To my surprise, I found Mama sitting at her dressing table when she called for me to enter. Her maid, Simmons, had just finished arranging Mama's hair, looking more than a little pleased with herself. "There you are, Lucas," Mama said, spotting me in her mirror. "You are right on time. Have you been out on Phaeton?"

"I have." My heart swelled with happiness to see her looking better than ever. "I don't think I've seen you so lovely."

"Oh, hush." Despite her criticism, Mama's cheeks flushed with color. "It's time to make good on your promise to take me downstairs. Not to the drawing room but the sitting room. I believe I will need your arm."

"Are you sure you feel up to it?" I watched her face for any sign of discomfort or hesitation. "Won't dealing with Rosamund and Philippa tax your strength?"

"Rosamund and Philippa have already gone to Braglow," she said, standing up. She kept her hand on her chair and seemed steady. I stepped over and offered my arm, which she graciously accepted with a smile. "There is an archery competition the ladies planned for today."

After a moment, I remembered my sister and Rosamund talk about it the other night, though I had been doing my best to ignore them both at the time. "Oh, that's right," I said as I helped Mama steady herself. "I'm surprised Philly didn't try to coerce me into going."

"I am glad she did not," Mama said no more as we slowly made our way to the sitting room. There was a distinct limp in her walk that broke my heart as we walked. She was pale and out of breath by the time we arrived. I seated her by the window where the sunlight would shine on her. "Thank you, Luke."

"Is there anything you need?" I asked.

"You might hand me my sewing basket," Mama said, gesturing to where the basket in question sat. As I retrieved it, she coughed, her shoulders shaking. "Thank you. One must always keep up appearances, you know."

That statement raised my suspicions. "Mama, what are you up to?"

"Why must I be 'up to' something?"

"Because I know you all too well, Mama."

Her smile was enigmatic as she drew some piece of needlework out of the basket. "Suspicion doesn't look good on you, Luke," she said in her serene way. "Sit down. I will not give myself a pain in my neck looking up at you while we talk."

Collapsing into the chair by her, I bit back a frustrated groan. Silence fell as Mama began sewing and I watched her. "Mama, I do have a question for you," I said, taking advantage of the opportunity that had presented itself. She sent a glance towards me. "Geoffrey told me about the hole that caused you and Sprite to fall. Did Father say anything about it to you?"

Her hands went still for a moment, and I saw her frown. "Your father wouldn't speak of it." She continued sewing then as she said, "Though you know he has never been pleased with my habit of jumping the gate. He was furious when he learned I had taught all of my children how to do it."

I chuckled as I remembered when Father found out. "And then we taught Miles because it was the shortest way to get from here to Oakcrest," I said with a laugh. As the realization hit, my smile slipped from my face. "It was a shortcut."

"I have no idea how the hole ended up right in front of the gate," Mama said, focusing on her work. "The farmers use the gate all the time, and I know they would have kept it smooth."

She may have said more on the matter, but I stopped listening. Miles and I had always used the gate to get to and from Oakcrest. It would have been the only way he'd know to get there. Maybe the deliberate hole wasn't meant for Mama but Miles. He would have used it when he attempted to repay his debt to Lamotte.

"Lucas!" Mama's sharp voice brought me back to the sitting room. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, Mama," I said apologetically as I shook my head. "I was just—thinking of something."

"I could see that." She set her sewing in her lap and leaned forward. "You appeared to be horrified, Luke. What were you thinking of?"

I had been warned before my emotions played out on my face, and nothing I did seemed to stop it. "It's nothing important," I said, anxious to keep her from being upset. Mama didn't look convinced. "I imagined how Father would react if we taught Rosamund to jump the gate along with the rest of us."

Instead of becoming amused, Mama's face took on a serious expression. "Rosamund, I fear, is not the sort of girl who would ever allow herself to be seen doing that." Anything else she might have said on the matter was cut off by yet another coughing fit. She waved me away when I moved towards her and straightened after a moment. "What's the time, Luke?"

Surprised, I glanced down at my watch. "It is nearly one. Mama, was Miles here when you had your accident?"

"Why, yes, he was. Didn't you know?"

Shaking my head, I considered it carefully. None of this made sense. Pushing it from my mind, I faced her. "Why did you want to know the time? Are you expecting someone?"

As if on cue, the sitting-room door opened. "Miss Darkin and Mr. Ward," Butler said before he stepped aside.

Delight filled Mama's face. Shocked, I shot to my feet and moved forward to greet our guests. Miss Darkin and Ward? Why were they making visits together? "Miss Darkin, Mr. Ward," I said in surprise. "This is a surprise. Welcome to Bywood Hall."

"Bywood," Ward said in a bored tone.

My mother cleared her throat, reminding me of my manners. "Mama, may I present to you Miss Darkin and Mr. Ward. Miss Darkin, Mr. Ward, this is my mother, Mrs. Bywood."

"You will forgive me for not rising," Mama said, nodding in acknowledgment as Miss Darkin curtsied and Ward bowed. "Please, sit down."

I remained on my feet as Miss Darkin took the seat I had been occupying. "I'm surprised you both abandoned the house party. Neither of you wanted to watch the archery contest?" I asked curiously, glancing between her and Ward, who had taken up a position at the fireplace as he generally did whenever I saw him.

"I have no skill at archery, and I have never been in a position to fire a pistol," Miss Darkin said with a rueful smile. "Therefore, when I received your mother's note, inviting me to visit this afternoon, I was more than happy to oblige. Mr. Ward and I crossed paths while I was on my way here, and as he had no particular plan, he decided he would join me."

"I am so pleased you could take the time to visit an elderly, sick woman, when most young ladies would prefer to enjoy the day," Mama said, ignoring my accusing look. She could have warned me she had invited Miss Darkin for a visit, instead of allowing me to be surprised by the lady's arrival. "And you, Mr. Ward? Was there no young lady for you to cheer on this afternoon?"

Ward's manner became tense. "There was not. I find myself unable to observe such a competition without being reminded of a young lady who would have outshone them all."

That was the second time he had referred to a young lady. While I was mildly curious as to his tale, I was more concerned with why my mother had requested Miss Darkin come to the Hall. "How are you enjoying your visit?" I asked.

"It is more interesting than I had anticipated," Miss Darkin said. "The Ramseys have made sure we all are entertained."

"Luke, why don't you and Mr. Ward find something to occupy yourselves with?" Mama said, sending sharp look my way. She folded her hands in her lap. "Miss Darkin and I have plans for a comfortable tête–à–tête, and it will only bore you both."

What was she up to? "Do you enjoy fishing, Mr. Ward?" I asked in resignation, turning to the other man. "There is a pleasant spot near here should afford us some good sport."

Ward's eyes flicked from one lady to the other. "I have been known to indulge in the activity now and again," he said with little enthusiasm. "It has been some time since I last enjoyed the sport. Lead on, Bywood."

With that, he and I were dismissed from the conversation. We passed a maid carrying a tea tray as we made our way outside. I sent a footman off to retrieve the necessary equipment for the fishing venture. "Unless you would rather take yourself off to find some other amusement?" I asked, turning to my companion.

"Fishing isn't the worst way to pass a few hours," he said in response. "Though I daresay this will be the wrong time to catch anything worthwhile."

"You 're right. But what can we do? We were not wanted inside."

Ward nodded in agreement but said no more. The fishing gear was brought, and we started off on foot. "Your mother is aware you are courting Miss Ramsey?" Ward asked after several long minutes of unnerving silence.

Clearing my throat, I gave a quick nod. "I think everyone is aware of it by now. In fact, I believe I was the last one to find out about it."

He chuckled. "I see," he said, glancing around at the scenery. "I wondered if it was something like that. You could do a lot worse than Phoebe Ramsey, I suppose. I assume she comes with a good dowry and that's why your father made this?"

"I could do a lot better."

"Better as in Miss Darkin? A pity you did not meet her earlier."

There was an odd note of teasing in his voice. "We're almost there," I said, gesturing to the stream ahead of us. Thankfully, Ward said no more on the subject.

As we drew nearer to the stream, I realized we wouldn't be alone. A man was crouching on the banks of the stream. He seemed to be looking for something, and when he glanced in my direction, I recognized him. I couldn't help but smile at the irony. "Mr. Lamotte," I said, feeling disappointed to be reencountering the man so soon. I had no idea how to extract the ring from him, and he had left me with no doubts he did not desire to know me. "Fancy meeting you on Bywood land."

"Well, if it isn't the young Mr. Bywood," Lamotte said, getting to his feet. "And Ward. This is a surprise."

"Indeed," Ward said in the coldest tone of voice I had ever heard. "So this is where you vanished to when you are not cheating at cards."

At the obvious insult, Lamotte glared at Ward. Glancing between them, I got the feeling these two were far from friends. Just when I thought one of them would throw a punch, Lamotte gave a mocking bow and strode to where his horse was tied to a branch. He mounted and rode from the stream.

"If there was any chance of us catching anything, it's gone now. He is bound to have scared the fish away," I said, observing the muddied water. When I didn't get an answer, I shifted my gaze to my companion. Ward was staring moodily in the direction Lamotte had ridden in. "Is there a problem?"

"Lamotte is not someone I would refer to as 'good company.'" He sent a glance at the stream and snorted. "I will pass on the fishing this time. Perhaps another occasion will present itself. Good day, Bywood."

He spun on his heel and walked away. Left on my own, I took a seat on a fallen log that had not yet been dealt with. Sighing, I rested my elbows on my knees and stared at the slowly moving water.

How curious Lamotte would be so set on maintaining his privacy, insisting on no one trespassing on what he viewed as his property, but happily traipsed over someone else's. And I couldn't rid myself of the idea maybe he was the one behind the hole that caused my mother's accident.

"But why?" I said aloud. To make sure Miles didn't get the ring back? If the hole had been intended for Miles, as I suspected, why would Lamotte go to such lengths to hold onto a mere ring? "What is this all about?"

****

I kept away from the house for as long as I could. My solitude did nothing to ease my troubled thoughts. In all honesty, my questions and suspicions only prompted more questions and doubts. If I wasn't careful, I would end up wary of every one of my acquaintance or a bit insane from trying to work it all out into some logical sense.

No one was in the sitting room when I checked there. In the hallway, I encountered George. "Was it your idea to have our mother leave her bed?" he asked as soon as he saw me. He didn't give me the opportunity to answer as he said, "It is just like you to concoct something idiotic like that. Do you realize the kind of damage you have done?"

"What damage? Was Mama injured in some way?"

"She was so exhausted she went straight to her bed."

I barely kept from laughing. "Of course she did. She has been confined to her bed for months, so naturally, she would not have her strength as she used to. Once she gets back into the habit of being up, she will be more herself again."

"Since when did you become a doctor?"

"I do not pretend to be a doctor, George. It's common sense," I said, shaking my head. "Why am I the only one who wants to help Mama improve? You want her to waste away in her bed?"

"Whether it does her some good or not, Father will be furious with you when he hears of this," George said, apparently abandoning the argument.

Scoffing, I stepped back. "When is he not furious with me over one thing or another? Besides, in this case, it was Mama's idea. She wanted to meet Miss Darkin, so she got herself out of her bed. I had nothing to do with it."

Nevermind I had been the one to suggest the idea to her in the first place. George shook his head. "Luke, maybe Father wouldn't be furious with you if you listened to him for once," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "When you give him reason to be proud of you, he will be."

"I have never given him a reason not to be proud of me."

"Oh, there you are." Rosamund's voice reached us. There was the rustle of silk as she walked up to link her arm with George's. "Lucas, we missed you at the competition this afternoon. I would have thought you would have enjoyed seeing your Phoebe excelling at archery. Knowing you were watching would have given her confidence, I'm sure."

Meeting her gaze, I forced a smile, wanting to appear unconcerned. As expected, she raised her chin. "Thank you for your input, Rosamund. By the way, I ran into your brother today."

Startled, she stared at me. "My brother? Wherever did that happen?"

"Down by the stream." I didn't miss the shock that filled her eyes. "If I had known he was such a sportsman, I would have invited him to join myself and Miles on our fishing excursions."

Rosamund twisted the ring on her right hand. "My brother likes to keep to himself," she said as Miles appeared at the far end of the hallway. He approached, looking wary and cautious. "I doubt he would have accepted the invitation."

"I don't believe that, since he has passed several evenings playing cards with Miles," I said, nodding at my friend. "But if you will excuse me, Rosamund, I have letters to write, and I know Miles will want to give me an account of the competition."

Moving around them, I noticed the stunned expression on my friend's face. Rosamund gave an audible huff and pulled George off with her. "Is there something wrong, Miles?" I asked as I reached him. No one would have held my tired, resigned tone as I spoke. Another problem was the last thing I needed.

"That ring," he said in bemusement. "That ring your sister-in-law had on her right hand. It's my ring; the one I gave Lamotte as security."