‘How old is she?’
‘About the same as you, I should think.’
‘Do you like her?’
‘Like her?’ He frowned, wondering what she was getting at. ‘She’s pleasant enough, I suppose. A bit timid, though that’s no surprise living with her father. Why?’
‘Isn’t it obvious?’ Ianthe was staring at him with a flabbergasted expression. ‘Why didn’t you just marry her?’
Robert knit his brows together, taken aback by the question. It was a good one. Marrying Violet would have made good business sense, yet the idea had never occurred to him. In all likelihood, Harper would never have approved of him as a suitor, but that wasn’t the point. He ought to have thought of it. So why hadn’t he? Perhaps because since meeting Ianthe, he hadn’t thought of any other woman at all.
‘And I thought you were a man of business.’ Brown eyes sparkled with laughter. ‘He’d definitely have sold you his yard then. He might even have given it to you.’
‘You might be right.’ He shook his head, vaguely unnerved by the exchange. ‘But I’m afraid it’s time we were going. I ought to get back to work.’
She fell into step beside him, swinging her bonnet loosely in one hand as they made their way back along the pier towards the cliff steps. Exposed to the elements, her hair now seemed determined to escape the confines of its bun, billowing around her face in wispy tendrils that she made no effort to brush away. Oddly enough, he seemed to prefer her dishevelled.
‘I’m sorry to drag you away so soon.’ He waved a summons to Matthew, stepped aside for a man in a brown jacket to pass by. ‘You can stay longer if you wish.’
‘On my own?’ Her voice sounded panicky all of a sudden.
‘With Matthew. I’m sure he’d enjoy showing you around.’
‘I’d rather go back.’
He glanced at her surreptitiously. All that he’d said was that she could stay there with Matthew and yet her whole manner had suddenly changed. She seemed to have retreated inside herself again, just as she’d done when they’d first left the house, though he’d put that down to nerves about their newly established truce. Just as she’d done the other night, too, when she’d fled from the dining room. The happy, carefree woman seemed to have been replaced by a pale, frightened wraith.
What on earth was there to be frightened of?
‘As you wish.’ He kept his tone even, trying not to alarm her any further.
‘Will you still escort us home?’
‘Of course.’ He drew to a halt as they reached the bottom of the steps, waiting for Matthew to catch up. ‘Though we can go through the town if you prefer? It’s a longer route, but not quite as steep. We could do some shopping now, too.’
‘No.’ She swept past him so quickly that for a moment he thought she intended to run up the steps.
‘Can’t we stay any longer?’ Matthew scampered up and tugged at his sleeve. ‘We’ve hardly been here an hour.’
‘Not today. Mrs Felstone needs to get home.’ He took one look at the boy’s crestfallen expression and relented. ‘You can come with me to the yard instead.’
‘Yes!’ Matthew gave an enthusiastic leap. ‘I said she’d be too hot.’
‘She’s indisposed.’
‘Indis—what?’
‘Concerned about something, but don’t mention it to anyone, lad. I’ll find out what’s the matter later.’
He narrowed his eyes as he mounted the steps, following Ianthe’s retreating back with a look of grim determination. Whatever had happened to make her panic, this time he wasn’t going to let her tell him she was tired or hot or any other excuse. This time he was going to find out exactly what was going on.
Chapter Twelve
‘So...’ Ianthe twirled around in the doorway. ‘What do you think?’
‘You look fine.’ Robert barely glanced up from the game of chess he was playing with Matthew.
‘’S all right.’ His ward sounded even less impressed.