Page 76 of Avenging the Earl's Lady
Charley poked his friend’s shoulder.“I’m a scoundrel, I know, but I’m a true friend.A little angry spirit will serve you well, just don’t unleash it on me.Now.”He filled two glasses with generous pours.“Bakeley has shared a bottle of his spirits from his best hidden cache.As that happens very seldom, you must partake, and I, as your friend, will join you.”
Penderbrook reached for the glass, then hesitated.“Perhaps I’d better not.”
“You’re shaking Pender.Take the glass.”
Penderbrook looked at his hand, sighed, and obeyed.Charley clinked glasses.“To your first outing.”They tossed back their drinks.
“Hmm,” Charley mused, refilling their glasses.“I do believe I’ll need to filch the butler’s key and help myself to more of this.”
Penderbrook took the new glass and studied the amber liquid.“It has a different flavor.”
“Aged,” Charley said, sipping.“Smooth, though.”Smooth with just a hint of the herbs that were added.
“Yes.”Penderbrook drank down the whole glass.“Thank you, Charley.”
Footsteps clacked in the hallway.“One more,” Charley said, pouring.
The door opened, and Kincaid poked his head in.“Almost ready?”
Charley held up a finger and they both drained their glasses.He clapped Penderbrook on the back and smiled.“Now we’re ready.”
As they pulledup to Shaldon House, Jane bolted from the carriage behind Ewan and handed her coins to the boy.“Have the driver wait.”
Guignard was climbing down, and she tugged the bag from him, passing it to Ewan.“You’ll hold this.Don’t let it out of your sight.”
At the front door of Shaldon House, the porter bowed and greeted her.
“Lady Sirena,” she said.“Where is she?”
He blinked—the only evidence of surprise—and stepped back.“In the morning room, my lady,” he said.
Jane ran up the stairs to the back parlor and burst in, panting.
“My lady.”Jenny rushed over.“Thank God.You left without waking me.I was looking for you.”
Sirena and Graciela came and each took one of her hands.“They left not five minutes ago carrying their swords,” Sirena said.“We didn’t know what to do.”
“We were sworn to secrecy,” Graciela said.“And we didn’t truly know what it was about.”
“But I heard all about it from one of the shop boys, who heard it from one of the kitchen boys at White’s,” Jenny said.“I didn’t know where to find you.”
“The duel,” Jane squeezed both ladies’ hands.“Who is fighting?”
“That villainous major,” Sirena said.“And Penderbrook.”
Her heart pounded fiercely, the noise of it filling her head.After all her care, all of her sacrifices, it had come to this.
“Jenny,” Sirena said, “pour Lady Jane some tea.”
“No tea.Where did they go?What time?”He could already be dead, her son.
She’d barely had a chance to know him.
She was led to a sofa and a warm cup was pressed into her hands.
A vision of the Major’s face the night of the musicale reared.“He’s a brute,” she said.“He’ll kill him.”The cup rattled, tea sloshing as she set it down.“Shaldon paid the debt.How can this be?”
Sirena shared a look with Graciela and bit her lip.
