Page 58 of The Devil Himself
“Thank you, Tyrell. It’s been a trying journey, and the men accompanying us could use food and comfortable lodging.”
“Of course.” Tyrell looked at Gareth, who sagged for a moment before he drew himself up. “Just a simple meal for us for luncheon, Tyrell, but we’ll take dinner together tonight in the dining room. In the meantime, have the marquess’s chamber cleaned for my uncle, and the chamber on the other side of it for Lord Angelsey. They would like a bath drawn, as would I.”
“Just fill the bath in the master dressing room,” Rys agreed. “Lord Angelsey and I will both use that tub, as it is big enough.”
He hoped his cheeks weren’t as red as they were hot. He could just imagine them both using it. At the same time.
“Just so, my lord.”
Sauce Box Joe appeared like smoke, moving silently for such a big man. “Looks fine, sir. Like to speak to you for a moment in private, though, iffn you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, Joe. We’ll go to the study. Do you want to wash up before luncheon, Gareth?” Rys was like an army officer, marshalling forces and giving orders.
“I will, thank you.” Gareth headed inside with the butler, Tyrell, and as they entered the house, the housekeeper, Mrs. Laverty, met them in the foyer, her eyes misty, a huge smile on her face.
“Good day to you, Lord Angelsey. Lord Rys!” She engulfed Rys in a hug, and Rys’s expression of surprise was comical as hell. “Welcome home.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Laverty.” Rys gave her a gingerly hug in return.
She released him to beam at Luc. “So good to see you here. Thank you for bringing both of my boys home.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Mrs. Laverty, Tyrell. I need you both to know that if Lords Daffyd or Arthur should arrive, they are to be turned away immediately.” Rys gave them both a grave look. “There’s trouble with Gareth.”
Mrs. Laverty pressed a hand to her bosom. “Oh, those awful boys. We’ll do it, won’t we, Tyrell?”
“Naturally. Master Gareth is the marquess now.”
“Cold luncheon is fine. I need to meet with Joe here, and then Lord Angelsey and I will clean up and we can all eat.” Rys inclined his head, and then they were off to the study.
“Very lordly of you, Rys,” Luc murmured.
“I will bite you,” Rys told him.
Joe snickered but sobered quickly once the door shut behind them. “All right, m’lord. Here’s the difficulty. This house is a nightmare to keep safe like. There’s two terraces with their own entrances. Two servants’ entrances: one in the kitchens, one for other service people. The main doors. And then there’s all the ground floor windows.”
Luc’s gut clenched. “And Arthur would know them all.”
“Yessir.” Joe nodded. “Now. We’ve got three men with us, and Mr. Deacon’s men should be joining us right soon to report where he is on the road. But I’ll need footmen to watch the windows and doors we can’t cover. And I don’t know how many servants are loyal to the young man or to his uncles.”
Rys, who had sat behind the desk as if he belonged there, tapped his fingers on the wood. “I know Mrs. Laverty is loyal. I’ll ask her who can be trusted. You do what you can, Joe, and Lord A here and I will help anywhere we can. I believe Arthur will just try to barge in, not sneak.”
Luc nodded slowly. “I can see that. He’s sly, but at the same time, he will feel very secure in his place here. He’ll come in making demands and ordering servants about.”
Joe chuckled. “That would make it the easiest.”
“Good man. Let me know if there are any other difficulties.”
“I will.” Joe stood from his seat and sketched a terrible little bow before leaving the room. Obviously he was not accustomed to being with the “quality”.
“Alone at last,” Luc said, grinning at Rys, but the words gave him a little thrill deep in his belly.
Rys stared at his mouth, his silvery eyes gone a deep smoke color. “So we are. What do you think we should do about it?”
“I suppose we need to think about luncheon,” Luc teased.
Mouth twisting in a wry smile, Rys stood and stalked around the desk to him, leaning down so that both hands rested on the arms of the chair he sat in. “I suppose we should, but I would much rather think about this.”
