two talking about?” She glanced from one to the other. “You look like two conspirators plotting someone’s defeat.”
“Like a pair of spies?” Hugh asked Sarah. He glanced at Miss Kershaw and was rewarded by a blush. “Might you have something to tell me?”
Sarah’s quizzical gaze went again from his to Miss Kershaw’s. “No, I don’t believe so.”
“As you wish.” Not convinced, he nodded.
Hugh left the room and went upstairs to change. He would have better success with Luke. A man could be relied upon to reveal something he considered of vital importance. Men were far more sensible than most women, who kept their friends’ secrets to the grave. Hugh chuckled. He admired Miss Kershaw’s loyalty, and her hint that Luke might be at liberty to explain the situation, even though it had frustrated him.
When Luke arrived, Hugh took him aside. “Did something untoward occur in the park this morning with my sister?
Luke cleared his throat, alarm in his eyes. “She hasn’t told you?”
“No.”
“Lady Sarah might not approve of me telling you.” After a moment, Luke shrugged. “But I feel you should know what I witnessed, at least. Viscount Cardew was with her. The pair had left Miss Kershaw waiting on Rotten Row with the groom and ridden deeper into the park. When Miss Kershaw and I found them, Lord Cardew was holding Lady Sarah against a tree. I wasn’t sure if it was a lovers’ tiff, but she looked distressed, and I disliked the manner in which he treated her.”