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luck that this stranger had a forgiving nature.
    She stepped into the breakfast room. The man was standing with his back to her, hands clasped behind it, staring at the view. Saskia paused, a little taken aback by what she saw. A young man, that much was obvious from his lean frame and upright stance. He was tall, too, and well dressed. Whatever could bring such a person to sleepy Swyre? She was instantly alert, ever mindful of her father’s increasingly artful attempts to undermine her.
    Perhaps sensing her presence, he turned, and Saskia almost gasped aloud. She wasn’t normally given to gawping at gentlemen, but he was the most beautiful creature she’d ever beheld. As the stranger looked in her direction, a polite smile on his lips, Saskia suspected that her face must be even redder than before, her uncharacteristically salacious thoughts clear to see. She hastily dropped her eyes, only to be confronted by the strangely disconcerting sight of buckskin breeches fitting snugly against muscular thighs.
    Recovering her poise, she offered the gentleman a brief curtsey and an economically professional smile. Her suspicions as to her father’s part in the appearance of this Adonis had strengthened, and she wasn’t about to let her guard down.
    “Good afternoon, sir,” she managed to say evenly. “I am Mrs. Eden. How may I be of service to you?”
    “Good afternoon to you, ma’am.” The gentleman made an elegant leg and offered up a smile as guarded as her own, seeming to appraise her without making it obvious. “My name is Beaumont. Business has brought me to the district, and I understand that lodgings are available in this dwelling.”
    Saskia was taken aback by his beautiful manners and deep, gravelly voice. Once again it took an effort of will to recover her air of detached politeness.
    “That’s perfectly correct, sir. However, I have only one chamber available at present, and as it’s the best in the house it is rather more expensive than usual.”
    “And what price, pray, do you require for it, madam?”
    Taking a deep breath, Saskia named a figure that was far higher than usual. If her father was trying to infiltrate the house, then she might as well profit from his interference. The gentleman raised a brow but didn’t immediately demur. Heartened by his response, Saskia boldly pushed ahead.
    “I must also inform you, sir, that we don’t let our rooms by the day or even by the week. All of our residents stay with us for indeterminate periods and I couldn’t let the room go for a shorter time than one month.”
    “I see.” Mr. Beaumont appeared to be considering the matter. “In that case, perhaps I could see the room before making a decision?”
    “By all means. If you’d be good enough to step this way?”
    Saskia led the gentleman up to the first floor and into the room in the middle of the front landing. It was the one which her aunt had shared with her husband for many years, but which she’d refused to step foot in since his death. To love someone so completely that you could no longer bear even to look upon the space you’d once shared…Saskia tried to imagine how glorious it must be to have experienced such a passion. Agony and ecstasy in equal measures, she suspected. Tiring, debilitating, exalting, and…well, and something else that she’d been wise enough to avoid.
    Saskia reached for the door handle, but his fingers brushed against hers as he did the same thing, causing her to start violently.
    “Allow me.” He smiled and stood back, allowing her to enter in front of him.
    Saskia was unaccustomed to such elegant manners. She observed him as he looked about the exceedingly commodious chamber. A large amount of space was taken up by an enormous tester bed. There was also a dressing table, armoire, and escritoire, all of the finest quality. A large window, affording a spectacular view of the sea, dominated the front wall, and a comfortable settee occupied the alcove directly in