Page 54 of From Rakes to Riches

“Yes, damn it. I’ve been all over the house searching for her, from the kitchens to the library to the boys’ bedchamber, and even the attics. She’s nowhere to be found.”

Mrs. Norris stared at him. “The, ah…the attics?”

“Yes! Unless she’s hiding in one of the priest’s holes underneath the castle, then she’s vanished, I tell you!”

“I assure you that Miss Templeton hasn’t vanished, my lord. Today is her day off.”

“Her day off?” That did make more sense than the priest’s hole, didn’t it? “I, ah…I see. But don’t you mean her half-day?” Surely, she wasn’t going to be gone for the entire day?

“No, my lord. Miss Templeton and I arranged for her to take a full day every other week, rather than a half day every week, so she might have time to go and visit her sister at Steeple Cross.”

“Steeple Cross? What, has Lord Cross opened the house again?” And why would Miss Templeton’s sister be there? Was she the housekeeper there, or the new countess’s lady’s maid?

“Yes, my lord. He spends a great deal more time there since he married.”

Ah. Now he thought of it, he did recall hearing something about Cross having married, to some lady named…well, he couldn’t recall what her name was. He hadn’t paid much attention, as he and Cross weren’t well acquainted, despite being neighbors. They didn’t move in the same circles. Which is to say, Cross was respectable, andhewas not.

“What time will she return?” Good Lord, was he whining? Because it sounded very much as if he was whining.

“Not until this evening, I should think, my lord.”

This evening! But it was only ten o’clock in the morning! The evening washoursaway.

“Is there something I might do for you, Lord Hawke? Of course, Abby’s here, as well, and we have an additional housemaid in from the village for the day, to make up for Miss Templeton’s absence.”

He stifled a snort. There wasn’t a bloody housemaid in existence who could replace Helena Templeton. He didn’t say so, of course, mainly because Mrs. Norris was already eyeing him asif he’d lost his wits. “No, not a thing, only who’s to mind the boys today?”

“Not to worry, my lord. Miss Templeton arranges for them to be kept busy with lessons on her day off. They’re engaged with their fencing master at the moment, and later this afternoon they’ll go out with their riding master.”

Riding master? How the devil had she managed that? “But the boys don’t have horses.”

“No, but Miss Templeton found a riding master in Steeple Barton who’s willing to lend his horses. He has a pair of delightful roan ponies he brings for Ryan and Etienne.”

Of course, because there wasn’t a single thing Helena Templeton couldn’t do. A wave of some emotion rolled over him at the thought of her searching out riding masters, but it wasn’taffection, no matter how much it might feel like it. Earls didn’t feel affection for their sons’ governess. It was unseemly.

“Perhaps you’d like to ride out with the boys this afternoon, Lord Hawke? I’m certain your horse wants exercising. Ryan and Etienne would be thrilled to have you, and really, my lord, it’s the dearest thing imaginable, to see them trotting about on their matching ponies.” Mrs. Norris cast a shrewd look at him. “I daresay Miss Templeton will be vastly pleased to find you’d all been out together.”

It was frightening, really, how adroitly Mrs. Norris managed him. “Perhaps I will.” There was only so much time he could spend with Hecate, after all.

But until then, there was nothing for him to do but return to his study, stare into the fire, and do his best not to think about the plush softness of Helena Templeton’s lower lip beneath his fingertips, and try not to count how many hours must elapse before evening arrived, and she’d return to Hawke’s Run.

“You seem out of sorts,Helena. Are you quite all right, dearest?”

Helena startled, guilty heat rising in her cheeks as she jerked her attention back to Juliet, who was regarding her with an anxious frown on her pretty face. “I beg your pardon, Juliet. I’m perfectly well, just a bit distracted.”

Juliet’s frown deepened. “It’s not the boys, is it?”

Dear Juliet. She was nearly as fond of Ryan and Etienne as Helena was. She never failed to ask about them ever since she’d met them several months ago, after she’d fled a house party at Steeple Cross, arrived unexpectedly at Hawke’s Run early in morning and promptly burst into a flood of tears over some business having to do with Lord Cross.

Helena had never quite worked out what had gone awry between them, but Lord Cross had appeared that evening in a rather startling scarlet waistcoat, shouted verses of Shakespeare up at Juliet from underneath a bedchamber window, and four weeks later, Juliet had married him.

It was a curious business, but to see them now, one would never believe anything but the most ardent love could ever have existed between Lord and Lady Cross. They were utterly devoted to each other.

“No, the boys are fine, it’s just that Lord Hawke returned home rather suddenly last week, and things at Hawke’s Run have been a bit unsettled since then.”

“Lord Hawke’s back from London?” Juliet’s lovely blue eyes went wide. “My goodness. I confess I didn’t anticipate thathappening anytime soon. Lord Hawke is an, er…eagerparticipant in the entertainments London has to offer.”

“Entertainments, Juliet? By that, I take you to be referring to Lord Hawke’s rumored wickedness?”

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