Page 55 of Four Promises to Love

After exchanging greetings, Owen had to ask, “What is the purpose of that stick?”

“It is a spirit rod,” Caleb said loftily. “It senses spiritual vibrations.”

Owen raised his brows. “Have you collected any?”

“All I’ve seen him collect is dust from beneath the furniture,” James said under his breath.

“Now, darling.” Evie tapped his arm. “I am certain Caleb is gathering useful information.”

“Her ladyship is correct,” Caleb said. “As the seer’s assistants, we must determine the focal point of the spiritual miasma in the manor. In that hallowed space, Madame Seraphina will hold the séance.”

Like Finn, the lad had an answer for everything.

“I shall leave you to it.” Casually, Owen added, “Does anyone know where Seraphina is?”

“The library, I believe,” Evie said.

He found her there with Gigi and Grantley, standing next to a row of dark green shelves. Finn’s smile of genuine welcome stirred him; he wished they were alone so he could give her a proper kiss hello.

“How did your meeting with Sir Joseph Paxton go?” Gigi asked.

“Well enough.” With effort, he tore his gaze away from Finn. “We met with the patron, who liked my designs.”

Gigi squealed, and Finn’s smile widened.

Grantley extended a hand. “Congratulations, old boy. What sort of project is it?”

“The patron is renovating his guest house and the surrounding gardens. I had the idea of adding a rose arbor and a walking path to the nearby woods.”

“How splendid,” Gigi exclaimed.

“Felicitations,” Finn said.

Owen wanted to kiss the delicious curve of her mouth.

“Thank you. Now enough about me. How is the impression gathering going?”

The question snuffed the warmth from Finn’s eyes. Worry pinched her curving brows before she smoothed her expression.

“Quite well,” she said.

“I thought you were going to wait until my return?”

“For expediency’s sake, I decided to collect more information prior to the sitting.”

“Ah. Have you found anything important?”

“Madame was just demonstrating how a medium works,” Grantley said. “Apparently, spirits, like naughty children, leave fingerprints wherever they go. If she touches those same objects, she can, ahem, sense them.”

The duke’s dry tone conveyed what he thought of Finn’s endeavor. While Owen had to agree that it sounded shifty, he saw the urgency in Finn’s expression. He knew in his gut that she wasn’t playing a game—that something important was at stake for her.

Did it have to do with money? Was she trying to rob his family—steal goods from Bottoms House? Desperation he could understand, but he couldn’t allow her to harm his family. However, she’d promised she bore them no ill will. And while she took some economies, neither she nor her assistants appeared to be in dire straits. If she were, he wished she would come to him rather than deceive him. Such a basic level of trust would be necessary if they were to explore the possibility of a relationship.

For him, the time apart had cemented his desire to do so, but he wasn’t sure how she felt. Or what she was up to. She had shown him her scars…but even that could be an act of manipulation rather than intimacy. God, he hoped not. He wanted her—wanted to trust her. Badly.

Yet he had to reserve his judgment. For now, he would continue to play along. Once he understood what Finn was after, he would have his answer about their future as well.

He nodded. “Pray tell, Seraphina. What is the next part of your plan?”