“Things aren’t going at all as I planned them,” Miss Talbot said. “First Laura must away to London, and now George is ill. It isn’t very much of a homecoming for him.”

“Miss Hayes is coming back tomorrow, is she not?”

“On the three o’clock train, or so she said.” Miss Talbot sighed heavily. “Oh, but it will be too late then to do anything worthwhile. And Laura will insist on reporting to her family afterward. Heaven knows how long that will take. I don’t expect we’ll be able to lure her away until Thursday.”

“Hence your picnic.”

“Precisely. It will be a treat for her—and for George.”

“For me as well,” Alex said.

Miss Talbot gave him a dimpled smile. “I shall endeavor not to bore you, Mr. Archer.”

“There’s no danger of that, ma’am.”

“Isn’t there? You strike me as being altogether more sophisticated than the rest of us. You’ve been living on the continent for such a long while. Lower Hawley must seem rather dull when compared to Paris and Marseilles.”

Alex wondered how much George had told her. Not too much, he’d wager. “Not at all. One grows tired of French casinos and supper parties with displaced aristocrats. The English countryside is a welcome change.”

“One can enjoy the countryside without learning the inner workings of a farm,” she said. “You needn’t feel obliged to accept my father’s offer of a tour. He won’t be offended if you beg off this afternoon.”

“On the contrary. I’m quite looking forward to learning more about Edgington Park. Farming is a particular interest of mine.”

“Indeed?” Her brows lifted. “Do you intend to settle in the country, sir?”

“I hope I might,” he said. “If I meet a suitable lady.”

“I can’t say I didn’t wonder. You spent a great deal of time talking with Laura yesterday.” Her smile turned brittle. “She hasn’t a bean, you know. And her brother and aunt are dependent upon her. No gentleman could ever persuade her to give them up.”

Alex regarded Miss Talbot with interest. Was she jealous of Miss Hayes? Or merely the type of lady who bristled at any perceived competition? “I haven’t any designs on Miss Hayes.”

It was the truth.

Miss Talbot looked somewhat mollified. “I daresay I shouldn’t have said anything. Laura is a childhood friend, and very dear to me. But a gentleman should be made aware of such matters before he risks his heart.”

“I assure you, ma’am, my heart is in no danger.”