Simply Magic

“You brought her back in one piece, I see, Whitleaf,” Edgecombe said, striding up to the vehicle and reaching up a hand to help her down. “Congratulations. Frances would have been upset with you if you had not.”

“And you are not looking nearly as frightened as you were when you left here, Susa

Peter declined their invitation to go inside the house for refreshments. He would be expected back at Hareford House, he told them, and left after bidding them all a collective farewell.

This time, he noticed, Susa

He had also noticed she had not said that it was impossible for them to be friends.

Or that it would be possible either.

It struck him as he drove away that perhaps it would be better if she had protested. He was not at all sure that friendship was safe.

It was a surprise to Susa

She was even more surprised to discover that she actually rather liked Viscount Whitleaf. He might be a basically shallow man who liked nothing better than to flirt with every woman he set eyes upon, but he also had a good sense of humor. More important, he was definitely a kind man-and not totally indolent either. He had actually mended Miss Honeydew’s fence and cleaned out her old stable. He had taken her bad-tempered little dog for a walk. He had been careful not to embarrass her when he had discovered her asleep in her chair while Susa

She had discovered when she had found herself quite unable to resist asking him about his childhood, just as if she knew nothing at all about it, that indeed he had been cosseted by his mother and all his sisters and ruled by his male guardians. He could not be blamed in any way, then, for what had happened to her father. And she could not blame him simply for having the name Whitleaf.

But despite the softening of her attitude toward him, Susa

And yet the idea had a certain appeal. She had never had a male friend. Mr. Huckerby and Mr. Upton, the art master, were not quite friends, though they were colleagues with whom she shared a mutual respect. And Mr. Keeble was just a friendly acquaintance, a sort of father figure as he guarded the door of the school from every imaginable or imaginary wolf.

In the coming days she saw further evidence of Lord Whitleaf’s kindness. After di

And when, after church on Sunday, Susa

The Earl of Edgecombe told Frances and Susa

“And of course,” the earl added, chuckling, “they were all gazing worshipfully up at him too-when he did not have them all doubled up with laughter, that was.”

And he did not forget that he wanted to be Susa

She saw him every day. They never spent longer than half an hour alone together at a time-he was too discreet for that, and if he had not been, she would. She certainly did not want to arouse any gossip in the neighborhood. Nor did she want to make Frances uneasy. But almost always when they met he contrived to exchange a few private words with her or to take her apart from the company for a short while.

She came to look forward to those brief interludes as the highlight of her days.

After playing cards with Mrs. Moss at the Raycrofts’ di

She had been seated beside Mr. Da

“You were begi

“Oh, I was not!” she protested indignantly. “I would not be so ill-ma

“But it is interesting to note,” he said, “that you do not deny that you were bored. Anyway, I have rescued you. What are friends for?”

She laughed, and they stood talking to each other for a while beside the tea tray until Mr. Crossley and Miss Krebbs joined them.

One afternoon he rode over to Barclay Court with Miss Raycroft and her brother, and the three of them stayed for tea. But when Mr. Raycroft rose to leave, his sister protested that she wanted to see some watercolors of Vie

Her opinion of him took another turn for the better.

The next day was chilly and blustery, but Susa

She explained that to Viscount Whitleaf, whom they met as he was striding along the village street after escorting two of the Calvert sisters home from Hareford House, and at his suggestion Frances proceeded on her way to deliver her basket while he escorted Susa