Page 62 of A Misguided Devotion

And he was leaving soon. It was best if he did—for his sake and her own. It was time to forge a new path for herself.

She would let it be. Then she could continue to believe that her grandfather was just that—her real grandfather.

Kitty was pulled out of her reflections by the sight of a familiar face. The riding officer was standing in the churchyard by the rearmost tombstones, watching them as they passed. “Look—there’s Mr Jenkin. Should we stop to greet him?”

“No.” Laura maintained her pace, forcing them all to keep walking. “I have nothing to say to him, thank you.”

What a brusque response! “I thought he was your friend.”

She gave a brittle laugh. “A colleague of my father’s—no more.”

“Don’t you think it suspicious that he’s here on the mainland on the same day as us, rather than working on Portland?” William asked. “Are you sure the man isn’t haunting your footsteps?”

Laura kept walking. “You are imagining things, Mr Merry. There is no need to be jealous. His mother lives in Weymouth. I expect he is employed on some errand for her.”

“Ah, that would be it,” he said, as they turned into St Thomas Street. But the wry smile he shot in Kitty’s direction suggested he did not believe it.

Nor did Kitty. Poor Mr Jenkin. She had suspected Laura’s attachment to him on numerous occasions, but it seemed she had been mistaken—and so had he.

Mrs Fisher’s millinery and dressmaker’s shop was on the left. The bonnets in the window display were smart, and for a provincial store, they appeared, to Kitty’s inexperienced eye at least, very fashionable.

They were about to enter the establishment when a gentleman crossed the road and stopped in front of them. The dark-haired man was impeccably attired in a deep blue jacket and black pantaloons. His coat fitted his broad shoulders to perfection, and his neckcloth was tied in an intricate style.

There was a lazy smile about his lips and a twinkle in his eyes as he addressed William. “So, this is where you’ve been hiding yourself—escorting beautiful women around town. Will you present me to your lovely companions?”

William hesitated, a wariness in his gaze. Did he object to performing the introductions? Was the gentleman not respectable enough, despite appearances?

Kitty transferred her attention to the stranger, and was in time to see a slight lift to his brow as Laura said, “Yes, please introduce us, Mr Merry.”

“Ladies, may I present my friend, Mr Warren? Anthony, Miss Barrington and Miss Lacey.”

“I am delighted to make your acquaintance,” the man said. Taking Laura’s hand, he lifted it to his lips and bestowed a kiss on her gloved fingers.

He then turned to Kitty and did the same. She knew she could not inspire such immediate devotion, but liked him the better for not making the distinction between her and Laura.

“Ladies, please go ahead into Mrs Fisher’s while I have a few words with my friend,” William said.

How curious. First, they had exchanged strange looks, and now he wanted to talk to Mr Warren alone.

Laura entered the shop, and Kitty supposed she would have to follow. Which was a pity. She would very much like to know what the two gentlemen had to say to each other.

Chapter 19

Anthony crossed his arms and glared at him. “Mr Merry? Tired of your title already? Just what game are you playing, Will?”

William walked a short way along the pavement, away from the door of the shop, in case one of the ladies came out. “Keep your voice down. I’ve been painting, and I didn’t want to draw attention to where I was staying. We thought it would stop people asking too many questions.”

“We?”

“The girl’s father suggested it.”

“That sounds serious.”

“Don’t make too much of it. I’ve been working on her portrait and believed it would be pleasant to be myself, instead of being labelled with my title.”

“Where have you been hiding? Charlotte has been remarkably calm about your disappearance—”

“It’s hardly a disappearance.”