Free Lord Nick's Folly by Emily Hendrickson

the village for some days following."
    "What a pity. That is," she hastily added, "that you couldn't have helped to find a clue."
    Clouds obscured the sun, and Nympha found the air becoming a trifle chilly. She changed her direction, slipping away from Mr. Milburn's hold, to return to the warmth of the house.
    He followed closely at her side, chatting about the scenery and the gardens.
    Nympha would not have thought him a chatty man. They reached the house without her having to utter a word.
    Once inside, she handed her cloak to Foley, and when he informed them that a meal was to be had in the small dining room, she went that way. It would be lovely to have a cup of hot tea.
    Lord Nicholas was seated at the table reading a newspaper from Nottingham. He displayed astonishment at the sight of them. "Egad, Milburn, out and about at this hour of the day? Good morning, Miss Herbert. It does not surprise me in the least to see you with pink cheeks and sparkling eyes. I've seen them often enough. But Milburn?"
    She shot him an annoyed look, then busied herself with the offering of foods at the sideboard.
    "Actually, I found it quite invigorating. Rare display of tulips, wouldn't you say, Miss Herbert?"
    "That is certainly true." She glanced at the two men, then applied her attention to the assortment of food on her plate. What really captured her thoughts was the unusual amount of interest Mr. Milburn showed in the village murder. But then, since murder was not committed every day, perhaps it was not all that strange.
    "What do you have planned for the day, Miss Herbert?"
    "She will go with me to Mansfield to select some lace," Mrs. Coxmoor said from the doorway. "I fancy that is at the top of her list of things to do. Am I not right?"
    Nympha gave her great-aunt an amazed look. She had not expected to see her relative so early in the day.
    "I should like that very much. Lord Nicholas, do you intend to go into Mansfield as well? Perhaps you might find the person you seek?"
    "By all means. Lord Nicholas, do join us." Her great-aunt turned her attention to Mr. Milburn. "Should you wish to ride while we are gone, there are mounts in the stables that might please you."
    So ... Mr. Milburn was not invited to go with them. Nympha found this odd, but she wasn't about to say anything. Although she had believed she didn't care for Lord Nicholas, she found she far preferred him to Mr. Milburn.
    "I should enjoy that very much, ma'am. The country hereabouts looks interesting, and I would learn something of my uncle. Perhaps he is at home and will receive me."
    "There, then. I suspected that is what you would prefer." Mrs. Coxmoor accepted the cup of tea Foley poured for her, then sat next to Nympha. "We shall have a fine time hunting for lace. I am determined to send packets to the other ladies in your family."
    For perhaps the hundredth time Nympha wondered why she had been selected to visit instead of one of the others, and this time she set the question forth to her great-aunt.
    "You have my middle name. I am Letitia Elspeth and you are Nympha Elspeth. You did not know that?"
    "No, indeed, I did not. How lovely," Nympha said truthfully. She was coming to like the sprightly lady more and more.
    "Well, once you are all satisfied here, we will be off to the delights of the lace to be found. I trust you will occupy yourself, Mr. Milburn? If we are late to lunch, I have instructed Foley to see that something is served in the event you become hungry."
    Mr. Milburn expressed his appreciation even as Lord Nicholas and Nympha left the table to prepare for the excursion to the town where such gorgeous lace might be seen and bought.
    Thus it was that when Nympha entered the shiny landau to head for Mansfield, she caught sight of Mr. Milburn headed down the avenue ahead of them.
    "He looks to be going the same direction as we shall," Great-Aunt Letitia murmured to Lord Nicholas. "I wonder why he did not say he intended to go to Mansfield? Not that it