meant for Richard and he took it. “No indeed.” His face became graver as he looked away from me, back to Mr. and Mrs. Terry. “We only discovered one body. One too many, but only one. We believe it was put there on purpose for us to find on our return.”

“What makes you think that, my lord?” demanded Mr. Terry.

“We all thought it,” Richard informed him. “It wasn’t there when we took the same route earlier in the day, so someone saw the route we took, and assumed we would return the same way. They placed the unfortunate victim there for us to find. Also, the man had been barbarously used. I don’t intend to go into details when there are ladies present.”

Mrs. and Miss Terry shuddered, and in that moment, the resemblance between them was clearly marked. I saw what Eustacia could become in twenty years’ time, her prettiness absorbed in flesh, her attitude matronly and autocratic.

“Who would do such a thing?” Eustacia’s eyes gleamed with the inner cruelty she had shown me so often in the past. I hoped it was shallowness and not prurience that had caused her frisson of excitement. My dislike of her had sprung from her cruelty to me, but perhaps that masked an essential cruelty born of her inner nature.

“We believe it must have been free traders.” Richard studied her, likely seeing what I had seen when her eyes had gleamed. “The squire doesn’t allow the smugglers to cross his land, and this must be inconvenient for them. He posts sentries, and calls out the land-riders, or so he has told me, so they must be anxious to secure his co-operation. Somehow,” he added with a gleam in his eye, “I don’t think this will stop him. He seems determined on it.”

“I can’t see what he has against it,” Mrs. Terry said. “There’s little we can do about it.”

“I would agree, ma’am,” Richard said smoothly, and Mr. Terry shot him an appraising glance. “I don’t think anything can be done here on the coast. It must be tackled in Parliament.”

“What do you suggest?” Mr. Terry leaned forward. His chair creaked.

Richard leaned back so he could see me and answer Mr. Terry. “Cutting duties. The government would then receive much more revenue from all the goods passing through, as I believe many of the recipients would much prefer to receive their tea, tobacco and liquor honestly, at a fair price.”

Mr. Terry sighed. “That would seem to be a long way off.” He passed his tea-dish to Martha for another helping.

“It would indeed,” Richard replied. “The brutality, however, should not be allowed to flourish unchecked. There was a Sussex gang broken up, was there not?”

“The Hawkhurst gang.” I found it surprising that Mr. Terry should know such things. We were a long way from Sussex.

“Just so. It was when their brutality became too much to stomach that the authorities found a way in to break it up.”

Mr. Terry put a hand to his chin—at least one of them. “You seem well informed, my lord.”

“Not really, but the case was a famous one, and I remember reading about it. I was under the curious misapprehension at the time that these things had a glamour they lack in real life. Pirates and highwaymen close up, are equally reprehensible.”

“Not having met any, I don’t think any of us can say for sure,” said Martha tartly. She created a natural pause by pouring the tea, and then talk turned to the wedding and how far the plans had advanced. Despite the fact that it was my wedding, I took little part in the conversation. Martha and the Countess of Southwood had made most of the plans. They corresponded almost daily now. “The countess writes me she will arrive next week,” Martha said. “I’ve heard so much from her, but I’m looking forward immensely to meeting her.”

“She says the same thing about you,” Richard assured her. “But when my family arrives, I fear I must take my leave.”

“Yes indeed,” agreed Martha. “We’ve enjoyed your visit much, especially one of us—” and she cast a significant look at me, “—but it wouldn’t do for you to be married from this house.”

Richard gave her one of his most charming smiles. “You’ve been an excellent hostess, and I hope you might still receive me from time to time.”

“Every day if you should wish it.” Martha smiled, and I knew then for certain that she approved of his devotion to me, and looked on it with kindness. Not every guardian would have approved of such open displays of affection as Richard had offered me, but Martha loved James, and had done since she had met him, in her case after the marriage was arranged. In fact, there was only ten years between Martha and me, but she had such a motherly way about her, she was so comfortable, that when she had taken the reins of the household we all welcomed it with relief. We were still overcrowded and to a certain extent still chaotic, but the important structures had been put in place; mealtimes, social visits, as a skeleton for us to exist around. Even the ascetic Ian had appreciated the more regular habits we slipped into after Martha had arrived.

This recent incident, so close to home, had upset Martha considerably, and she abruptly returned to the subject. “I do hope they catch the perpetrators.” She looked more anxious than I had seen her for some time. “I don’t like the idea of murderers running free hereabouts.”

“I wouldn’t concern yourself, ma’am,” said Mr. Terry, “you should be quite safe here. The free traders have no interest in crossing your land, although, I believe you plan to expand your