Page 31

“But first,” Jack cut in, “I must return to the inn to collect my belongings.” He glanced around the drawing room, almost laughing at the opulence. “Meager though they are.”

“Nonsense,” the dowager said briskly. “Your things will be replaced.” She looked down her nose at his traveling costume. “With items of far greater quality, I might add.”

“I wasn’t asking your permission,” Jack said lightly. He did not like to allow his anger to reveal itself in his voice. It did put a man at a disadvantage.

“Nonethe—”

“Furthermore,” Jack added, because really, he didn’t wish to hear her voice any more than he had to, “I must make explanations to my associates.” At that he looked over at Wyndham. “Nothing approaching the truth,” he added dryly, lest the duke assume that he intended to spread rumors throughout the county.

“Don’t disappear,” the dowager directed. “I assure you, you will regret it.”

“There’s no worry of that,” Wyndham said blandly. “Who would disappear with the promise of a dukedom?”

Jack’s jaw tightened, but he forced himself to let it pass. The afternoon did not need another fistfight.

And then—bloody hell—the duke abruptly added, “I will accompany you.”

Oh, good God. That was the last thing he needed. Jack swung around to face him, lifting one dubious brow. “Need I worry for my safety?”

Wyndham stiffened visibly, and Jack, who had been trained to notice even the smallest of details, saw that both of his fists clenched at his sides. So he’d insulted the duke. At this point, and considering the bruises he was likely to find staining his throat, he didn’t care.

He turned to Miss Eversleigh, offering her his most self-effacing smile. “I am a threat to his very identity. Surely any reasonable man would question his safety.”

“No, you’re wrong!” she cried out. “You misjudge him. The duke—”

She shot a horrified look at Wyndham, and they all were forced to share her discomfort when she realized what she’d said. But she plowed on, determined girl that she was.

“He is as honorable a man as I have ever met,” she continued, her voice low and fervent. “You would never come to harm in his company.”

Her cheeks had flushed with passion, and Jack was struck by the most acidic thought. Was there something between Miss Eversleigh and the duke? They resided in the same house, or castle, as it were, with only an embittered old lady for company. And while the dowager was anything but senile, Jack could not imagine that there was any lack of opportunity to engage in a dalliance under her nose.

He watched Miss Eversleigh closely, his eyes falling to her lips. He’d surprised himself when he kissed her the night before. He hadn’t meant to, and he certainly had never done such a thing before whilst attempting to rob a coach. It had seemed the most natural thing in the world—to touch her chin, tilt her face up toward his, and brush his lips against hers.

It had been soft, and fleeting, and it had taken him until this moment to realize just how deeply he wanted more.

He looked at Wyndham, and his jealousy must have shown on his face because his newly discovered cousin looked coolly amused as he said, “I assure you, whatever violent urges I possess, I shall not act upon them.”

“That is a terrible thing to say,” Miss Eversleigh responded.

“But honest,” Jack acknowledged with a nod. He did not like this man, this duke who had been brought up to view the world as his private domain. But he appreciated honesty, no matter the source.

And as Jack looked him in the eye, there seemed to develop an unspoken agreement. They did not have to be friends. They did not even have to be friendly. But they would be honest.

Which suited Jack just fine.

By Grace’s calculations, the men ought to have returned within ninety minutes, two hours at most. She had not spent much time in a saddle, so she was not the best judge of speed, but she was fairly certain that two men on horseback could reach the posting inn in something less than an hour. Then Mr. Audley would need to retrieve his belongings, which could not take very long, could it? And then—

“Get away from the window,” the dowager snapped.

Grace’s lips tightened with irritation, but she managed to return her expression to one of placidity before she turned around.

“Make yourself useful,” the dowager said.

Grace glanced this way and that, trying to decode the dowager’s order. She always had something specific in mind, and Grace hated it when she was forced to guess.

“Would you like me to read to you?” she asked. It was the most pleasant of her duties; they were currently reading Pride and Prejudice, which Grace was enjoying immensely, and the dowager was pretending not to like at all.

The dowager grunted. It was a no grunt. Grace was fluent in this method of communication. She took no particular pride in this skill.