The laughter pouring out of Polly’s lips brought a warmth to Sebastian’s heart. Her countenance had certainly changed since they had arrived at Colemore. The melancholy that had surrounded her in the past few days seem to be slowly lifting, both from being away from London and also, he guessed, simply the presence of her sister. This was what she needed, and he was glad she had enough sense to come here, leaving behind the trappings of the city and the Season.

She and Violet were currently giggling over something their mother had apparently said or done. The poor woman seemed to the subject of many of their jokes, but they were all said in great fun.

They had just finished dining and had settled into the drawing room. They weren’t very formal here, it being just the four of them, and Sebastian, in truth, preferred it. He liked Polly in a simple dress, her hair pulled back in an unadorned chignon that showed the attractive planes of her lovely face.

He watched as she stood and made her way over to the window, where she gazed out at the fields beyond.

“It’s so beautiful here,” she said wistfully. “I wish I had brought my painting supplies but, alas, I left them at our own country home. I didn’t think I would have the time to put them to any use in London.”

“Oh, I have some you could use,” said Violet. “Lord knows I never have. You still paint, then?

“I do!” Polly responded. “This past winter I truly applied myself and found I actually enjoyed it.”

Sebastian tried to picture Polly sitting in one place for longer than a short matter of minutes, and found he could not do so.

“I shall paint you, Lord Taylor!” she said suddenly, a smile breaking out on her face.

“Paint me?” he asked, aghast, and she laughed.

“Why, is that so shocking? You have an interesting face and you have nothing better to do while you are here. It shall be good practice for me. I find the female face easy enough to sketch and paint, but the male face … well, I have quite the time of it.”

Sebastian had to laugh at her comment regarding his “interesting face.” It seemed to sum up what he had heard said about himself more often than not — he was good looking, true, but did not possess the heart-stopping good looks of some men — men like Lord Yardley, who had captivated Lady Polly so.

“You must let me. Say you will, Lord Taylor.”

And, just like he had too many times before now, Sebastian found himself saying yes to that upturned face, and he cursed his fickle heart when it warmed at her smile.

As Greville and Violet began murmuring something to one another in low tones, Polly took the opportunity to speak with him about a subject he now wished he had never mentioned.

“Lord Taylor,” she said, quietly. “You must tell me more about this group you say you work with. It sounds ever so exciting! What do you do for them? Is it dangerous?”

Sebastian winced. He never should have mentioned his work. He only did so to keep her from prying into his past, but now she was asking too many questions regarding his present.

“It … has been dangerous now and again, but is not typically,” he said, trying to think how much he could tell her without giving himself away. “I am usually simply finding information that would be difficult for one should they not be a member of the aristocracy.”

“I see,” she said, her eyes shining, her interest in him seeming to grow further than before now that he was something of an enigma.

“What has so captivated you regarding Taylor here?” Greville asked his sister-in-law, and Sebastian could have groaned aloud. They weren’t supposed to tell any others of their work. Violet knew, of course, but she hadn’t until she and Greville were married, and even then, it was only because she was involved in a scheme that rather threatened her life and her safety. In this case, the only thing at stake was Polly’s virtue, and it seemed that matter had been discussed and reviewed. As of yet, all was intact, and would hopefully remain that way so long as Yardley said nothing.

“Lord Taylor here is involved in something rather secretive, yet altogether exciting,” said Polly, smiling at him before turning to look at her sister and her brother-in-law. Greville was grinning, while Violet was looking down at the floor, not meeting her gaze.

“You knew!” she breathed, looking from them back to Taylor before returning her gaze to her sister. “How could you not have told me? How did you know?”

Violet shrugged. “It certainly wasn’t my secret to tell, Polly,” she said, before Greville added, “Actually, we are not to tell anyone when it comes to our work with the Runners.”

“The Runners?”

“I never told her who it was,” said Sebastian with a pointed look at Greville.

“Ah,” his friend said. “Well, I suppose you know now, Polly, so it’s best we tell you the way of it.”

Greville described his work with the constabulary, who many referred to as the Bow Street Runners, how he had recruited Sebastian, and what they did together. He touched on what had happened that had led to the marriage between him and Violet, and Polly seemed both fascinated and aghast at the same time.

“Violet, I can hardly believe I never knew the full extent of this!” she said. “I mean, I knew pieces of your story but this … this is so romantic.”

She smiled wistfully, and Sebastian knew she was thinking of her own future, of all she wanted, which she wasn’t sure if she would ever have now.

“You can still have the future you had always dreamed of,” he said, whispering in her ear. “Do not let one man destroy your happiness.”

As he said the words, he realized they could likely be applied to his own situation, but he shook his head, not letting the idea take root any further in his mind.

“Well, I for one applaud the two of you,” she said. “You are doing much good, and we are all benefiting from it. On top of that, you have not asked for any recognition, but rather have done so out of the goodness of your hearts. I think that is rather admirable.”

She kissed her brother-in-law on the cheek before doing the same to Sebastian, and he could no longer deny the emotions that were growing within him. He was developing feelings for the girl, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it.

* * *

Polly hummed a bit of a tune as she strolled down the hallway to her bedroom. Her mind was swirling with thoughts of Lord Taylor — and Greville, she reminded herself — and the work they had done. She was rather proud of them, she thought, which was extremely silly. It was certainly not her place to be proud of either man!

As she opened the door to her chamber, her sister called out her name from down the hallway.

“Polly!” she said as she reached her. “I do hope you are not angry with me for not telling you of Greville’s involvement with the Bow Street Runners.”

“Not at all,” Polly said, smiling at her sister to ease her concern. “I understand your duty to your husband.”

“Besides that, he is no longer a part of them,” Violet continued. “He gave it up once we were married. He felt that it was too dangerous, given all that had happened. I will tell you more of it in due time, I promise.”

Polly nodded and said goodnight to Violet, though as she pushed her door open she could not help but think that if it were her husband, she would want him to remain involved, to continue what he was doing. Oh, of course there was risk and danger, but wasn’t that part of the fun?

That night, for the first night in a long time, her thoughts were not of what could have been, what she had wanted with Lord Yardley. No, rather his tall frame with the shock of light blond hair was replaced by a man who was shorter, but with much broader shoulders. His hair was a darker blond, a sandy color that was styled practically yet in the latest fashions. His nose was strong, his features large, and yet, they fit together rather well, especially when he smiled.

She dreamed of how it might feel to have those strong arms around her, his lips on hers, his body pressed close against her. She woke with a start, surprised at herself. Do not give your heart away so easily once again, Polly, she chastised herself. One kiss in the middle of a beautiful field, and her romantic heart was making it into something so much more than it was.

No, Lord Taylor saw her as nothing but a silly young girl who had been easily fooled by a known rake. Besides that, she had vowed to keep from giving her heart to another once more. And yet … one could not help but have dreams, she thought, and as she floated off to sleep, she felt the smile on her lips.