Page 30 of Marry in Haste
He told Miss Mallard, when she condescended to see him, that he merely wished to ask Miss Westwood for advice about his sisters. “I noticed her on my last visit and liked the way she handled the girls in her charge. And my sisters speak well of her, so I thought she might be able to offer me some advice on how to handle them,” he lied. He wasn’t going to admit he was going to try to poach one of her teachers.
Miss Mallard gave her gracious assent, and the gorgon headed upstairs to fetch Miss Westwood. She came down the stairs, looking puzzled and a little wary. “Lord Ashendon? Is everything all right?”
A delicate flush suffused her creamy complexion, and he had an immediate rush of recollection of how she’d felt in his arms. And how she’d tasted.
It wasn’t important, he reminded himself. All that counted was that she could silence Rose with a single word.
“You can talk in there,” the gorgon told Cal, and pointed to an elegant sitting room. “And leave the door open. I’ll be out here.”
“Ghastly woman,” Cal muttered. He closed the door and pulled out a chair for Miss Westwood. She sat gracefully, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes meeting his steadily.
He scanned her face for signs of injury. He could see a faint sign of the bruised cheekbone, but she’d covered it with some kind of cosmetic. Her nose was slightly swollen, but otherwise she looked as he’d remembered. Elegant. Composed. Intriguing.
Silence filled the room. Her flush deepened, and Cal realized he’d been staring at her mouth. Again.
“You are recovered from your mishap?” He realized she might take that to mean his kiss, so added hastily, “The altercation at the political meeting, I mean.”
“Quite recovered, thank you.” She moistened her lips, and he found his gaze riveted to her damp, rosy mouth again. Damn!
He rose, walked to the fireplace, cleared his throat and addressed himself to her left eyebrow. “Before I explain the purpose of my visit today, I must apologize for my behavior last night. It seems I had a little too much to drink and my actions crossed the bounds of, of gentlemanly behavior.”
Her eyes met his for a long moment. They seemed to see into his very soul. She gave a little nod. “I thought it must be that. Apology accepted.” She glanced down and smoothed her skirt with long, slender fingers. The delicate rose flush faded.
Cal stiffened. Was she implying he’d been clumsy? “It was an unusual circumstance,” he began.
“Are the girls all right?” she asked in a brisk, teacherly voice.
Clearly the subject of the kiss was closed. He didn’t know whether he was relieved or annoyed. “Yes, yes, of course. At least, I haven’t seen them yet—they’re still abed, but they’ll be all right.”
She frowned slightly. “Still in bed at this hour?”
“Avoiding me,” Cal said. “Putting off the moment where they’ll have to face the music.”
“You mean you’re going to punish them? Tell me, I’m curious as to what you plan to do.”
“Well, that’s just it,” he said, grateful for the opening. “I don’t know how the devil—excuse me—how the deuce Icanpunish them. Nothing I say or do seems to have the slightest effect. Lily cries at the slightest criticism—”
“Crocodile tears or the real thing?”
“What?”
“Lily has the ability to cry at will. If she’s crying big crystal tears with no other sign of distress, they’re crocodile tears. If she’s weeping noisily, red-faced and gulping, her distress is real. So which is it?”
He looked at her in amazement. “Iknewyou were the person to ask. What do they pay you here?”
She stiffened. “I beg your pardon. What business is it of yours?”
“Whatever it is, I’ll double it if you’ll come and work for me.”
Her brows, fine and elegantly winged, rose. “Work for you? As what? Governess? Companion? Duenna?”
He nodded, relieved she hadn’t addedmistress.
“All of those. My aunt is utterly unable to control the girls, and I need someone responsible to take charge.”
“Not you, I presume.”
“No, I have commitments elsewhere to which I must return. So what do you say? Will you take them on?”
