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lips then. It was conjured mostly by how silly he looked. She tried to stop and covered her mouth, her gaze shooting guiltily to Lady Fairley, who’d glanced up again from the scroll.
    â€œWell,” the woman said irritably, rerolling the parchment from which she had been reading. “’Tis obvious that we shall not get anything done here today. That being the case, we may as well pack up and head back to the castle. Perhaps you three would be good enough to make a start while I . . . er . . . go for a little walk and clear my head.”
    Eager to redeem herself, Alice nodded and began to make quick work of the task while Jonathan’s mother disappeared. Alice’s uncle sat back in a relaxed pose, making it clear he thought this a woman’s work. Surprisingly, Lord Jonathan assisted, rewrapping the untouched cheese in its cloth and tossing the unbroken bread in the sack. They were finished quickly and were left to sit and wait on Lady Fairley. She took an inordinate amount of time.
    Alice was just thinking the woman might be in distress and need assistance when she suddenly reappeared. Lord Jonathan’s mother stumbled out of the woods on the opposite side of the clearing from where she’d entered, looking slightly ruffled and a touch out of breath. Alice noted that with some confusion—she’d assumed the woman had gone on a call of nature—but had little opportunity to comment as the men, apparently more than ready to leave, were immediately up and preparing to do so.
    â€œYou know, I believe I have had a wonderful idea,” Lady Fairley announced as Jonathan helped Alice refold the blanket upon which they’d sat. “Perhaps we could arrange a dance tonight. Invite all the eligible women. That way, you could make up your own mind as to who is fitting, Jonathan.”
    Alice glanced at the knight to see how he took the suggestion. She was less than surprised to see it wasn’t well. His eyes were wide with what appeared to be horror.
    â€œMother, may I suggest you not” he began, but Lady Fairley didn’t let him get any farther.
    â€œThank you, son,” she said, taking the blanket he held. She slid it quickly back into the bag she had brought, then moved to reattach the bag to her saddle. “Now, you two had best go retrieve your mounts.”
    Jonathan frowned, then nodded as he watched his mother settle on her horse. “Aye. We shall return directly.”
    Alice remained silent as he took her arm and led her out of the clearing.
    They had tied the steeds some distance from the spot where they had originally come to sit, and Alice realized now that Jonathan had not wanted the horses to alert the older couple to their presence. Of course, she hadn’t known what he was up to at the time. He had ridden out hard from the palace, holding on to Alice’s reins as if she might turn and ride back if he did not, then had suddenly stopped and cocked his head as if listening. After telling her to wait where she was, he had ridden off, leaving her alone for a few minutes. It was only after he’d reappeared, suggesting she dismount and proceeding to tie the horses to a tree branch, that he’d let her accompany him farther. He’d led her off through the bushes then to the spot he’d chosen from which to spy.
    Alice’s honest nature had balked at the infringement of their family members’ privacy as soon as she’d realized Lord Jonathan’s intent. In fact, she had been looking for an excuse to let the couple know of their presence when she rushed in to borrow the strawberries. Well, that, and she’d suddenly given in to a desire to see what Lord Jonathan would look like while she was feeding him.
    At any rate, the upshot of their actions was that they had a bit of a walk before they reached the horses . . . or, to be more exact, Jonathan’s horse. Her own appeared to be missing.
    â€œWhat the