And now the tall and fancifully twisted brick chimneys of Owlet Manor were visible above the sheltering trees at last and she was nearly home. A slender, dark-haired girl stepped out from behind the largest tree of all next to the grand gates of Owlet Manor nobody had shut for at least half a century. Marianne drew rein sharply and made Robin snort and shake his head in protest as she stared down at the girl and paid no attention to her horse this once. If she had not seen Lord Stratford first she might wonder if there was more than one girl wandering the countryside today, since this one was in quite the wrong place, but if there was a Defford stamp this girl had it. She was as dark haired as the viscount and her eyes the same clear bright blue.
Juno shot Marianne a wary look, her white teeth worrying at her lower lip like a child who knew she had not learned her lesson well enough. Marianne recalled Fliss worrying about the girl’s painful shyness with strangers and bit back the rebuke for all the trouble she had caused that was trembling on her lips. The girl would bolt into the woods if Marianne was not careful and she had proved very good at being invisible when she chose, so goodness knew when they would manage to find her again.
‘Good afternoon, Miss Defford,’ she managed to say calmly. ‘Would you like a seat in the gig for the last bit of the way to my brother’s house?’
Juno shook her head, shot a frightened look towards the bustle and noise of the farmyards where the men must be thatching ricks and seemed to be on the edge of doing that bolt Marianne was so worried about. The men were doing whatever it was with so much shouting and laughter Marianne guessed they had taken advantage of Darius’s absence to drink a lot more cider than they should have this morning. She hoped the hay was dry under the tarpaulins before they began again or the wet grass could overheat and catch fire and that was the last thing Darius needed.
‘Will you promise me not to run away again while I have Robin stabled and rubbed down? Miss Grantham has chewed her nails to the quick worrying about you and you must love her if you have come all this way to see her. I hope you will not let her suffer such painful anxiety for much longer by running away yet again.’
Juno looked shamefaced and shook her head, but that was not enough for Marianne. ‘Promise me out loud that you will not bolt as soon as my back is turned,’ she insisted with a stern look to say she would know if the girl lied.
‘I promise,’ she whispered and even managed to look Marianne in the eye so she supposed she would have to trust her.
‘Very well, then. If you do not wish to be seen, follow the path over there. It winds around the house by the side of the lake and nobody in the stable yard or on the other side of the farm will be able to see you. There is a garden door round there and a bench where you can wait while I see to Robin and get the men working as they should be. I will have to get them to see the error of their ways while I am about it, so do not be surprised if it takes longer than either of us want it to.’
Juno surprised her with a shy smile and another shake of the head at the notion of Marianne ordering the farm workers about and them doing as she said.
‘Having dealt with soldiers of most ranks and temperaments when I was with the army, those rogues are child’s play,’ she told the girl with a nod towards the noisy rickyard before she smiled back with mischief in her eyes. ‘It is just a matter of learning how to handle them,’ she added.
Juno shook her head again and looked dubious about the notion of even trying to understand what made most men tick.
‘I will try not to be long,’ Marianne promised with one last look at the diffident but determined girl who was already slipping into the unkempt gardens like a wraith. Marianne shook the reins to persuade patient Robin to move on and tried not to look back as she fervently hoped Juno Defford was a girl of her word.
After handing out brusque orders to the farm servants and a crushing rebuke to make them see the error of their ways, Marianne made sure Robin was spoiled after his gruelling day yesterday. She let herself into the manor house by the back door as if in no particular hurry lest any of the men were watching her go, but as soon as it was shut behind her she dashed across the hall to let the girl in. Juno rose from the sun-warmed bench and Marianne gave a sigh of relief.
‘What the deuce are you doing here, young lady?’ she asked with all the effort and worry of the last day making her sound brusque and irritated.
‘Miss Grantham told me about you and your brother and this poor old house in her letters,’ Juno replied with a half-defiant, half-apologetic look that said there might be more of her uncle’s fire in her than appearances suggested.
‘Walking on past Broadley for the sake of curiosity would be cruel, so I hope you have a
