Page 95 of The Scandalous Saga of the White Lady

“Of course, Harry is not only a fellow cattleman, but he has become a friend. He invited me to stay and I found it convenient and a pleasure to accept his offer.”

“And that is all?”

“Well… there is you, of course… I very much enjoyed our meeting at the fair and I wanted to get to know you better.”

“And have you… gotten to know me better?”

They walked forward in silence for a moment or two, and then Roger said, “I think I shocked you when I told you about my daughter. I should not have left telling you that for so long.”

He had not answered her question, but she said, “Yes, it did startle me somewhat—but not in a bad way. I was mostly surprised because you had said nothing of her up until then.”

“Yes, that was a mistake.” But he added nothing more.

Maria was finding Roger to be very taciturn. He had seemed much more open when they first met at the fair. Now he kept his conversation to the minimum with little elaboration. And she felt she needed to ask, “At one point I felt that you might be developing feelings for me. But recently you appear to pulling back. Am I reading the situation incorrectly?”

Roger glanced at her and said, “Miss Maria… I ah… I am afraid you have called me out. It is true, I did warm to you initially when we met. But… but…”

“Ah, the dreadedbut… I think I understand without you needing to explain more.”

“I do like you very much.”

“But… And if I am completely honest, I too have reservations about you.”

“Do you? Well…well… well…”

“You seem to be relieved.”

He gave her the first smile in quite some time. “Miss Maria, I have to truthfully tell you, I am.”

“I like you too,” Maria said, “But we seem to lack a certain…” She shrugged. “I cannot find the right word.”

“Sympathy? Might that be the word you are looking for?”

“Very close. Harmony, might be another way of putting it. I do not think we are a match—to put it bluntly.”

He seemed to be greatly relieved. “I quite agree. Now we can relax and just be friends.”

“Yes, I should like that.”

Chapter 34

The road ahead began to decline gradually toward the small village by the sea. Anna had offered to use their carriage as the Stewarts, who were left behind, would need the use of their family’s only carriage.

On this trip, there was only Dorothy and Christopher, Anna, and Louisa who had taken a liking to Anna and pleaded to go to the seashore with them. Finally, Christopher and Claribel relented and allowed her to accompany them—as long as she was on her very best behavior—to be monitored by Christopher as the final and supreme authority.

The village was so small it had no name, but it was considered to be a part of Wyke Regis on the southernmost tip of Dorset. The cottage where they would be staying was used by the extended family and owned by one of Christopher’s great aunts.

The village consisted of a tavern and a few provisional establishments catering to the locals and summer visitors to the seashore. There was no harbor and the few fishing boats were pulled onto the beach. But what particularly drew the crowds were the expansive beaches and dunes where a large variety of seabirds nested.

“What do you think, Dorothy, dear?” Christopher asked as the carriage drove through the town and headed further out along the coast to where the cottage was located.

“You mean we are not staying in the village?” she asked.

“No, we will be staying in the most charming cottage with no one around us as far as one can see.”

“That sounds horrid. No one?”

“We will have each other,” Christopher said, trying to sound enthusiastic.