Page 34 of Lady Audacious
‘I am not one of the wilting violets you are no doubt accustomed to mixing with.’
But her protest lacked conviction and she allowed Reuben to lead her to the stables, where they were assured of privacy. He helped her to sit on a stool in the empty tack room that smelt of leather and linseed oil. This derelict room had not seen either commodity for years, yet the odour still lingered. Chase flopped down at Reuben’s feet but the puppy, Reuben was amused to notice, crawled on her belly until she reached Miss Aspen’s side. She lifted her onto her knee and ran her hand repeatedly down the length of her body, appearing to find the gesture calming. Gradually a little colour returned to her wan features.
‘Now, what can I get for your comfort?’ he asked. ‘Where is Harris anyway, and why didn’t he see that bounder off?’
‘He is in the village with Mrs Blaine, my cook, collecting supplies,’ she responded. ‘And really, I am quite all right. He was an oaf, a stranger attempting to gull me into believing…Well, it doesn’t matter what he wanted me to believe. It is not your concern. Thank you for helping me. I presume you would like your puppy back.’
‘Her name is Willow.’
Miss Aspen flashed a wan smile. ‘It suits her.’
‘My sister Emily christened her. She has taken a liking to her. Like you, she is always drawn to the weak and feeble.’
‘There is nothing weak or feeble about Willow. She just prefers not to have competition. We cannot all be leaders. Anyway, I had the pleasure of meeting your sister yesterday and I applaud her soft heart.’
‘She mentioned to me that she had called, and enjoyed making your acquaintance.’
‘It is obvious to me that Willow’s brothers and sisters bully her. Her father too. Look at the way she just fell onto her belly in front of him. She shouldn’t have to be afraid of her own family. I have always thought that it must be lovely to have a family…’ She paused and gazed off into the distance. ‘But perhaps not at any price.’
Reuben thought that declaration very telling. It explained a great deal, giving him reason to suppose that Miss Aspen was an orphan who had never known her family. He hoped she would volunteer more information and so deliberately allowed a silence to ensue, convinced that she would be the first to break it. He was not altogether surprised when she did not. Instead, she continued to look away from him and would probably detest his knowing that she appeared fragile and vulnerable at that moment. Reuben would have given a great deal to know what thoughts occupied her mind.
‘Who was he?’ he asked, eventually breaking the silence himself. ‘The man who accosted you.’
She lifted one slender shoulder, sending her burnished hair falling over it. Reuben was momentarily mesmerised by the sight and was obliged to fight the urge to pick up one of the thick strands and run it repeatedly through his fingers. He chased the inappropriate thought away, worried that his body’s predictable but equally inappropriate reaction would be evident, repelling her. God’s teeth, what was it about this outwardly uninspiring female that was in danger of making him forget his own name? The attraction, the desire to be of service to her with no expectation of reward, was as baffling as it was impossible to fight against.
She remained silent for a long time after he voiced his question and he began to think that she wouldn’t respond. Reuben fell into a contemplation of his own, aware that as a gentleman there was nothing he could honourably do to make her tell him if she would prefer not to. Equally aware that the stubbornly independent female was in urgent need of his help and advice.
‘He said his name was Albert Brigstock.’ The melodic sound of Miss Aspen’s voice cut through the brittle silence, rousing Reuben from his reverie. ‘I have never set eyes on him in my life before, but he claims to have once been my father’s partner.’
‘You do not remember him?’ Reuben couldn’t keep the incredulity out of his voice.
‘I cannot even remember my father,’ she replied, and promptly burst into tears.
Chapter Ten
Odile accepted the handkerchief that the earl handed to her, deeply embarrassed by her momentary loss of control. She had learned never to cry during her years as a pupil at Miss Mackenzie’s establishment. The other girls would have pounced upon any sign of weakness and exploited it mercilessly. They resented the fact that she absorbed knowledge so instinctively, making them all look dull-witted by comparison, and took any opportunity to make her life intolerable as a consequence. She had soon learned to keep her feelings, her emotions, aspirations, confusion and acute loneliness under close guard.
Until now.
This inheritance…this windfall, call it what you will, closely followed by the earl’s genuine-seeming compassion had been her undoing. The floodgates had opened at this, almost the first genuine expression of concern for her wellbeing that she could recall receiving since her life as she knew it had begun again at the tender age of ten.
She wept for a long time, unable to prevent herself from finally giving vent to all her pent-up feelings of abandonment, mourning a family she couldn’t remember and a life she would never live.
‘Sorry,’ she managed to say, hiccupping as she mopped her eyes. ‘Whatever must you think of me?’
‘No apology necessary. That man was a blaggard, attempting to take advantage of your being here alone. I am afraid there will be others like him, perhaps more sophisticated and better prepared, and so we must ensure that you are ready to deal with them. This particular one probably waited to see Harris leave before taking his chance, hoping to catch you alone and unawares. Do you not have any other male servants?’
‘Two. But they are upstairs doing the heavy work while the girls clean. Or at least they are supposed to be. Anyway, they wouldn’t have noticed Brigstock’s arrival from that part of the house, even if they hadn’t been giving their duties their full attention.’
‘The puppy clearly likes you,’ the earl said in an abrupt change of subject, smiling as the creature took every opportunity to lick her hand, as though aware of her need for consolation. ‘If you would like to keep her…’
‘Oh, may I?’ Her red-rimmed eyes lit up with cautious hope.
‘Is kindness such an alien concept to you?’ he asked softly. ‘Actually, by keeping her, you would be doing me a service. You are right to say that the others are too exuberant for her timid nature and she will not do well as part of a litter.’
‘I will pay you for her.’
The earl waved the suggestion aside. ‘Look upon her as a gift.’
