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"Thank you, Briar," said Darcy, looking relieved to have found an ally.

Kate turned towards him in astonishment. She had not expected Mr Briar to side with her father so readily, particularly when it was he who had been so enthusiastic about undertaking the excavation together. Still, she supposed that arguing with the owner of the land upon which one wished to dig was not the wisest course of action, particularly when that gentleman was also one's host.

"Very well, Papa," she said, doing her best to keep her tone mild. "What do you propose?"

✽✽✽

By the time they had been in the library for an hour, Kate was beginning to feel thoroughly sorry for poor Martha.

The maid had been installed in an armchair near the door with a basket of mending and instructions from Mrs Darcy to remain with Miss Catherine and Mr Briar until their business was concluded. She had accepted the task with the good grace expected of a Pemberley servant, but Kate suspected that an hour of listening to discussions of ancient British burial practices had not improved her opinion of the assignment.

Mr Briar, on the other hand, appeared entirely untroubled by their audience. He had spread several large maps across the library table, alongside a number of volumes that Kate had retrieved from her father's collection, and was now explaining how he proposed to approach the mound.

"I think we ought to begin here," he said, indicating the western side of the little rise. "If we cut a trench towards the centre, we should have a reasonable chance of discovering whether there is a burial chamber beneath. It is the approach most often taken with these sorts of monuments, although, of course, we cannot know what we shall find until we begin."

Kate considered the drawing for a moment. "But surely, Mr Briar, if we are to dig through the mound in that fashion, we may destroy evidence of how it was originally constructed. Would it not be sensible to record the different layers of earth as they are exposed? We might learn almost as much from the soil as from whatever objects are buried within it."

He looked at her with an expression of genuine interest and leaned forward to examine the diagram once more. "That is a very good point, Miss Darcy. I confess I have been thinking more about what might be at the centre than what we might learn on the way towards it. You have been reading Mr Lyell to some purpose."

"I should hope so," said Kate, pleased that he had taken her suggestion seriously. "And I think we ought to make drawings of anything we discover before it is removed. Papa has a very fine collection of specimens, but there are several for which we have no record of precisely where they were found, and it is most frustrating. Once an object has been taken from the ground, we cannot very well put it back and expect to learn anything useful."

"An excellent observation. I see I shall have to be on my very best behaviour with you watching over my work, Miss Darcy." He grinned at her, and she thought for a moment he was teasing her, but there was nothing mocking in his expression. His countenance was bright and open, and, lord help her, achingly handsome. His chestnut hair was less coiffed than usual, with him having run his hands through it multiple times as they discussed the technicalities of the dig. The effect was charmingly boyish.

Kate returned her eyes self-consciously to the map and pointed towards the small rise marking the burial mound. "And here, I think we ought to consider the land surrounding it. The mound stands close to the old boundary stones, but I wonder whether it was originally placed upon a natural ridge…"

Mr Briar moved his hand across the paper at the same moment, and his fingers brushed against hers. It was the lightest touch, barely more than the passing of skin against skin, but Kate felt it like a lightning bolt travelling all the way up her arm. She drew back her hand quickly, knocking the corner of one of the books in the process. Mr Briar caught it before it could slide from the table, and when she looked up to thank him, his brown eyes were fixed upon her with a serious expression. For a painfully long heartbeat neither spoke, and Kate became aware of the warmth of his body beside hers and the faint scent of sandalwood and lemon that seemed to accompany him everywhere.

A tremendous snore came from the corner of the room. They both turned towards Martha, who had fallen asleep with her head tipped back against the chair and her mouth hanging open. The mending lay abandoned in her lap, and as they watched, another extraordinary noise emerged from her, so loud and rattling that Kate marvelled that such a racket could emerge from such a small body.

Mr Briar pressed his lips together, but the effort was fruitless. His shoulders began to shake, and when Kate looked at him, she found she could no longer contain her own laughter. She clapped a hand over her mouth, although this did little to help, and the two of them stood beside the table giggling like naughty children while their appointed guardian slept peacefully on.

"I fear your father has overestimated the vigilance of our chaperone," Mr Briar whispered, bending a little towards her. "Although I suppose we should be grateful that we have not disturbed her rest with all our talk of burial chambers and ancient bones."

"Poor Martha," Kate managed, wiping a little moisture from the corner of her eye. "She was up very early helping with the preparations for our guests' departures. I am afraid listening to us discuss the merits of various excavation methods has rather overset her."

"Then I must take some responsibility. I have been known to send whole lecture halls to sleep, although I do not believe anyone has ever expressed their opinion of my work quite so noisily."

That set Kate off again, and she had to turn away to regain her composure. It was a strange sensation, standing in her father's library laughing with a gentleman whom she had found so objectionable only two days before. She was beginning to realise that Mr Briar was not so silly and dandyish as she had first supposed. Worryingly, she very much enjoyed his company.

As their laughter died away, Kate became aware that Mr Briar was still bent towards her, close enough that she could see a tiny nick on his chin where he must have caught himself shaving that morning. His coat sleeve brushed against her bare arm, and she could feel the warmth of his skin through the fine wool. Her eyes strayed to his mouth, still curved in the ghost of a smile, and she wondered what it might feel like to kiss him. Good Lord, where had that thought come from? She had never considered kissing a gentleman before, and she was so startled by the thought that she forgot to move away. Mr Briar glanced down at where their arms touched, and his smile disappeared. He stepped back hurriedly, putting a good two feet between them, and began adjusting his cuffs. Kate's stomach sank. Had he noticed her looking at his mouth? Perhaps he thought she had been attempting to flirt with him. How utterly mortifying. She bent over the map again, although she could not have said what she was looking at, while Mr Briar began gathering up his papers and books in a business-like manner. He was clearly anxious to take his leave, and Kate could hardly blame him.

"Yes, well," he said briskly, "I think I must examine the site once more before the men arrive tomorrow. There are several things I should like to establish regarding the lie of the land, and I may be better able to judge them now that we have considered the matter more carefully." He shuffled his papers into an untidy pile and tucked them beneath his arm, studiously avoiding her eye. "I have taken up quite enough of your morning, Miss Darcy, and I am sure you have better things to do than listen to me prattle on. If you will excuse me, I shall take myself off and leave you to your day."

"Oh, but would it not be better to go on horseback?" Kate asked, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. "There is a path along the western ridge which overlooks the whole of that part of the estate, and from there we could see how the mound lies in relation to the surrounding ground. It is difficult to appreciate the shape of the land from the paths below, but I have ridden that way many times and the view is excellent. We could take one of the grooms with us, of course, so there would be no difficulty concerning Papa's arrangements."

She stopped, appalled by how breathlessly she had delivered this little speech. Mr Briar had his papers tucked beneath his arm and was clearly trying to escape, while she had apparently decided that the best course of action was to invite herself along. Worse still, she had said we, as though they had already agreed to spend the afternoon together. Good heavens, had she lost all sense? She could scarcely look him in the eye after her ridiculous thoughts about kissing him, and now she was proposing that they go riding together. She felt the heat rise into her cheeks and began worrying at a loose thread on the cuff of her gown, wishing heartily that she had allowed him to leave when he had the chance.

"Of course, you may prefer to go alone," she added hurriedly, keeping her eyes cast down. "I only thought that as I know the land, I might be of some assistance. But I am sure you have a great deal to consider, and I would not wish to impose upon your time."

Mr Briar did not immediately reply. Kate risked a glance in his direction and found him standing with his papers tucked beneath one arm, looking most unlike his usual cheerful self. He opened his mouth as though to speak, then seemed to think better of it. Oh, this was dreadful. This may in fact be the most atrocious few minutes of her entire existence. She had put him in the impossible position of having to refuse an invitation from his host's daughter, and the poor man was evidently struggling to find a way of doing so without offending her. She twisted the loose thread around her finger until it snapped, wishing he would just say no and put them both out of their misery.

"No, no, you misunderstand me, Miss Darcy," he said at last, setting the papers down again. "It is a very sensible suggestion, and I should be grateful for your knowledge of the estate. I had intended to have another look about, but you are right that the higher ground may afford us a better understanding of the site." He hesitated, and his eyes moved briefly towards Martha, who gave another contented snore from her armchair. "Although I would not wish to suggest anything that might be considered improper. Your father has been generous in allowing me to undertake this work, and I should hate to give him cause to regret his hospitality."

"Oh, Papa would not object if we took a groom," Kate said, although she was beginning to wish she had never suggested the thing in the first place. "He has always permitted me to ride about the estate, and I frequently take one of the stable boys when I wish to venture further afield. But please do not feel obliged to entertain my suggestion, Mr Briar. I quite understand if you would prefer to make your examination alone."

"I would not prefer it," he said in an over-loud voice, and then pressed his lips together firmly, seemingly embarrassed by his own eagerness. He gave a small laugh and ran a hand through his already disordered hair. "Good heavens, Miss Darcy, you will have me quite tied up in knots. I should be delighted to have your company, and I can think of no better guide to the estate than someone who has spent her life exploring every inch of it. Provided, of course, that your groom is sufficiently vigilant to satisfy your father."

"I assure you, Mr Briar, Little John is a most conscientious fellow. I shall arrange for the horses to be saddled and meet you at the stables in half an hour." Kate was still feeling rather hot about the face, and she attempted a smile, although it felt odd on her face. She was grateful when another enormous snore came from Martha's corner, drawing their attention towards the sleeping maid. "I suppose I had better wake her," Kate said, trying to gather together the ragged threads of her composure. "Mama will be displeased if she discovers that her chaperone has spent the morning fast asleep."