Love and Larceny Read Free

next audacious thing she would do or say. With
Wynn, as with her other friends, she could simply relax.
    They arrived at Brentfield the next day after
an overnight stay in Swindon. She couldn’t help smiling at the way
Wynn gaped at the massive house. Brentfield Manor had been
patterned after Kensington Palace, built from rose-colored brick
with wings stretching east and west from the three-story main
block. All the windows and the porticoed porch were edged in white.
The drive led up over a white stone bridge arching the stream that
fed a reflecting pond. As soon as Wynn reined in, an army of
footmen and grooms descended on them, taking charge of baggage and
horses. But Daphne’s gaze was all for her former art teacher, now
the Countess of Brentfield.
    In the five months since Daphne had last seen
her, Hannah had changed little, and a great deal. She was still a
few inches shorter than Daphne, and she had kept the style of
braiding her long black hair around her head. Her wide
chocolate-colored eyes were tilted up in obvious pleasure. But
instead of her dark teacher’s frock, she wore a fashionable
lustring gown the color of violets, and she held herself confident,
poised, as if she knew who she was and where she belonged. Daphne
envied her that.
    She dipped a curtsey. “Lady Brentfield. Thank
you for inviting us.”
    Hannah’s rosy lips quirked. “That is quite
enough of the Lady Brentfield nonsense. I’m still not accustomed to
it, and I never use it with friends. I am Hannah, and you are very
welcome in our home, Daphne.”
    Daphne grinned, rising. “I’m so glad.” She
turned and motioned Wynn forward. “Hannah, may I present Mr. Wynn
Fairfax, a particular friend of mine.”
    Hannah raised her brows as if Daphne had said
something intriguing.
    Wynn offered her a bow. “Your ladyship.”
    She nodded as he straightened. “Mr. Fairfax.
Any friend of Daphne’s is certainly welcome here. Just know that
this is the first time my husband and I have entertained, so you
must tell us if we can do anything more to make you feel at
ease.”
    “Such congenial company and pleasant
surroundings would put anyone at ease,” he assured her.
    Daphne giggled. “Oh, you haven’t spent enough
time in our company. Something interesting always happens when the
four of us and Hannah get together.”
    “David is determined that this house party
will be quite different from the last you spent at Brentfield,”
Hannah promised, twinkle in her eyes. “But I know you will help
solve that problem I posed to you all.”
    Daphne nodded. “Certainly!”
    Hannah smiled her thanks. “If you go inside,
our staff will see you to your rooms. I regret that Mr. Asheram has
taken leave of us, and most of the staff are new. You’ll likely
know the house better than they do. I’ll greet the rest of our
guests, and David and I will join you shortly in the Blue Salon.
He’d have been here himself, except he was called to the village on
urgent business.”
    Daphne wasn’t sure why the earl would be
called to Wenwood, the little village to the west of the estate,
but she was certain David would handle the matter with his usual
aplomb. She’d warned Wynn on the way to be prepared for the open
manner of the soft-spoken Yank who had found himself the last heir
of Brentfield.
    Wynn offered her his arm as if to escort her
to the house. Silly gesture. She was perfectly capable of climbing
the white stone steps by herself. As if he knew her thoughts, he
leaned closer and whispered, “I am your suitor, remember.”
    Oh, right. They were supposed to be courting.
With a blush, she lay her hand on his.
    But as they started up to the double doors
that led into the circular rotunda, she glanced about once more at
the magnificence that was Brentfield. She could just catch a
glimpse of the stables, where riding mounts would be standing ready
to take her flying across the fields, and the woods that flanked
the gardens behind the house.
    Something moved