Page 80 of A Lady's Lesson in Scandal
At the sound of Franklin’s name, Lucy broke into panicked tears. ‘St George. He’s the one I met with… He, he interviewed me. For a maid’s position. Told me I got the job. Gave me tea. But everything went black. I, I woke up here.’ She was speaking too fast, her broken sobs making it almost impossible to decipher her words.
MillieknewSt George was part of this. But, of course, the weak-chinned dolt couldn’t work alone. He had neither the intelligence nor the confidence. So, who was the masked man? It was imperative they discovered his identity. He would be the brains of the operation.
Millie squeezed the girl. ‘It’s okay, Lucy. You’re safe. I won’t let him hurt you. I swear it.’
‘We,’ Drake said.
Millie swung her gaze back to him, struggling to follow his single-word sentence in the madness of the last few moments. ‘Pardon?’
‘Wewon’t let him hurt her. You did say you wanted to work together, Millie. Or have you changed your mind?’
Major General Beaufort Drake would be her undoing. Despite her best efforts, tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t form words.
Drake’s Hessians clomped over the rotten planks, he wrapped her in his warm embrace, catching Lucy in the hug as well. Millie breathed in leather and cloves and the feeling of hope.
18
Drake could have held Millie in his arms forever. Knowing she was safe after nearly losing his mind imagining every possible worst-case scenario while racing across fields and forest to find her had taken years off his life. But he would happily trade a decade to the grim reaper if it meant Millie was safe.
While he shared her urgency to chase after the masked man, there was little chance they would catch him after such a head start. Given Lucy’s state and Billy’s injuries, it would be impossible to leave them while Drake and Millie pursued a ghost. It seemed prudent to get back to Alder House, secure St George, fill in Philippa and Reynard, then come up with a plan.
‘Why is Reynard not with you?’ Millie asked as she sat behind Lucy, holding the girl steady as she guided Medusa around an outcropping of rocks. With her skills as a horsewoman on full display, Drake was having trouble keeping his focus.
Billy listed left in front of Drake. He grabbed the boy with one hand while keeping his reins in the other. Billy had taken a hard smack to the back of his head, and while he insisted he was fine, worry gnawed at Drake’s heart. He wouldn’t rest easy until a doctor had seen both Billy and Lucy and declared them fit.
‘He went to help Lucy’s family search for her. I was going to join him when Philippa informed me of your early-morning ride.’
‘You spoke to Philippa?’
‘Yes. She is annoyingly astute.’
‘Agreed. What exactly did she say to have you galloping after me?’
‘She pointed out a truth I’ve been avoiding. I would very much like to tell you everything, but now is not the right time. Can you wait? Until we are home and alone?’ He ached to pour out his heart, but not on horseback with a traumatised girl and an injured boy between them.
Millie narrowed her eyes, watching him as they rode side by side. ‘I can wait.’
It wasn’t a declaration of love, but neither was it a dismissal. She gave him more than he deserved and less than he wanted. Cause to hope, but not reason to celebrate. Yet.
‘How did you find me? We had a healthy head start on you.’ Millie speared him with her sharp gaze.
The flutter in his heart returned with a few skips and a painful thump.
‘I learned how to track in the military.’
Her brow rose, a trick she must have learned from Philippa.
‘And Billy told the stable master his plan.’ He shrugged. ‘So, that helped.’
‘Ah.’ Millie’s dry response had his lips twitching.
God, he loved sparring with her. He only hoped he hadn’t lost his chance to continue their battles for the next five or six decades.
When they reached Alder House, Drake led Millie to the kitchen entrance. He had no wish to alert St George of their arrival.
Cook took in the bedraggled foursome with a raised brow.
‘Please, get Mrs Hammond and Penny.’ Drake’s tone was gruff, but he applauded the woman for her presence of mind. She blinked twice, turned, and gave a sharp command to a young woman up to her elbows in chicken feathers. The girl wiped her hands on her apron and rushed out of the kitchen.
