Page 53 of Lady Audacious
‘Well obviously, something went on in your cellar. Perhaps you got it right and he was manufacturing some sort of poisonous concoction.’ He grinned. ‘Images of Macbeth spring to mind. Hubble bubble…’
‘Stop it!’ She laughed and nudged his arm. ‘Anyway, if that is what he was doing, the evidence is long gone. I have inspected the cellar myself and there’s absolutely nothing there that you wouldn’t expect to find—including the spiders, which are larger than any I have previously encountered.’
‘You obviously didn’t know what to look for. It’s worth another try now that you do.’
Odile shrugged. ‘Very well, but it will be a waste of your time.’
‘I disagree,’ he said as they settled back into the curricle and he turned it in the direction of Fox’s Reach. ‘Spiders hold no terror for me. Besides, it gives me an excuse to spend more time with you.’
Chapter Fifteen
Reuben pretended not to notice his mother and Sarah, who were standing at the side of the road. His mother raised a hand, but he used his team’s skittish reaction to a dog that cut across in front of them as an excuse to ignore it, leaving her staring after him as he drove away with Odile. His mother seemed confused. Sarah looked furious. Questions would be asked later, but whether he would elect to answer them he had yet to decide.
He put their reaction to one side and instead concentrated his attention upon Odile, who sat erect beside him looking deeply disturbed. The depth of his desire to comfort her and to find answers that would satisfy her need to better understand her circumstances surprised him. It also gave him a purpose.
He was an earl, with duties and responsibilities to the local community, and he could trace his family tree back for generations. There had never been any doubt in his mind about who he was, who his family were and what would be expected of him when he reached maturity. He was a figurehead in many respects, with a duty to ensure stability in his small part of the world that had been drummed into him since he’d been in short coats. As far as Odile was concerned, it was a duty he was more than ready to fulfil.
This time, when they arrived at Fox’s Reach he drove directly to the stable block, where Harris took charge of the conveyance. Odile jumped down before Reuben could help her alight and they walked together through the partially restored gardens in the direction of the house.
‘Don’t look so downhearted,’ he chided, watching her red-headed maid scurry off when she saw them approaching, idly wondering why she had been loitering in the grounds when presumably she had duties to perform. ‘I am confident that your cellar will give us further clues.’
‘Are you ever downhearted?’ she asked.
Reuben grinned, unable to recall the last time that a female who was not a relative had ever lost patience with him. ‘Frequently, but not when in your company. Your quick mind keeps me on my toes.’
‘My incivility more like. You are giving up your time to help me and all I seem to do is snap at you.’ She sent him a rueful grin. ‘I am a contrary creature.’
‘You are good for me,’ he replied, grasping her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. ‘I know I can depend upon you to speak your mind.’
‘Oh yes, always that.’ She looked away from him. ‘I learned very early on in my teaching days that if one didn’t counter the behaviour of disruptive girls then one lost control of the entire class.’
‘Ah, so you look upon me as a disruption? Or worse still, as a girl?’
Her cheeks bloomed with colour. ‘Not at all. I was merely attempting to explain how I came to be so outspoken.’ She chuckled. ‘It was a matter of self-preservation, I suppose. You have no idea what stratagems wilful young ladies can be reduced to if those in positions of authority do not exert their will and gain the girls’ respect early on. I saw several other teachers brought to tears by the ringleaders’ antics.’ She negligently flapped a wrist. ‘I have yet to learn to take people’s offers of kindness at face value now that my life has changed so drastically, I suppose, especially when those offers come from gentlemen of your elevated status.’
‘I have a duty to help where I can,’ he contented himself with saying, resisting telling her that he would have helped her with every fibre of his being, even if he was not conscious of the duty in question.
‘Possibly, but I appear to be getting special treatment.’
He grinned at her. ‘You may depend upon it.’
Mrs Blaine was not in the kitchen, but Willow, who had been dozing in front of the range, jumped to her feet when she heard Odile’s voice and greeted her as though she had been left for weeks. Odile bent to smooth her head and bestowed a kiss upon it. Reuben inhaled sharply, wishing he could swap places with the puppy. Wishing so many inappropriate things whenever he was in Odile’s company.
‘Where is the door to the cellar?’ he asked, more acerbically than had been his intention.
Odile sent him a curious look. ‘If there is somewhere you need to be, I can venture down there alone.’
‘Not in the least.’
‘It’s just that you seem very anxious to get on.’
‘For your sake.’
She seemed satisfied with his response and led him through to the hallway, where a door was partially concealed in wainscoting that had been brought back to life by some vigorous polishing. Reuben reached around her and turned the handle.
‘We will need some light,’ he said, peering down a gloomy staircase.
Odile waited while he disappeared in the direction of the kitchen and returned with a lighted candle. He held it aloft as he led the way down the dingy stairs, warning her to keep a careful hold on the rope nailed into the wall that acted as a handrail.
