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Lord Cheston chuckled softly. “Why, yes, as a matter of fact, we have a new litter of puppies born only three weeks ago.” He raised an eyebrow. “Would you be interested in seeing them?”

His question was an echo of the one he’d asked when she’d been standing in the small yard covered in mud, but this time she was not the only one to hear him.

“I say, Cheston, did you say that you have puppies?” Mr. Wellington had sat down next to Charlotte, her grandmother at his other side. “They wouldn’t belong to that rather marvelous border collie you own, would they?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, Patch is the mother.”

“Well, now.” Mr. Wellington leaned a little closer. “I don’t suppose you’re interested in selling any of them, are you?”

“Not at present,” Lord Cheston said. “They’re too young to leave their mother.”

Mr. Wellington did nothing to hide his disappointment. “Keep me in mind when the time comes, would you? I could use a sheepdog like yours.”

“Do you keep sheep, Mr. Wellington?” Grandmama asked.

“I do, although not nearly so many as Lord Cheston.”

“Every single sheep is important, Mr. Wellington.” Mr. Beeker joined the conversation, his tone reminiscent of a Sunday sermon. “The Bible tells us that repeatedly.”

“A lovely reminder, Mr. Beeker.” Mrs. Fitzroy smiled sweetly at the minister who acknowledged her compliment with a nod.

“Thank you, Mrs. Fitzroy. I have found that there are a great many ways to relate the teachings of the Bible to Norfolk’s sheep.”

“It’s a shame that they are such malodorous creatures,” Miss Fitzroy said. “Have you ever had occasion to be in the presence of a wet sheep, Miss Densley?” She wrinkled up her pert little nose as though she could smell one in the dining room.

Charlotte lifted her serviette to her mouth in an effort to hide the giggle that was threatening to emerge.

“I … I cannot say that I have,” she managed.

Lady Cheston’s initial look of displeasure at the dinner conversation’s subject matter was rapidly becoming a glare, but Charlotte had rarely been so entertained. Did all dinner gatherings in the country include such diverting characters and open dialogue?

“Well, then, I will warn you to not get too close,” Miss Fitzroy said, blithely unaware of Lady Cheston’s mounting irritation. “For not only do sheep smell terrible, they also bite.”

“If they were allowed to roam freely on the Broads, sheep would live quite happily, and you would find no reason to be offended, Miss Fitzroy,” Mr. Ryland said passionately. “It is unfortunate that people take offense so readily. Indeed, the vast majority of us could learn a great deal by becoming more like a sheep or an owl or a beetle.”

Lord Cheston’s cough sounded suspiciously like a smothered laugh. It did not help Charlotte’s efforts to maintain a placid expression.

“No matter where the sheep live, I appreciate the warning regarding their tendency to bite, Miss Fitzroy,” she said. “Although I’m not sure that I shall ever be that close to them.”

“I would not be so sure, Miss Densley,” Mr. Fitzroy said. “You cannot go ten yards in this part of Norfolk without encountering the blasted creatures.”

Charlotte did not know why the gentleman seemed to hold all sheep in contempt, but thought it best not to ask. Perhaps, for Lady Cheston’s sake, a change of subject was due.

“I shall be on my guard for them, sir, but in truth, one of the things I am most looking forward to is visiting the sea.”

“It is something you must do,” Lady Cheston said with understandable enthusiasm for the new topic. “This part of the coastline is truly magnificent.”

“It is, indeed,” Mr. Beeker said. “And when the fishermen are out on the water, it reminds me greatly of the stories Jesus told at the Sea of Galilee.”

This time, when Lord Cheston coughed, Charlotte dared a glance at him. Mirth danced in his amber eyes, and an unexpected warmth filled her. She was not quite sure what to make of this baron who dressed as a farm laborer and found humor in the world around him, but there was a part of her—an alarmingly significant part—that rather hoped she would have the opportunity to come to know him better.