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surprise?”
    “Of course, I did. You’re my second-best girl, don’t you know?” He held out a package wrapped in brown paper.
    Taking it, Emily gushed her gratitude before saying, “Kitty’s been waiting forever for you to arrive.”
    “Has she now?”
    Then he shifted his attention to the top of the stairway, and Kitty felt all her doubts and worries melt away as though they’d never existed. His blond hair had grown a bit longer than she remembered from when she’d last seen him, his side whiskers a tad bushier. But he was as handsome as ever, his blue eyes dancing with mirth.
    Walking down the stairs with all the dignity a young lady should exhibit, she dearly wanted to rush down them in the same excitable manner that Emily had only moments before. She approached her suitor and curtsied. “Lord Farthingham.”
    He bowed. “Miss Robertson, you are a welcome sight for a lonely heart.”
    “As are you, my lord.”
    He took both her hands and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I have missed you terribly, my sweet.”
    “I missed you, too.”
    “Kitty, look! It’s a book. Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales. ”
    “With colored illustrations,” Farthingham said, still holding one of Kitty’s hands and squeezing it. “Colored illustrations are becoming quite popular and readily affordable with these newfangled printing techniques they’ve developed.”
    “Thank you,” Emily said. “I’ll start reading it tonight. Did you bring a gift for Kitty?”
    “Emily!” Kitty scolded.
    Ignoring Kitty, Emily grinned. “You did, didn’t you?”
    “Of course, I did.” He reached into his pocket and brought out a small box wrapped in white paper.
    “You shouldn’t have,” Kitty said as she took it and slowly peeled back the paper.
    “I know, but I couldn’t resist.”
    Opening the box, she smiled at the delicate cameo. “Oh, Nicky, it’s lovely.”
    “Not as lovely as you.”
    “You flatter me, my lord.”
    “Not as much as I intend to once we are married.”
    “Mother and Father are out for the afternoon. Would you like to join me for some tea on the terrace?”
    “I’d rather have a stroll in the garden if Miss Emily will serve as chaperone.”
    Before Kitty could announce that she didn’t think they needed a chaperone, Emily had already proclaimed her willingness to take on the role.
    With Emily walking ten paces behind them, Kitty walked through the garden with her arm wound around Farthingham’s. She’d grown up with little chaperoning. It simply wasn’t as prevalent in America as it was in England. She’d spent more time alone with her gentleman by the sea in two days than she had with Lord Farthingham in all the years she’d known him.
    Guilt swamped her with that admission. If she was to be alone with anyone, it should be with the man she intended to marry. If she needed a chaperone, it was when she was with any man other than Farthingham.
    “How was Paris?” he asked.
    “Lovely.”
    “How many new gowns?” he asked.
    “Enough to see me through the Season.”
    “You’re not comfortable with your father’s wealth,” he speculated quietly.
    “He worked hard to build his empire, without any help from me. I simply don’t see the need to brag on it.”
    “We’re close to agreeing on the settlement.”
    Patting his arm reassuringly, she looked away. “Good.”
    “You know you mean a great deal more to me than money, my sweet.”
    She returned her gaze to his. “I know. This whole settlement business…I understand it’s necessary for both our sakes. It just”—she lifted a shoulder—“I don’t know. It makes our marriage seem more like a business arrangement. I find the whole process hardly romantic.”
    “Hence the very reason I brought you a gift.”
    Which he probably shouldn’t have. An expensive piece of jewelry—no matter how lovely—when she had so much already. He could use the money for other more important purchases. But she kept her thoughts to