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Dunford snorted "I find the i a difficult picture to accept" He druers on the table, tapped his foot, whistled a jaunty tune, slapped his hand against his thigh, druain

"Oh, stop!" Henry threw her napkin at hi baby" She stood up "Give me a moment to put on a jacket It's a bit chilly out"

He stood "Ah, what bliss it is to have you at ave him was mutinous, to say the least

"Do srumpy" He cocked his head and tried to look boyishly contrite "Say you'll forgive oodness sake, stop!" she laughed "You rabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the door "But you're so reat deal of territory to cover today"

"Why does it suddenly sound as if I've joined the ar on Rufus "I was a soldier once"

"Were you?" She looked up in surprise

"Mmm-hmm On the peninsula"

"Was it dreadful?"

"Very" He opened the door, and they walked out into the crisp sunshine "Don't believe the stories you hear about the glory of war Most of it is appalling"

She shuddered "I would think so"

"It's far, far nicer to be here in Cornwall, as you say at the end of the world, in the co woman I've ever had the pleasure to meet"

Henry flushed and turned away, unable to hide her embarrassment He couldn't possibly --he wasn't the sort to do that He wasin his oay that they were friends, that she was the first feain, she'd heard him mention two married ladies hom he was friends, so that couldn't be it

Still, he couldn't possibly be for a tendre for her As she'd said before, she wasn't the sort of woman men wanted, at least not when they had all of London froht from her mind and resolved simply to enjoy the day

"I always assu waves and all that," Dunford said

"Most of them do We happen to be squarely in the middle of the county, however" Henry kicked a pebble in her path, aiht up with it "You don't need to go very far to get to the ocean, though"

"I would iine not We should take a jaunt there soon"

Henry was so excited by the prospect that she started to blush To hide her reaction, she fixed her gaze doard and concentrated on kicking her pebble

They walked amiably to the estate's eastern border "We have a fence up on this side," Henry explained as they neared the stone wall "It's not ours, actually, but Squire Stinson's He got it into his head that ere encroaching upon his land a few years back and put up this wall to keep us out"

"And were you?"