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carriage. I’m glad I’m not traveling any longer.” He paused. “Mr. King said you and he were just married.”
    “Yes.”
    He looked puzzled. “Then why are you both lonely? Don’t you have each other?”
    “Mr. King is lonely?” If he was truly lonely, Larken would be surprised. The man didn’t seem as if he liked or needed anyone. Despite her animosity toward her husband, she’d decided to say nothing to Myles that would cast him in a bad light. “Well, our marriage is of an unusual kind. He and I are complete strangers, but we’ve come together for you.”
    “You’re not in love?”
    “We don’t really know each other.” She sipped her tea. “But I suspect we’ll both grow fond of you.”

Chapter Four
    Pretend Friends
    A FTER B RANDON H AD B ATHED and donned fresh clothes, he felt slightly less dour. Downstairs, Mrs. Mason caught his eye as he strolled toward the library.
    “Would you like your tea now, sir?”
    “No, thank you, I’m not hungry. Has the lad settled in?”
    “I believe he’s having tea with Mrs. King in her sitting room.”
    His footsteps slowed. “Perhaps I’ll look in on them.”
    He made his way to Larken’s side of the house. As he neared the open door of her sitting room, he heard his name mentioned.
    “Do you think Mr. King is handsome?” Myles asked.
    Somewhat keen to hear the answer, Brandon paused.
    “No. Quite the contrary,” Larken said.
    Brandon frowned and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
    “Well…that’s not strictly fair,” she said. “I haven’t had a terribly good look at him.”
    “I don’t like his whiskers,” Myles said. “They make him look like a bad man.”
    Taken aback, Brandon lifted his hand to his chin and smoothed his beard.
    “I’m sure Mr. King’s not a bad man. After all, if he traveled all the way to America to fetch you, he must have a great deal of good in him. Nevertheless, if I could be married to anyone in the world, I think it would be Lord Apollo. He’s the handsomest man I’ve ever seen.”
    At that, Brandon was bewildered. Lord Apollo? Of whom was Larken speaking?
    “Is the man in that painting really named Lord Apollo?”
    “I’ve no idea what his name is, but the painting reminds me of an actor I met once. Apollo was the Greek god of light and the sun, by the way.”
    “Did you paint him?”
    “Oh, no. I found the painting in the attic and brought it down here to keep me company.”
    “Attics are scary places.”
    “Do you think so? I’ve spent loads of time exploring the attic since I arrived. Would you like to see it tomorrow?”
    “Only if you come with me.”
    “Naturally.”
    Brandon’s curiosity finally got the better of him. He sauntered into the sitting room, amused at the look of alarm on Larken’s face. It seemed obvious she was wondering if he’d overheard any part of their conversation.
    “Hello, Mr. King,” she managed. “Will you join us?”
    “For a little while.”
    He sat down underneath the dangling top hat, and for some reason Myles burst out laughing so hard and so long the boy had to hold his ribs. Mystified, Brandon raised his eyebrows at Larken, whose lips were quivering with amusement as well.
    “Will someone let me in on the joke?” he asked.
    “It’s just that, well, you’re sitting in Lord Topper’s lap,” she said.
    “What?”
    Another round of hysterical laughter from Myles.
    “I’m sorry,” Brandon said. “Can you explain?”
    “That’s Lord Topper you’re sitting on.” Myles pointed to Brandon’s chair, and then went around the table pointing at different chairs. That’s Lady Peabody. That’s Miss Josie.” He pointed toward the mantle. “And that’s Lord Apollo.”
    Brandon’s eyes widened as he regarded the painting, and it took him a moment to find his tongue. “What a handsome devil! I didn’t realize we had any Greek gods in our family tree.”
    “As you see, there’s no name plate. We were hoping you might be able to tell us