Seducing the Rake (Mad, Bad and Dangerous Heroes) (34 page)

Then she shrugged the thought away. Since they didn’t look like robbers, what business was it of hers? When Whitby finally disappeared, the boy gave an audible sigh and patted his smaller companion’s head.

A girl, Chessy saw. A girl with guinea-gold curls and eyes the color of a summer sky.

Eyes the exact shade of
Tony’s
eyes…

Chessy made her face grave. “Now then, what’s all this about? It wasn’t nice, you know, hiding from Whitby that way.”

The boy gave a crooked little smile as he tucked his ornamental tricorn under one arm. “No it wasn’t, was it? But it was necessary, you see. For he would just go and tell our—er, the earl. And
he
would have our hides if he knew we were here.”

“The earl? But who—”

“Oh, never mind us. Please do go on about your affairs. I rather think we’ll be off now too.” If the boy saw anything odd in a woman creeping around inside the earl’s house, he was too well mannered to remark upon it. “But may we help you find your way first? You appeared lost a moment ago.”

Chessy decided that the truth was the best policy. “I’ve just been tending to—that is, to the earl. He has been … unwell.”

The boy stiffened. “Unwell? But I thought—”

“Don’t worry. He will be quite himself very soon.” The little girl’s lip trembled. “He’s going to die, isn’t he? Just like
they
did!” Her shoulders slumped as she clutched her rag doll.

Her brother gave her shoulders a squeeze. He frowned up at Chessy. “Will he? Die, that is?”

Chessy felt a lump form in her throat. “Of course not. Strong as an ox, the man is. He’s—he’s merely had a bit of an accident and needs to rest. I imagine in half an hour he’ll be striding about, shouting for his breakfast and making life miserable for his underpaid and quite tireless staff.” She shot the children a chiding look. “Unless, of course, one look at those Friday-faces of
yours
sends him into a decline.”

The boy brightened. “I’ve got it! You’re the one who saved his life, aren’t you? Jem coachman told us all about you. I didn’t really believe him, you know. Thought he was just trying to frighten us as punishment for our insisting on being conveyed to London.” He gave a thoughtful look at Chessy’s silk pants and tunic. “A healer, he said you were. I dare say that’s why you’re wearing those—” He recalled his manners, blushing furiously. “Excuse me. Where are my wits?” He tugged his dusty frock coat straight, smoothed his bottle-green waistcoat, and studied the girl beside him. “Take your thumb out of your mouth, Elspeth,” he ordered gravely.

Then he turned to Chessy and offered his hand with great formality. “I am Jeremy Langford. This is my sister, Elspeth. We weren’t supposed to come here, not to London. But our—that is—the earl was supposed to come back to Sevenoaks by the end of last week. And when he didn’t, we began to worry that something was wrong again. So we decided to—”

At this point the small figure beside him, who had been hopping restlessly from one booted foot to the other, could hold back no longer. “Oh, cut line,
Je’
emy. Let
me
tell her! First we snuck out to the stables. Then we talked Jem coachman into bringing us here so we would see what was wrong.” She stared up into Chessy’s face, her eyes wide. “You’re pretty,” she said firmly. “I like you.”

A moment later Chessy felt a chubby hand ease into hers.

The cornflower-blue eyes widened. “Are you going to marry our Tony? And be our new mama?”

Chessy went sheet-white. His
children
? No, she did not believe it.

But …
mama
, the girl had said.

A chill rushed over her.

“Hush, Elspeth!” the boy said sharply. “Now you’ve upset her! Can’t you keep a single solitary thought inside your head?”

“Can’t. Don’t want to neither!”

“Either,” her brother said firmly. “And stop sucking your thumb like a child.”

“I
am
a child!” The girl’s lip began to quiver. “Are you? Going to marry our Tony and become our mama?”

Impulsively Chessy reached out to pat her hand. “I-I’m afraid not, my dear. But I’m sure you’ll find someone much nicer than I to become your mama. Your fa—your Tony must be very good at finding women, I think.”

Her eyes clouded for a moment, and then she straightened. “Now, I’m afraid I really must be on my way.”

“You’ve got to practice, don’t you? Jem told me you were a great hand at all sorts of peculiar things. Shadow boxing. Swordplay. Said you could cut off a man’s ear at ten paces just by looking at him.” Jeremy’s eyes gleamed with awe. “He told us you saved the earl’s life by using magic charms and special chants.”

Chessy smiled bitterly. Heaven only knew what sort of rumors had been flying among the staff since she’d arrived! “There was nothing magical about it, I assure you. And as for cutting off ears at ten paces, let’s just say that I sometimes
wish
I had that ability.”

“By Jove, I’d just bet you could do it if you set your mind to it!”

Chessy found herself smiling at his unadulterated admiration. “Well, I’m afraid I really must be off. I’ve—I’ve more medicine to mix up, and—oh, just thousands of things to do,” she added vaguely.

Disappointment darkened the boy’s face. He gave her a smile that was far too sober a smile for a boy so young. And that thought made Chessy wonder what sort of sorrows had made him grow up so soon.

At that moment a door opened down the hall. A hard voice echoed along the corridor. A voice that made Chessy’s stomach lurch painfully.

“Tell him to wait for a reply, Whitby. And—and bring it to me here. No matter when it comes.”

So much for your twenty minutes
, Chessy thought, clutching at the marble pillar for support.
It appears he’s already forgotten all about you. Maybe he was glad to have a reason to forget you.

She raised her chin proudly and blinked back the tears that stung the back of her eyes. “Forgive me, but I really must—”

The chubby fingers circling her hand only tightened. “But it’s Mrs. Harris’s cooking day,” the girl named Elspeth said in a husky little voice. “She always makes blueberry scones and lemon tarts. They’re our Tony’s favorite. Mine too. Would you—would you like to come down and try some with us?”

Her eyes were huge, guileless.

And they pierced right through Chessy’s soul.

Eyes of robin’s-egg blue. Eyes of tropical seas.

Tony’s eyes.

Oh, Tony, when did it happen? Why didn’t you tell me?

Chessy summoned up a crooked smile. “I-I only wish I could, but I really haven’t time.”

The boy studied her thoughtfully. “The earl sounded fine to me, you know. His voice was as loud as ever. But—well, I’m afraid
you
don’t look quite the thing. Indeed I don’t mean to be interfering, but—that is, you’ve gone quite pale.”

Chessy closed her eyes as sadness washed over her, and she tasted all the bitter textures of despair. Before, she hadn’t known what she was missing or what it would be like to taste the rich, piercing sweetness of his love. But now—oh, now…

The next instant the boy caught her arm in a surprisingly firm grip. “That does it. You don’t look like you should be going anywhere. You’d best come along with us. Mrs. Harris will know what to do. She’ll brew you a nice cup of tea and seat you in her best chair before the fire. Then she’ll shower you with talk of Yorkshire and all her nieces and nephews, and before you know it you’ll be feeling right as rain. It always works for us. And it wouldn’t do for
you
to go getting sick, would it? Then who would take care of—of the earl?”

His young face was set with determination. And at that moment his resemblance to Lord Morland was so sharp that it tore at Chessy’s heart.

But she saw there would be no way of escaping him, not without creating the very sort of disturbance she was hoping to avoid.

She bit her lip. “Very well, Sir Galahad. I suppose I do look fairly awful.”

“Oh, no. I never meant—”

 “Of course you didn’t. But lead on, brave knight. Something tells me there are dragons waiting to be bested. And that you will find the perfect way to do it.”

The boy looked inordinately pleased by her comment. “Do you really think so? Oh, I say, that’s the finest compliment I’ve ever had. I’m nine, by the way,” he said importantly. “Elspeth is five.”

The chubby thumb slid from the girl’s mouth. “Five and
three-quarters,
I am.”

“Five and three-quarters,” the boy repeated with a long-suffering sigh. “You really must go down with us. I can’t wait to hear the whole story. If even half of what Jem coachman told me is true, it will be splendid. But I don’t believe—that is, I don’t mean to be rude, but we haven’t actually met.”

Chessy smiled and extended her hand. “Miss Francesca Cameron. But you may call me Chessy.”

Jeremy pressed her fingers warmly. “I’m ever so glad that he—that the earl had
you
to look after him, Miss Chessy. And to think that we were kicking up our heels at Sevenoaks, absolutely useless, while he was here, needing us.”

The girl’s thumb popped from her mouth for a second time. “Told you we should come! Knew it, didn’t I just!”

The boy squeezed her
^-
shoulder. “And you were quite right this time, imp. Dam—er, deuced glad you convinced me. And of course we can’t bother the earl now. We must leave him to rest.” Jeremy’s azure eyes narrowed. “You could do with a rest too. You look rather shot yourself.” He blushed and coughed very consciously. “Not the thing to say, of course. Didn’t mean to imply—that is, not that you are anything but, well, quite fine. A diamond of the first water, don’t you know?”

Chessy had to smile at this extravagant praise. “Flummery, Master Jeremy?”

“Devil a bit!” His cheeks turned pinker.

At the same moment chubby fingers tugged at Chessy’s silk jacket. “Can we go now? The kitchen is ever so nice when Mrs. Harris is cooking. She never uses titles or makes us sit like China dolls. And I’m verrrrry hungry.” Elspeth’s lip trembled. “Only she won’t like it if we go down alone, since we’re not supposed to be here, you know. So—so do you think you could come with us? To explain?”

Outgunned, outnumbered, and outflanked.

Chessy sighed. Well, what difference could a quarter-hour make now? Especially when the earl was sequestered in his study, awaiting his important papers.

Jeremy seized her other hand and tugged her toward the back stairs. “Indeed, Mrs. Harris does make lovely tarts! The Duchess of Cranford has offered Tony any amount of money to lure her away, but he won’t even consider the idea. I even heard that Prinny himself made an offer—a thousand pounds, Jem told us it was. A veritable fortune, but still the earl wouldn’t let her go.”

Chessy had a sudden stricken realization. “He wouldn’t?” she said faintly. “Not even to the Prince Regent?”

“Devil a bit,” the boy said cheerfully. “And the best thing is, she always saves her very best for us. Even though she likes to complain about it.”

At that second his stomach rumbled quite loudly. He gave an embarrassed smile that made him look not a day over his nine years.

Chessy thought he looked quite charming at that second, and she had to resist an urge to ruffle his glossy hair. “Very well. Lead on, Sir Galahad.”

Jeremy flashed her a smile. “Come along, Elspeth. Don’t dawdle this time,” Jeremy called over his shoulder as he moved toward the staircase leading down to the kitchens. Chessy found herself propelled across the polished marble foyer, tightly in tow of a very serious nine-year-old boy on one hand and a sunny-faced nearly-six-year-old on the other.

And she found herself wondering what else could possibly go wrong this day.

 “Damn. Damn and blast!”

Clad in a silken dressing gown of crimson and navy paisley, the Earl of Morland turned from the sunny rear window, a scowl upon his face.

It was worse than he’d thought.
Far worse.

“When did this come?”