Page 28 of The Viscount's Seduction
Gram had used up all the good luck in Queen Brighid’s knot, which was probably why this morning was going awry, and money spent on a hackney left less coin to buy information. “We’d best go afoot. We’ve walked farther at home.”
She set off and they came up on either side, escorting her into a part of London she’d heard of but not seen. Lady Hackwell had spoken of it in the one meeting of her Lady’s Relief Society she and Lady Jane had attended.
There’d been no more meetings. Not that she and Lady Jane didn’t sympathize, no. They sympathized aplenty, but they had no money to help.
And back in Donegal, she herself had seen plenty such hardship.
A poor woman with two urchins in tow shouted out for a coin.
“Off with ye,” Walter growled.
Her heart lurched, but she kept her eyes straight ahead. She needed every farthing to find news of her brother.
At the end of the block she turned and saw the woman shaking a hand at her.
“A faker, that one is,” Josh said. “She’ll be in the gin mill drinking away her coins.”
“And the children?”
“They’ll be with her, chewing a crust of bread and swilling gin also. Not much further now.”
But it was. The sun was full up before they’d stopped at a tavern with a swinging sign of a bull.
“Wait here with Josh, miss. I’ll get the man.”
Bakeley rappedon Lady Arbrough’s door just as Lord Pelham was making his exit, at an extraordinarily early time of day.
Pelham opened his mouth and seemed to not know what to say. A bachelor also, he had inherited his title when he was still in leading strings. Pelham had far more experience in keeping well-bred mistresses, yet this awkward moment was making him nervous.
“Be at ease, Pelham. I won’t call you out.”
“You always were a good egg, Bakeley.” The butler hovered at a discreet distance. Pelham leaned closer. “Yielding the field are you?”
Bakeley nodded. “Yes.”
Pelham’s eyes brightened. “Denholm’s daughter? I thought congratulations were in order when I saw you enter with the old man. Everything’s settled then?”
“No. Denholm’s daughter is still on the market. Beware, old man.”
Pelham laughed. “Dodged the parson’s trap, did you? Thank you for the warning.” He clapped Bakeley on the back and left.
He foundLady Arbrough quite at her leisure amid a field of flowers that occupied every spare inch of table. Pelham wasn’t the only one making overtures.
She extended her slender hand and he kissed it.
“That was very courtly of you, Bakeley, but not quite what I was reaching for.”
So, she was going to make this easier. He pulled the box out of his pocket.
She opened it. “Ah. Rubies.” She studied them for so long she began to remind him of his father.
“Is a speech required?” They had always been direct with one another.
She smiled, and it seemed almost wistful. “Heavens, no. And you may tell Pelham it will not be quite so easy as he might think. I have not at all settled on your replacement.”
He would miss this aspect of her. But, Lady Sirena was a plain-spoken woman also.
She rose and rang for a servant. “We’ll have a last tea together.” Aside from that glorious bosom, she looked altogether too thin, her skin tightly drawn, her years starting to show.
