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the hard work were now evident. Selina thought the gardens would be magnificent next spring. Most rooms were in good order, and an efficient housekeeper was determined to keep them that way.
    Selina now set her sights on the estate lands. She donned a pair of Devereux’s leather breeches with the bottoms rolled up. Word soon spread about her clothes, but according to Frobisher, she was spoken of in the village with affection. The villagers commended her for taking the man’s role in running the estate with her husband away at the wars. As no one expressed an opinion as to where Devereux actually was, the deception continued.
    A sense of purpose drove her on. She rode out to chat with tenants and took some of Mrs. Marshall’s pies and preserves to those in need. It became part of her daily routine.
    In good weather, she took her luncheon with her and was gone all day. She rode for hours, exploring corners of the vast estate. Selina thought this to be fine land, sheltered by the hills from the harshest weather with friable, rich soil. After an initial cold snap, the weather was autumnal, fine and cool.
    On this particularly fine day, she sat with her back against a willow tree, eating her bread and cheese by the river as a ploughman might while Firefly, her bay stallion, tugged at the grass.
    She wrapped her bread in a cloth and rode Firefly over the bridge and up into the home wood. The canopy of trees shrouded the undergrowth in dark shadows. There was still a lot of clearing to be done. The horse picked his way over a broken tree branch and skirted bracken. The bushes ahead rustled, and the carpet of dead leaves crunched as if something or someone walked over them. Selina told herself it would be a fox, but they were light footed, and she hadn’t heard one bark. Perhaps a deer. She rubbed the nape of her neck. The dense foliage could hide an army.
    “Is anyone there?”
    The heavy footfall was unmistakably human. Someone plunged deeper into the woods. She caught a blur of movement ahead. Unnerved, she pulled on the reins as a shiver traveled down her spine.
    “Show yourself.”
    Silence. Vulnerable and anxious to leave, Selina turned Firefly to ride back along the trail. As the way ahead cleared, she urged him into a canter. The horse leapt a fallen tree with ease, and moments later, they burst out into daylight. With a sigh of relief, she slowed the stallion to a walk to cross the stone bridge.
    At the top of the rise, Selina glanced back at the woods. They appeared peaceful enough. The new gamekeeper would deal with poachers when he took up his position next week. She set Firefly at a gallop. Riding astride gave her so much more confidence in the saddle. As they raced toward the house, she considered the merit of carrying Devereux’s pistol with her in future. Having decided, she dismissed the matter from her mind. She loved to ride, to feel the wind on her face and the powerful horse moving beneath her. Although the groom had advised her to buy a mare, she was pleased with her choice. She could handle him well enough. Firefly had a calm temperament, and his gait was smooth as they covered the miles toward the hall, hooves scattering gravel.
    As she neared the house, a carriage stood in the drive.

Chapter Seven

    Selina approached as Joseph, in his footman’s uniform, which had failed to keep him away from the stables, put down the step and opened the carriage door. He bowed to the occupant.
    Devereux stepped out, his fur-collared greatcoat resting across his shoulders. He pulled off his hat and gloves, his blond hair catching the sun as he gazed around at the workmen. When he turned in her direction, she couldn’t hide a tiny smile of satisfaction at the astonishment on his handsome face.
    She rode up to him, keeping Firefly in check, as the horse, unsettled by the carriage hacks, backed away. Devereux looked thinner, his face pale and his cheeks hollow. Keeping late hours, no doubt , she thought furiously,