Page 23 of The Viscount's Code
“It’s true,” the woman said as Lord Whitehall took a step backward away from Hope. “If it hadn’t been for him, I would have lost my son.”
“The roundabout arm collapsed,” Hope exclaimed, turning to the viscount, still feeling the loss of his presence. “How did you act so quickly?”
“I had just jumped off, as I was… rather queasy,” he admitted with a grimace. “But thank goodness, as because I was already on my feet, I was able to make it to the boy in time.”
Hope couldn’t help but beam at him, though her father did not seem particularly pleased.
“Just why would you be on a roundabout, and with the viscount no less?” her father asked, quirking up one of his thick eyebrows.
“It was my idea,” Hope admitted. “The viscount was not particularly pleased about it, but I convinced him to accompany me.”
“We will discuss this later,” her father said, obviously not wanting an audience to the conversation he wished to have with her. “Perhaps it is time to go.”
“First, we must eat something,” her mother countered, waving a hand, obviously not overly concerned with all that had occurred, even as the fair workers were quickly trying to clean up the mess despite the chaos that had ensued around them.
Lord Whitehall had wandered off, speaking with one of the workers, and when he returned, he caught her eye.
“No one was injured,” he said in a low voice, and Hope breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness,” she said, even as she couldn’t stop herself from staring at him. For here was a man who, despite always appearing so contrary, had put himself at risk to save a child he had never met before.
It was… confusing.
And it made her more interested in him than ever.
CHAPTER9
Anthony frowned as he sat across from Hope at a table in the Harwich Inn.
Despite all of the food available in the market, Lord Embury did not like the idea of his family eating in the open air with all of the other fairgoers, and so instead he had paid for a private dining room in the local inn.
Anthony guessed that the fair food would have been far preferable, but it was not as though anyone had asked him.
It had taken some time for his heart to return to its normal rhythm after the near catastrophe at the roundabout. As soon as he had seen the results of the machine’s obviously hasty construction, he had been wary, and it appeared he had been correct in his musings. Thank goodness no one had been injured. He was glad that he had been able to save the life of the boy, although as soon as he had set him in his mother’s arms, he’d only had one focus – Hope. If anything had happened to her…
But he didn’t want to think of that – nor why he would have been so devastated had the worst occurred. Instead, he told himself to focus on returning to Newfield Manor and the code that he was here to break.
He was beginning to wish he had never agreed to come here.
Thank goodness the meal was almost finished.
“Are we ready to depart now?” Lord Embury asked, apparently as eager as Anthony to return. It seemed there was something they finally agreed upon.
“I was hoping we could briefly stop by the stage,” Lady Embury said. “I heard there is a puppet show taking place. Hopefully, one with Punch and Joan. I always find themsoentertaining.”
“I’m not sure…” Lord Embury began.
“I’d like to go,” Faith chimed in, and Lord Embury brought his thumb and forefinger to his forehead.
“Very well,” he said with a sigh. “To the stage we go.”
Anthony had never been a fan of puppet shows – they were so juvenile, and the characters could have solved everything by simply speaking to one another rather than allowing the great misunderstandings that continued to occur.
But, again, no one had asked him.
Lady Hope’s smile was large as she watched with her family, and Anthony found that he was unable to focus on the show. He far preferred watching Lady Hope and her varied expressions instead. He didn’t think she would ever be able to hide what she was thinking, for her every emotion, from concern to humor to embarrassment for the puppets – that, Anthony felt – was written in the furrow of her brows or the glint in her eye.
Despite his initial misgivings, he was surprised when the play was over. They had avoided the crowd with their ability to pay for seats at the outskirts of the audience, which pleased him as it made it easier to depart without concern over losing his mother – or Lady Hope – in the crowd.
