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“W hat do you plan to do about Lady Emma?” Beaufort asked as they made their return to London. The men they had captured last evening continued to repeat their story that they only meant to rob the hunting lodge, and there had been no one of Davidson’s description at any of the local inns.

“I wish I knew,” Richard admitted. “I do not believe I am capable of walking away from the lady now that I truly know her. Moreover, every sense, nay every beat of my heart, says she is still in danger from someone she trusts.”

“Mayhap you should permit Graham to assist her instead,” Beaufort suggested softly.

“Aaran seems to be able to calm her and to reason with her. Lady Emma and I were holding a perfectly enjoyable conversation about nothing, but when Graham asked what she thought of the scent of the wildflowers in the field and mentioned how scents are powerful reminders of memories, she recalled the destroyed lilies. I would venture to say, by now, Graham has convinced her not to return to her London home.”

Richard felt the twinge of jealousy creep into his chest, but he could not prevent its presence there.

Even so, he managed to say, “I pray he did. It is too dangerous for Lady Emma to return to Donoghue House.” He sighed heavily.

“I want Lady Emma safe, and I want her happy, even if it is with Graham instead of me.”

“Then you do affect her?” Beaufort suggested.

Richard did not respond. Instead, he said, “I suppose I will learn it all from Graham when he returns your carriage. I will know how to proceed from there.”

Emma, as Lord Graham expected, found Mrs. Ottoway to be perfectly delightful.

“You are so good to me, my lord,” Mrs. Ottoway said as she poured his lordship a second cup of tea. To Emma, she said, “Lord Graham has always been the kindest man to walk this earth. My late husband Edward Ottoway was his carriage master until my Edward could no longer serve him.”

Emma said, “His lordship has also been excessively kind to me.” She asked, “So might his lordship and I entice you to join me, ma’am?

It would do me well to have your company.

However, I must be honest: Someone meant to do real harm to me, and we suspect the person is not finished with his task.

I am uncertain who this person is, and I would be thankful for your intuition.

Yet, I do not wish to place you in danger.

I wish you to know this before accepting Lord Graham’s offer. ”

“These walls are not much company.” The woman grinned widely.

“And I have heard much regarding the French cuisine at the Mirvat, and it is not likely I shall have another opportunity to view the hotel or taste what a real French chef prepares; therefore, I kindly accept your offer of a holiday, one where I shan’t be required to cook or clean.

I may return to this boarding house with enough tales of how the wealthy go about to have free tea for a year.

Everyone will invite me to sit with them to hear my descriptions of it all. ”

“And Lady Emma is well?” Richard asked for a second time. Graham had explained the arrangements made for the woman, but all Richard had truly heard was that the Mirvat’s staff would not permit him to call upon her directly.

“Her ladyship has taken quite quickly to my Mrs. Ottoway,” Graham assured.

“They have both been alone in life for some time. Mrs. Ottoway not only lost her husband, but also her daughter, and it has been years since Lady Emma has known someone to fuss over her. When I left them, they were planning what French food they would sample this evening for their supper.”

Richard swallowed the rush of jealousy clogging his throat. “I am thankful you have overseen Lady Emma’s care.”

Graham smiled knowingly, “You are a terrible liar, Orson. I must remember as such when next we are on a mission together.”

“Fine!” Richard said in irritation. “I do not like the idea of another man overseeing Lady Emma’s care. Moreover, you executed it so smoothly, and I find myself accepting the fact you were more efficient than I would have been.”

“Might I offer a bit of advice?” Graham asked, simply ignoring Richard’s fit of anger.

“Do I have a choice?” Richard grumbled.

“We all have choices,” Graham corrected.

“Go on with it then!”

Graham said in solemn tones. “Unlike you, our Theodora and the others, your Lady Emma has been abandoned by living parents. She and I have that in common. Yet, we all now find ourselves singles in a world designed by God for a couple to live together. Though each of Duncan’s boys knew something of loneliness and fear, as we grew, we had Macdonald Duncan to stand between us and the world’s evils.

We learned at Duncan’s and Lady Elsbeth’s insistence how to maneuver the world.

In my humble opinion, based on what the lady has shared, mistakenly, Lady Emma made her staff her family, and, unfortunately, it appears several of them have taken advantage of her wishing to please everyone so they will like her. ”

“And what might I do to save her?” Richard asked.

“I suspect you will be required to deliver the lady from more than the person who attacked her. You may also be asked to deliver her from herself. It will surely be worth your effort, but to do so you must do much more than find the man who rained down harm upon her head. Speaking of which, Lady Emma swears when she was approaching the man you chased in Bletchley that he appeared frightened of her until he heard your voice calling her name, then the fellow smiled.”

“Such makes little sense. Why would a man with a gun be frightened by a woman of society?” Richard asked.

“Because if Lady Emma came close enough, she might immediately recognize him,” Graham countered.

“She said the man’s eyes grew larger the closer she came to him and that she knew he had something to do with her attack, and, for several seconds, he feared her.

That is, until you rushed in her direction and called her name.

Then she noted how confidence returned to the man’s expression. ”

“Why would he fear Lady Emma more than a trained strategist carrying a gun?” Richard objected.

“Likely you are not seeing the person as he truly is, while her ladyship did,” Graham declared.

“Perhaps he, for example, is really thinner than the man you thought you saw. All that was required for him to escape you was for him to dispatch with his coat, and, I suppose, some sort of pillows or padding, roll up his sleeves, touch his face with a smear of dirt and then walk right past you without a care, as if he were one of those employed in the area.”

“I despise when you prove to be so logical,” Richard groused.

Graham presented Richard with a half-smile. “I cannot easily run and keep pace with an assailant, but I might outthink him.”

“All the gentlemen are staring at us,” Mrs. Ottoway said in hushed tones.

Emma said conspiratorially, “Such is because they have not seen a woman as beautiful as you.”

“More likely, as beautiful as you, young lady,” the woman corrected. “Not even the elderly gentleman at the other end of the table pretending to read his newspaper has removed his eyes from your person.”

Emma quickly ducked her head. “Do you think they can tell I have these bruises?” she asked, feeling quite on display.

“We touched them each up with the powder,” Mrs. Ottoway reminded her. “Even if they saw the bruises, they would look past them. You are quite lovely, my dear.”

Emma’s emotions had her tearing up. “No one has spoken so kindly to me in years,” she whispered, but before she could say more, the hotel’s porter bowed before them. “Pardon, my lady. Mrs. Ottoway. Lords Graham and Orson have asked permission to join you. The choice is yours, my lady.”

Emma was half tempted to send Lord Orson away, but such would only embarrass Lord Graham, and that particular gentleman had shown her very tender care. “Assuredly so,” she said. “We would be happy to welcome our relation and his steady companion, would we not, aunt?”

Mrs. Ottoway grinned widely. “I can think of nothing more pleasant than family, my dear.”

Within a minute, the two earls were bowing to her and Mrs. Ottoway, and an audible groan of disappointment could be heard in the large private room used for meals and entertaining.

Somehow, Emma enjoyed the frown marking Lord Orson’s features, for it meant his feelings for her had not waned.

She motioned the gentlemen to their seats and was happy when Lord Graham chose the one closer to Mrs. Ottoway.

Emma might be thoroughly irritated with Lord Orson, but such did not mean she wanted him too far removed from where she sat.

Like it or not, he was the only man with whom she wished to spend the remainder of her days.

“Thank you for accepting our company,” Lord Graham said as the hotel’s footman held his chair.

“If we had known you meant to return so soon, we could have planned our supper with you,” Mrs. Ottoway told Graham.

Graham shot a quick glance to Lord Orson. “We were worried that you might find dining in the company of strangers troublesome.”

Mrs. Ottoway said with a smile. “Actually, we were both simply enjoying the attention.”

Emma said to Lord Graham, “I did not realize the rooms must be let by the month rather than a shorter stay. A whole month is quite an extravagance. I shall gladly refund you the expenses, my lord.”

“Nonsense!” his lordship declared. “I wanted you safe. As did Lord Orson. A few pounds would not do harm to either of our purses.”