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“I am sure there is not onhis. I will answer for it, he never cared three straws about her. Whocouldabout such a nasty little freckled thing?”

—Pride and Prejudice

LYDIA TRACED HER lips with one finger as she lay in bed at midday.

It had been nine days and nights since she’d first kissed Thomas.

She kissed him every night on the beach and each kiss was even more intoxicating than the last. What she felt for him was beyond infatuation and completely different from her shallow feelings for George Wickham.

Her late husband had loved to talk about himself, and he did so eloquently.

He charmed people with his misfortunes and never took credit for the part his actions played in his unfortunate circumstances.

Thomas, on the other hand, rarely spoke of himself.

Every detail Lydia had learned about him she’d had to tug from him like a rope hauling up an anchor.

Thomas was shy, but also lonely. His marriage had been just as unhappy as her own, but for different reasons.

His late wife had been cold and indifferent.

More devoted to her religious convictions than to her family, and she’d ruled the roost. Not that Thomas was not manly and strong, but in Lydia’s opinion, he was too kind for his own good.

Sighing, she wished that she could kiss him this very moment.

But she knew that she couldn’t. During the day, he was Viscount Kingston and her employer.

He treated her with distant and correct politeness.

He only let down his guard when they were on the rocky beach, and she could call him by his given name.

Lydia rubbed her eyes and forced herself to get out of bed.

Chloe had danced half the night away, and Lydia had waded along the shore for the rest of it.

But judging from the sunshine through her window, it was past midday, and she needed to check on her charge.

If nothing else, she could give Chloe her companionship as she continued to sort the devil’s fingers fossils.

Lydia performed her ablutions and then quickly dressed.

She’d barely opened her door when she found Chloe on the other side.

“You’re finally awake! Can we go shopping?”

Touching her chest in surprise, Lydia hadn’t expected to find another person on the other side of her door. “My dear Chloe, the answer to if we can go shopping is always yes.”

Chloe squealed in delight, and Lydia could barely recognize the shy girl who she’d first met. “And can we get ices?”

“Of course,” Lydia said with a smile.

The young woman grabbed Lydia’s hands. “Come and break your fast first, and then we can set out. Papa is always worried that you aren’t eating enough.”

Lydia allowed herself to be led down the stairs and to the dining room.

Her cheeks were no longer gaunt, but a year of near starvation could not be corrected in a fortnight of proper meals.

Chloe insisted that Lydia eat her entire plate of food before they left to put on their impressive hats.

Lydia had a gift with haberdashery. She could take the plainest of bonnets and turn it into a stylish masterpiece.

And all of Chloe’s hats had been very plain before Lydia added ribbons, feathers, and faux flowers to them.

Arm-in-arm they walked down the street in front of the town house. A footman followed five steps behind. Glancing over her shoulder, Lydia wasn’t used to having protection or someone to carry her parcels. It felt comforting.

They had nearly reached the center of town when Chloe stopped short.

Lydia was grateful to be holding her charge’s arm, or she might have toppled over.

Once steady on her feet, Lydia looked around the square and saw Mark walking with another young woman.

She had dark hair, a pretty heart-shaped face, and a turned-up nose.

His eyes met Lydia’s, and he waved to them.

Lydia tugged Chloe toward the pair. “Major Lord Mark Ross, how delightful to see you.”

Mark bowed at the waist. “Mrs. Wickham, Miss Holden, may I introduce you to my cousin, Lady Margaret?”

Lydia put on her best smile. “I am delighted to make your acquaintance, Lady Margaret. Will you be in Brighton for long?”

“For the rest of the summer months,” Lady Margaret said in a slightly pinched but refined voice. “My father, the Earl of Lockwood, is a particular friend of His Majesty the King who will be in residence here.”

The crease between Chloe’s eyebrows deepened, and Lydia supposed her young charge was experiencing jealousy for the first time.

A most unpleasant feeling. Lydia was determined to be friendly enough for both of them.

“Then, I suppose you have been invited to the Royal Pavilion. How lucky! I have never been inside of it, but I quite adore the architecture. It reminds me of buildings in Asia.”

“The music room has many Chinese decorations and is particularly stunning.”

“I am certain that it is,” Lydia said with another smile a little too bright.

“Perhaps we will meet you again in a less royal room, for we have some shopping to do. It was lovely to make your acquaintance, Lady Margaret.” She bowed her head.

“And nice to see you again, Major. Try to stay away from both rum and Portuguese pirates.”

Mark chuckled. “I will do my best.”

Lydia turned Chloe around so that they walked in the opposite direction of the other pair.

She waited until they were well out of earshot before she spoke.

“The major has shown you marked attention, but he has not asked for your father’s permission to court you.

And as difficult as it is, you must be more careful not to show your feelings on your face. ”

Chloe frowned and fisted the side of her dress. “I thought he liked me.”

Lydia patted Chloe’s hand on her arm. “I am certain that he does, but it is early days yet . . . Before we married, my late husband showed marked attention to a Miss King, and I told everyone who would listen that she was a nasty, freckled, little thing . But the only person who was both nasty and little was me.”

“I was thinking that Lady Margaret’s nose sticks up at the end like a pig snout.”

Laughter bubbled out of Lydia before she could remember that she was supposed to be the responsible adult.

“Every time I feel something unkind about another woman, I make myself think of two compliments for her. And after a few meetings, I can focus on her good qualities rather than my bad feelings—which usually spring from jealousy. And if my feelings are particularly sour, I make myself tell the other woman the sweet compliments until I can only think and feel nice things about her.”

Chloe sighed and shrugged. “Lady Margaret has really pretty dark hair.”

“It curls very charmingly around her face,” Lydia added and held up two fingers.

“And Lady Margaret’s pelisse and bonnet were very fashionable and flattering on her.”

“Perfect!” Lydia clapped her hands. “Now, let us go reward ourselves with some strawberry ices. I know the perfect shop near the pier. My treat, but you’ll have to lend me the money first.”

Chloe reluctantly smiled and then she giggled. Lydia laughed with her.

THOMAS TRIED NOT to think about Lydia during the day.

If he did, he had difficulty concentrating on the paper that he was writing for the Royal Society.

He felt rather dissatisfied with his old life.

Thomas had been content to hide away in his study, but now he longed for society—Lydia’s company in particular.

He’d once thought card parties, like the one they had been invited to tonight, were interminably dull. Yet it was all that he could think about because Lydia would be there—laughing and playing her lottery tickets.

Thomas got to his feet and decided to get ready for dinner a little early. Perhaps Lydia and Chloe would be in the parlor, and he didn’t want to miss one word of their conversation. He went upstairs to his room and rang the bell for his valet.

DINNER PASSED ALL too quickly for Thomas’s liking.

Before he knew it, they were all three riding in the carriage to General Forster’s town house for another card party.

Thomas usually avoided social gatherings, as he wasn’t his best in company.

He tended to overthink his responses and often came off to others as cold or haughty.

And by the time he’d come up with his true opinion on the subject, the others in the party had moved over to new topics.

When the footman opened the carriage door, Chloe sprang out excitedly.

Lydia gave Thomas a smile. “Oh, to be young again and to have that sort of energy.”

“I’m afraid that I have always been rather slow and plodding.”

She took his hand and squeezed it. “ Thoughtful . The words that we tell ourselves have great power. As do the descriptions that others give us. My father always called me silly , and I believed I was stupid and without worth.”

“You’re not silly. You’re joyful.”

Lydia gave him a smile that warmed his entire body. “ Joyful . Now that is a powerful word.”

She descended from the carriage and linked arms with Chloe.

He followed more sedately behind the two.

They giggled as they entered the house, and Thomas could not think of a more pleasant sound.

The only silly person was the late Mr. Bennet, who hadn’t seen his daughter’s worth.

Thomas couldn’t imagine saying anything unkind to his own daughter.

But then, he remembered how he had previously thought Chloe was plain like him.

Perhaps it was the curse of all fathers to project their own failings onto their children.

Feeling humbled, Thomas resolved to do better and follow Lydia’s wise advice to give more compliments.