Tempting Her Reluctant Viscount (16 page)

This mission was becoming far more involved than he ever expected. Friends and families were being torn apart, lives were being ruined, and tensions were ever rising. And Michael had an awful feeling that it was only going to get worse…especially for Hope.

Opening his mouth to say something—he wasn’t precisely sure what—Michael was interrupted by the carriage rolling to a stop. Lifting the window covering, Michael could see they were in front of the same house he had seen De Berenger visit earlier in the week.

Reluctant to move away from Hope, Michael opened the door and jumped down. Hope followed wearily, and Michael felt another stab of worry. This was all too much for her. Maybe tonight at the ball they could forget this blasted conspiracy for a while and just have a little fun.

Ringing the bell almost immediately produced the servant Michael most wished to interview—Cochrane’s butler, a somewhat elderly fellow who went by the name of Davidson. If the man was surprised in the least that
he
was the person they wished to see, his impassive face didn’t show it. He let them inside to escape the cold and the three stood in the foyer to conduct their conversation.

“Davidson,” Michael began in his direct no-nonsense manner, “we are here to discuss what you remember about a visitor Lord Cochrane had last Tuesday.”

Davidson gave a single nod of understanding, but said nothing.

“Do you recall anyone dropping by to see your master on Tuesday?”

Again the butler nodded once and again he said nothing.

Michael tried again. “Can you tell me
who
visited on Tuesday?”

For the third time, Davidson just nodded and Michael was about ready to hit the man.

Laying a calming hand on Michael’s arm, Hope interjected, “Davidson, what is the name of the person, or persons, that called on Tuesday.”

Davidson turned his somber gaze on Hope and said, “A Captain De Berenger called Tuesday near the noon-hour.”

“Finally,” Michael muttered, silently thanking Hope and reminding himself to stop asking yes or no questions which could be answered with a simple nod or shake of the head.
Lesson learned
, he thought with exasperation, as he said. “How was he dressed?”

Raising his eyebrow, the only movement Michael had seen in the man’s face since they arrived, Davidson expressed his disdain at having to answer such a familiar question. “He was wearing a uniform of some kind; green, I believe.”

Nodding, Michael continued. “And he was here because…”

“I’m sure I do not know, sir.”

“You didn’t overhear the reason for his visit?” Michael asked in disbelief. In his experience, butlers knew everything that went on in their households. Born eavesdroppers, butlers were—and maids, housekeepers, footmen…well, servants in general, if he were being honest. It was simply understood…if you wanted to know what was going on in a household, talk to the servants.

A crisp shake of his head and the iciest stare he had ever seen was all the answer Michael received from the grave man.

Realizing they weren’t going to get anything else from Davidson, Michael thanked the man and they were immediately escorted back out into the cold.

…

On the way to the door, Hope caught a glimpse of a young maid peeking out from a room at the end of the entryway.

Giving the girl a smile, Hope was surprised when the maid motioned to her in a way that indicated they should meet her outside at the side of the house. Before Hope could even nod in reply, the servant disappeared, making Hope wonder if she had imagined it all.

Once outside, Hope and Michael walked toward their carriage until Hope heard the door close firmly behind them, then grabbing Michael’s arm, she began heading toward the small ribbon of yard running between Lord Cochrane’s house and the manor next door.

“What are you doing?” Michael wondered.

“I saw a maid…I think she wants us to meet her.”

“All right,” Michael said doubtfully as they turned the corner and saw…absolutely nothing. No one coming, no one already there…nothing.

“Hmph,” Hope huffed. “I could have sworn…wait…there…”

Down about halfway the length of the building, Hope could see a hand waving some sort of cloth out the first floor window. Glancing at Michael with raised brows, she accepted his bowed apology and motioned that she should lead the way. With a grin, she complied.

Upon reaching the window, situated some five or six feet off the ground, Hope and Michael saw a maid—the same one that had communicated with Hope earlier—and an older woman, presumably the housekeeper, nervously awaiting their arrival.

“Good afternoon,” Michael said graciously.

“Sir. My lady,” they responded in unison, with nods in lieu of curtseys.

Hope visibly started when she heard them greet her as ‘my lady’.

Glancing quickly at Michael, who seemed equally astonished, Hope had to ask the women, “How did you know?”

“Know that you were a lady, my lady?” the older woman replied with a grin.

“Yes.”

The woman shrugged and said, “I suppose it was the way you calmed the lord down, it was. So lady-like. B‘sides, no man I’ve ever seen was as pretty as you…not even the lord here.” The older woman winked bawdily at Michael, who reddened slightly and coughed reflexively as if hiding his amusement.

Hope was not so restrained and laughed out loud.

“He is a handsome one, isn’t he?” Hope agreed as she looked at him teasingly.

The maid and housekeeper exchanged a look.

“There will be some pretty babies from these two, no doubt about it,” the housekeeper said to the maid, who nodded in apparent agreement.

Now it was Hope’s turn to blush, and Michael looked positively panic-stricken.

The maid’s worried voice changed the mood of the conversation immediately, however.

“We ‘ad better tell ‘em quick, don’t ye think, ma’am?”

“Ah, yes, Maude. Wouldn’t do for Davidson to catch us,” the housekeeper agreed, before turning back to Hope and Michael. “We overheard you talking to old stone-face, and he didn’t quite tell you the whole truth about why that De Berenger fellow was here.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, we were in the room cleaning, you know—”

“Invis’ble, ye mean,” Maude interrupted dryly.

“Yes, well…that hardly signifies,” the housekeeper said dismissively before continuing, “and we heard the whole thing.”

“Wonderful, Mrs. — er…”

“Carey, my lady. Mrs. Carey.”

Hope smiled and said, “And what
was
the reason for De Berenger’s visit, Mrs. Carey?”

“Oh, he was here to ask the admiral for passage on some ship of his to the colonies. That is it and all.”

…

Michael exchanged a look with Hope. It was as Cochrane had said. There was no conspiracy here. He was simply a man being set up for a crime he had no part in. It was unconscionable.

Nodding with satisfaction, Michael looked at Hope inquisitively. Hope indicated she was also done and gave the ladies a grateful smile of farewell before turning toward the front of the house.

“That lady’s smile could brighten even the darkest of days,” Michael overheard Mrs. Carey say to Maude as he turned to followed Hope.

“Perhaps she should spend a little time with Davidson then, ma’am,” was Maude’s wistful reply.

Michael had to chuckle. Honestly, if anyone could thaw “old stone-face”, it would be Hope, but he wasn’t about to volunteer her for the task. Cochrane’s staff was just going to have to fend for themselves.

Hope glanced over at Michael.

“Is something funny?” she asked.

“No, no, not really. Just something I overheard them say…about Davidson,” he replied with a smirk before putting on his most serious face and nodding succinctly.

Hope smiled. “He was strange, wasn’t he? And a little gruesome, if you ask me. Even more so than most butlers.”

Michael had to agree. Butlers were a mysterious breed even under normal circumstances, but Davidson…he was in a league of his own when it came to oddities.

“Well, at least we have finished all we intended today, have we not?” Hope asked as she pulled and crawled her way into the carriage.

Michael restrained himself (barely) from helping her, knowing she would not appreciate it, but he was glad it was still early enough in the day for her to rest a bit before the party; just as he had hoped.

“Yes, my dear,” Michael assured her after settling into the vehicle next to her. “We have finished for the day and can now return to Elizabeth’s. All that is left to do is enjoy the ball tonight and each other’s company.”

Rapping on the roof to get the driver moving, Michael pulled Hope into his arms and simply held her. She had gotten chilly while they were outside, and the least he could do was warm her up.

Burrowing into his embrace, Hope let out a long contented sigh and within seconds, fell asleep. Listening to her rhythmic breathing, Michael wished Cochrane lived a bit further from the Lancaster house. He really didn’t want to disturb Hope’s slumber so soon; she very clearly needed the rest.

But it was only mere minutes later that the carriage came to a halt and Michael had the unenviable task of waking Hope up.

“Hope-dear,” he said softly, “we’re here.”

Hope mumbled a bit and then curled herself even more firmly against his side.

With an amused sigh, Michael realized Hope was in no condition to make her own way into the house. On the other hand, the sight of a man—a viscount, no less—carrying what appeared to be another man into the Lancaster manor was likely to stir neighborhood gossip more than he would like; especially since he had been seen around town with this particular
gentleman
quite often as of late.

Realizing there was only one solution, Michael called to his driver and asked him to pull the carriage around back to the estate’s carriage house. From there, Michael could carry Hope inside under only the watchful eyes of Elizabeth’s servants. And knowing Elizabeth as he did, he felt sure he could trust the servants to be discreet.

Soon, Michael was let into the kitchen through the servant’s entrance and directed to an empty room already prepared for Hope with her gown hung up and a warm bath waiting. Michael directed the maid to re-warm the bath in a few hours’ time, but otherwise, to leave Hope to sleep. Nodding her understanding, the girl left the room and Michael laid Hope gently on the bed, covering her with a light blanket. With a kiss to her forehead, Michael resisted the urge to lay down with her and quietly left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Making his way downstairs, Michael located Elizabeth and gave her a quick debriefing on their day before leaving altogether.

He wanted to check in with the committee to see if there was any new information on the case and to tell them what he and Hope had discovered today. And then he needed to return home to attend to his own ablutions before escorting Hope to the ball.

He was greatly looking forward to the ball. No drama, no intrigue…just a gentleman and a lady out for a bit of frivolous fun…or so he fervently hoped.

Chapter Seventeen

Life is infinitely better with the one you love at your side.

~The Duke of Lancaster

Hope awoke to a darkened, unfamiliar room.

Still a little groggy from her nap, she sat up and looked around in confusion. The room was not overly large, but it was well appointed; decorated in soothing grays and tans. The furniture was antique and very well cared for. There was a general feeling of opulence, but a body would feel perfectly comfortable
living
in the room, as well.

Ah
, Hope thought,
this must be one of Lady Lancaster’s rooms
. The duchess had excellent (and expensive) taste, but there wasn’t a room that Hope had been in yet that didn’t feel warm and inviting.

Feeling much more at ease for having figured out where she was, Hope was able to recall that she had fallen asleep against Michael in the carriage, but that was the last thing she could remember. He must have carried her inside and found a place for her to rest. Touched by his thoughtfulness and feeling ever so much better and alert, Hope swung her legs over the side of the bed and walked over to a tub of steaming water. In the wardrobe behind the tub, Hope found her ball gown, all the wrinkles smoothed out and ready to be worn.

Feeling a tingle of excitement, Hope stripped down and climbed into the tub. It seemed an age since she had been to a ball, and tonight’s was the first that she would be attending on the arm of Michael Ashmore. She had dreamed of such an event for so very long now, it was difficult to believe it was actually going to happen.

Please Lord, let nothing ruin this night
, Hope prayed silently as she soaked in the tub.

Then spying the time on the nearby mantel clock, Hope gasped at the lateness of the hour. She quickly finished her bathing and, after drying off, began the task of dressing.

It didn’t take long to don her clothing and Hope was just thinking that she would have to go locate a maid to help her with her hair when a girl entered the room to check on her. “Oh good, you’re awake,” the young maid said brightly. “And looking so lovely, too. I trust the bath was to your liking?”

“Yes, it was perfect,” Hope replied with a warm smile. “Do I have you to thank for that?”

The maid giggled. “The good lord asked me to keep it warm for you while you slept. So I suppose you should thank him, as well.”

Blushing, Hope replied, “I will do that. Thank you…er…I’m sorry, I don’t believe I know your name.”

“My name is Olive, Miss.”

“It is very nice to meet you, Olive,” Hope said sincerely.

“Likewise, Miss.”

“Olive, do you think you could do me a favor?”

Olive looked at Hope with round eyes, “Of course, Miss, whatever you need.”

“Do you think you could help me with my hair?” Hope asked somewhat guiltily.

“Oh Miss, that is why I am here,” Olive replied with a laugh. “Lady Lancaster asked me to perform as your ladies’ maid and help you get ready for the ball.”