“I am good with horses,” I say. “I am also very fond of them. That does not mean I intend to change my life so that I might have one of my own.”

“Precisely.”

I lean back. “I adore my nephew, and I cannot wait to meet his new little sister or brother. I hope Rosalind has a whole brood of children for me to torment and spoil. Portia wants children, too, and so I will have plenty in my life without needing to have any myself.”

The arm around me relaxes as he moves closer still, tight against my side. “You understand, then.”

“I do, and I am certain some will call me selfish for not wanting children, but would it not be more selfish to bring them into a life where I might resent the limitations they place on mine?”

“Yes, that is it exactly, crécerelle.” He kisses my cheek. “I am glad to see we are of a mind. It will make it so much easier when I finally persuade you to marry me.”

I roll my eyes and lean my head onto his shoulder. We sit like that, in comfortable silence, until he sighs.

“I suppose we must talk about Miss Jenkins,” he says.

“Yes. Her grandfather is convinced she is an innocent pawn, and you feel the same. Yet if that is true, however cruel it seems, she should continue playing the role of pawn, this time for our benefit. I have several ideas as to how you might . . . curry her favor.”

He is silent for a moment. Then he says, “Must I? I hesitate to register my complaint, Miranda, as finding who killed Andrés is my highest priority. I will do whatever it takes. But might I ask to consider other possibilities?”

When I open my mouth, he presses a kiss to it.

“Please?” he says. “I struggle with the idea of seduction, however innocent, and it is not my sense of fairness that protests. Yes, I believe she is a pawn, but I acknowledge she might also have knowingly lied to me about Andrés, on her uncle’s behalf. I am not certain I can bring myself to speak to her, much less to flirt with her.”

When I do not answer, he shifts in obvious discomfort. “I will if it is necessary, of course.”

“That is not why I am silent, Nico. I am silent because I am searching for the words to say that I am sorry for asking you. To admit that I did not even think of how uncomfortable it would be.”

“Perhaps I am being overly sensitive.”

I take his hand and twist to meet his eyes. “No, I ought to have considered it from your point of view, and I did not. You shouldn’t need to speak to her, and you certainly shouldn’t need to flirt with her. Earlier, when you thought I was going to protest, I was actually going to say I have thought of a second solution, though it may be more difficult. You said that it is not considered unduly inappropriate for me to be in the moors on my own. What if I were to find a way to encounter Miss Jenkins? I cannot guarantee I could win her confidence on such short notice, but if you could advise me, we could make an effort.”