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“Look away,” Aunt Annette said into her ear. “It’s not ladylike to gawk at the help.”
Kate jerked away her gaze, then straightened. “I was simply admiring the… craftsmanship.”
“Yes, well, scrutiny only leads to trouble. Perfect the art of skimming, my dear.”
“Yes, Auntie.”
Her aunt walked ahead, and Kate chanced a glance back at the hulking man, who was still looking at her, but this time with amusement.
She frowned, picked up her skirts, and hurried away.
I closed my notebook. “What Kate doesn’t know is she’ll see the man again at a coming-out ball for her younger sister in only a few days, and he’ll be dressed quite differently—as a Duke.”
The audience laughed, then applauded. Someone called out to ask when the book would be released.
“Soon,” I promised. “I’m making good progress.” My gaze went around the room and I spotted Sawyer standing in the back, looking amused.
My cheeks flamed—I hadn’t dreamed he’d be there.
“What do you say,” the clerk Dora asked, “to people who’ve read all the headlines lately?”
The room went deadly quiet, and everyone looked at me with bated breath.
My smile froze. My skin tingled. My heart raced. “I’d say their time would be better spent reading a good book.”
The audience laughed and the good mood was restored.
Wayne organized a line for the booksigning. I sat at a table and signed books and chatted with readers for over an hour. I kept looking for Sawyer, but apparently he’d left.
Which was fine. It kept me from having to explain myself.
August 17, Saturday
“SO YOUR hero is a stone mason?” Sawyer asked with a grin.
I smirked. “Don’t let it go to your head. I was looking for a good vocation for this character and when you told me about your job, it was a good fit.”
“Yeah, whatever,” he said, sounding unconvinced.
To change the subject, I gestured to the graveyard beyond the gate where we were standing. “What are you working on today?”
“Since most of the headstones are in good shape now, I’ve been thinking about tackling the labyrinth.”
“Labyrinth?”
He pointed to the ground where we stood, then crouched down to point. “It’s hard to see because most of the stones have sunk. This used to be a labyrinth design.” He stood and from this pocket removed a folded sheet of paper. On it was a computer design that depicted a maze of sorts.
“It’s beautiful,” I said. “Does it have a function?”
“Not really,” he said. “It’s just a nice feature of some old cemeteries.”
I handed back the paper. “Looks complicated. How long will it take you?”
He gave a little shrug. “Don’t know. Could take three months or more. Think you could stand having me around that much?”
I knew what he was asking. I was starting to like this man. But I didn’t want to get in too deep. I didn’t trust my judgment anymore. And I was leaving in a few months.
“Why don’t you just take it month by month?” I asked lightly.
