Never Kiss a Laird (20 page)

“I’m very
pleased to see you so nice and early, Aileen.
 
Did you sleep well?”

Sally found
herself blushing, and turned to pour herself a cup of tea.
 
“Very well, thank you, Mrs. White.”

“As long as
you’re here, you can start setting up in the breakfast
parlour
.
 
We won’t be sending the trays up for another
hour.
 
But first, sit down, and drink
your tea, and I’ll cook you a nice egg.”

Chapter Fifteen

Lady Waverly sat at her dining
table, sipping an excellent burgundy, and delicately picking at the superb
tournedos of beef in a mustard and red wine sauce that her cook had created to
tempt her appetite.
  
Ever since her
wretched granddaughter had gone missing, her cook had been insulted again and
again by the barely-touched plates that had been returned to the kitchen.
 
Lady Waverly’s lack of appetite was not, as
her staff assumed, over worry about her granddaughter.
 
It was rooted in irritation and annoyance at
having her plans thwarted, and in the fact that the shameful hussy had been
successful in giving her family the slip.
 
Lady Waverly was not used to having her will crossed, and she was
furious.

Her butler, Marsters, appeared
soundlessly at her elbow and cleared his throat discretely.
 

“Well?” she demanded
irritably.
 
“Don’t stand there sounding
like you’re about to succumb to catarrh, Marsters.”

“I beg your pardon, ma’am.
 
The Viscount and Viscountess Denham have
arrived.
 
Shall I show them in?”

“Fools,” the old
lady spat.
 
“I thought my daughter
had more sense than to chase all over the country after that silly chit of
hers.
 
Yes,
Marsters,
show them in, and have two more covers laid.”

Marsters bowed, thinking that this
news might cause the cook to commit suicide, that genius having prepared his
meal for a single diner.
 
A few minutes
later the
Denhams
entered the dining parlor.
 
The Viscount Denham appeared to have aged ten
years in the last few weeks
,
 
His
face was heavily lined, his eyes bleary and his clothing
nowhere near his usual state of point de vice. Lady Denham looked regal in a silver-blue
gown, and she greeted her mother calmly.

“Mama,” Lady Denham intoned,
allowing the footman to pull out a chair for her.
 
“I apologize for our unexpected arrival, but
Denham would not be stayed.”

The Viscount bowed over Lady
Waverly’s claw-like hand before taking a seat opposite his wife.
  
“I must thank you for your hospitality, Lady
Waverly.
 
As you can imagine, we are beside
ourselves with worry over Sally’s continued disappearance.
 
We had no time to send advance notice of our
arrival, since we made a hasty decision to leave Denham Park
yesterday.
 
I just could not bear to be
there, when Sally might be in trouble.”

Lady Denham, who was managing to
hide any worry she might be experiencing without any difficulty at all, looked
pointedly at her mother.
 
“Denham thought
we might trace her steps, and discover where she is hiding herself.
 
I was not, and am not, in favor of that.
 
I am convinced the girl will come back as
soon as she is out of funds.”

Lady Waverly nodded approvingly at
her daughter.
 
“Exactly
so, Regina.
 
To be chasing all over looking for her gives
the girl more consequence than she deserves.
 
It was bad enough to have her brother haring off to look for her.
 
I have no faith in your son’s discretion,
Denham, and he is more likely to start new rumors than scotch the existing
ones.”

“Have you heard anything from
Rupert?”
 
Lord Denham asked anxiously.

“Not a word.
 
And if you take my advice you’ll get back to London and put a good face
on it.
 
Nothing could be more damaging to
the family than this ill-conceived action, Denham.
 
You must be seen to be serenely unconcerned.”

“Serenely
unconcerned?”
 
the
Viscount repeated in stunned tones.
 
“When
my only daughter has fled from her home, and may be in dire straits?
 
Ma’am, I must believe that you have not
considered fully the ills that might befall Sally.”

“I am not a fool, Denham,” Lady
Waverly replied scornfully.
 
“But the
wretched chit has taken a bad situation and made it worse.
 
Bad enough to have a disgraced girl in the
family, but no one would have censured the rest of you if she had just accepted
her situation.
 
This hoity-toity flight
of hers, acting as if she was being maltreated in some way, reflects very badly
on the entire family.
 
She has behaved
most inconsiderately, and if she suffers for it, it is on her own head.”

Lord Denham shook his head as she
spoke.
 
“You are wrong, ma’am,” he said,
speaking words that had never before been addressed to Lady Waverly.
 
“It is we who have behaved most
inconsiderately.
 
We knew Sally to be
innocent of the charges laid at her feet, and we should have stood by her.
 
Instead, in order to protect our own status,
we banished her.
 
That action confirmed
to the world that she was, in fact, guilty.”
 
He ran a hand over his brow.
 
“I
will stop at nothing to find her.
 
And
when we do, Regina,
we will humbly beg her pardon.”

“We have journeyed all day, and you
are feeling tired and dispirited,” Lady Denham stated tranquilly.
 
“George, you have always been besotted with
the girl, and you can not see clearly.
 
We will not discuss this any further until you have eaten and had a good
night’s sleep.”

The Viscount sighed.
 
“Perhaps you are right, my dear.
 
But I cannot just pretend that she never
existed and go about my life as usual.”

A couple of footmen entered the
room, one carrying a tray containing the necessary plates and silver, and the
other a tureen.
 
They laid covers and
ladled an aromatic soup into bowls before the two guests.
 
Lady Waverly’s cook was below stairs re-heating
some roast fowls and turning the kitchen upside down trying to come up with
acceptable side dishes, but no hint of this turmoil appeared in Lady Waverly’s
well-trained footmen.

After they had left the room, Lady
Denham continued.
 
“No one is suggesting
anything of the sort, George.
 
I am
merely recommending that rather than careen all over Scotland on a wild goose chase, we
wait Sarah out.
 
Believe me, she will
either come to her senses or run out of money soon enough.”

Lady Waverly interjected, “Here,
here.
 
I could not agree more.
 
You will stay here for a week, to give your
visit the appearance of normalcy, and then you must return to London.”

The Viscount sighed heavily.
 
“Very well.
 
If I cannot discover Sally’s whereabouts in a
week’s time, I will do as you say.”

“Whatever you do, George, you must
be discrete.” Lady Denham warned.
 
“It
will not do for word to get out that Sarah has run away.
 
If you institute enquiries all over Scotland,
the repercussions will be greater if, I mean, when, Sarah does return.
 
Simon Atherly remains interested in a match
with Sarah, and if her reputation is further damaged, we might lose even that
connection.”

“You are right, my dear.”
 

Lady Denham smiled complacently,
and took a spoonful of soup.
 
“This is
delicious, Mama.
 
You have always been
most fortunate in your cook.”

Lady Waverly nodded
graciously.
 

Silence fell, and after consuming
the excellent repast presented by Lady Waverly’s harassed cook, Lady Denham and
her husband retired to their separate chambers, the one to an untroubled sleep,
and the other to toss restlessly all night.

Chapter
Sixteen

Sally tapped
at the door of Clarissa Riding’s chamber before pushing the door open and entering.
 
She balanced a tray before her which held a
pot of chocolate, a cup, and a plate of bread-and-butter.
 
The room was dark, the heavy curtains still
pulled across the windows, the small figure in the big four-poster bed sleeping
soundly.
 
Sally set the tray on a table
by the bed and stood looking at the girl.
 
Her flaxen hair was spread out on the silk pillow-case, and as she
observed her, Sally begrudgingly admitted that the girl was annoyingly
beautiful.

Sally padded
across the thick carpet to the windows and threw open the curtains.
 
Sunlight flooded the room, and the sleeping
girl awoke with a start.

“What time
is it?” she asked, sitting up in her bed, yawning and stretching her willowy arms
up over her head luxuriously.
 

“It’s after
nine, ma’am,” Sally responded in her best imitation of a polite housemaid.
 

“What is
your name?”
 
Clarissa asked, as Sally
positioned the breakfast tray across her lap.

“Aileen,
miss,”
 

“Bring up
some hot water, then, Aileen.
 
I want to
get up at once.”

Sally
frowned.
 
She had no time, and less
inclination, to cater to Miss Riding’s needs.
 
But until she could get the information she needed, she must maintain
her ruse.
 
So she replied, “Yes, miss.”

The door
opened, and Mrs. Riding peeked in, and seeing her daughter sitting up in bed,
crossed the room to sit on the edge of her daughter’s bed.
 
Ignoring Sally’s presence, she said, “The
Earl has gone out riding, my dear, so you have time to dress.
 
You must wear the yellow
lustring
today, which highlights your hair so beautifully. I will somehow contrive to
leave you two alone together, so you must be on your mettle, my dear.
 
This may be our best opportunity to induce
him to offer for you.”

“Yes, Mama,”
Clarissa moaned.
 
“But I am not sure that
I want to marry the Earl.”

“What are
you saying?”
 
Mrs. Riding shrieked.
 
“You silly girl!
 
You will never make a better match than the
Earl of Kane.
 
He is a very, very rich
man.
 
I have told you many times that you
owe it to your father and me to make a good marriage.
 
We have spent everything we have to dress
you, and get you into the best homes in London.
 
And now that you are on the verge of making
the match of my dreams, you say you are not sure?’

“But I like
Mr. Denham very much more than the Earl, Mama, and I have only known him one
day.”
 
Clarissa sniffed.
 
“I would much rather marry him.”

Sally busied
herself with folding some clothing she found on a chair, trying not to attract
any attention to herself.
 
How was it
possible that that they could be having such a conversation in front of
her?
 
she
marveled silently.
 
How true that the
house staff become invisible, she thought, avidly listening as Mrs. Riding
spoke again.

“Mr. Denham
is very well, and if he were the oldest son, I would give you my blessing, my
dear.
 
But he is not, and although I
believe the
Denhams
to be very wealthy, it is not to
be compared with the Earl’s fortune.
 
You
should consider yourself lucky that the Earl is so personable.
 
I declare I am almost jealous,” she tittered.
 
“Now get up and I will arrange your hair when
you have finished dressing.”

“Yes, Mama,”
Clarissa replied obediently.

“I declare,
you put me all out of patience, Clarissa,” Mrs. Riding fussed. “You are going
to be a Countess.
 
You will have position
and wealth, and a husband that will make you the envy of all your
acquaintance.”

“Yes, Mama,”
Clarissa agreed, with a sniff.

“You will
put young Denham out of your mind.
 
The
Earl is entirely besotted with you, and you are much more fortunate than you
deserve.”
 

Clarissa
dissolved into quiet tears, and Mrs. Riding stood and took a hasty turn about
the room.
 
She knew it behooved her to
treat the girl gently.
 
Clarissa was
usually a most biddable girl, and the fact that she dared to contradict her
mother was new.

“Now, my
dear,” she crooned.
 
“You just need to
learn to know the Earl a little better.
 
Get up and get dressed, and be on your best behavior and if the Earl
offers for you, you send him to your father.
 
He and I have your best interests at heart.
 
Nothing is settled yet, my dear.”
 

Mrs.
Riding’s eyes fell on Sally, and she snapped, “You are the wretched girl who
served at dinner last night.
 
What are
you still doing here?
 
Go about your
business at once.”

Sally bobbed
a curtsey, and fled from the room, wondering if this was to be the Earl’s fate.
 
To fall victim to a matchmaking mama, and a
wife who didn’t love him?
 
Sally walked
slowly down the main staircase, and pushed through the green baize door to the
kitchens.
 
Mrs. White pounced upon her as
soon as she walked in.

“Aileen,
thank goodness.
 
What took you so long
with those trays?
 
Take these to the breakfast
parlour
,” she ordered, handing Sally two covered
dishes.
 
“And then hurry back here.
 
We’ll have the guests down for breakfast any
moment now, and nothing for them to eat!”

Sally
accepted the bowls, balancing them awkwardly.
 
“Where is Mary this morning?” she asked.

“Mary is
making up beds upstairs, and then she’ll be down to help me wash up after
breakfast.
 
Now never you mind about
Mary, and get those eggs out.”

Sally
retraced her steps back to the main part of the house.
 
Really, a housemaid never had a moment to
herself, she thought crossly.
 
She
delivered her burden to the side board in the morning
parlour
,
and made her escape.
 
Running lightly up
the stairs, Sally looked first into her brother’s room but found it empty.
 
Rupert was probably out riding, she thought
with dissatisfaction, since it was such a lovely sunny morning.
 
Her brother was enjoying all the luxury of
being a guest in the Earl’s house, while she was delivering breakfast
trays.
 

“Just wait
until I come into possession of my fortune,” she muttered to herself.
 
“I will give my maids two days off every
week, and sleep until noon every day if I want.”
 

She ran Mary
to earth in the Earl’s room.
 
Sally
tapped on the door, and poked her head around, to see Mary pulling up the
sheets on the big four-poster bed.
 

Catching
sight of Sally at the door, Mary paused in her work and exclaimed, “The Laird
must have been tossing and turning all night!
 
I’ve never seen his bed all torn apart like this.
 
Come give us a hand!”

Sally, her
cheeks reddening, approached the far side of the bed, and took hold of the
sheets, pulling them up along with Mary.
 
The masculine scent of the Earl drifted over her as they shook out the
bedding and straightened it, and Sally closed her eyes, remembering the
intoxicating sensations she had experienced that morning.
 
She opened them to see Mary’s curious gaze,
and gave an awkward laugh.
 
Back to
business, my girl, she told herself.

“Mary, what can
you
tell
me about the carrier’s lad that Bridget fell
in love with?”
 
Sally asked, abandoning
subterfuge for a more direct approach.
 
“Do you know where in London
he came from?”

“The first
time he came here was with the stove.
 
We
had it from London,
and Mrs. White hired her niece’s husband to bring it.
 
He just set up as a carrier, so she thought
to put a bit of work his way.
 
Robbie is
his brother, and Mrs. White says he’s a good honest lad.
 
She felt that bad, with Bridget being turned
away.”

“Mrs. White’s
niece’s husband’s brother,” Sally murmured.
 
“Where in London
is their business situated?”

“Eh, you do
talk so good, Aileen.”
 
Mary said,
diverted.
 
“You could be a proper lady’s
maid, you know.”

Sally smiled
at the young maid.
 
“Thank you,
Mary.
 
But can you remember where in
London Mrs. White’s niece lives?”

“Yes, indeed.
 
They’re in Lambeth.
 
I remember because we had the stove delivered
in the spring and we were in the middle of the lambing.
 
I asked Mrs. White if there were lambs in
Lambeth, and she thought that was ever so funny.”

Sally gave a
dutiful laugh.
 
“What is the name of the
business, Mary? Do you remember?”

“
A’course
I do,” Mary stated proudly.
 
“It’s the same as their last name.
Fraser.
 
Fraser’s Carrier, on the
Clapham
road in Lambeth,” she intoned proudly.

“Mary, you
are a wonder!” Sally exclaimed.
 
“Thank
you very much!
 
You have no idea how
grateful I am to you.
 
Do you know when
they are due back?
 
Has anything been
ordered from London?”

“Oh, no, Aileen.
 
Mrs.
White felt so bad about what happened that she said we won’t be using them
again.
 
We’re going back to our old
carrier.”

“I see.
 
That is a complication,” Sally said,
furrowing her brow in thought.

 
“Where are you going?”
 
Mary exclaimed as Sally ran from the
room.
 
“We still have the ladies’ rooms
to do.”

Sally turned
guiltily.
 
‘I’m so sorry, Mary, but I
must go.
 
I do thank you, though, for all
your help.”
 

Mary shook
her head and went back to her work and Sally raced down the hallway.
 
As she turned the corner to the stairs, she
collided with a solid body.
 
Recoiling,
she looked up at the surprised face of her brother.
 

“Sally!” he
exclaimed, grabbing hold of her arm.
 
“Sally, I am so glad to see you.”

“You must
let me go, Rupert,” Sally demanded, trying to shake his hand off.
 
“I have found out where Bridget’s Robbie is,
and I must return to the cottage immediately.”

“But Sally,
I must talk to you,” Rupert said, dragging her towards his chamber.
 
He closed the door behind them, keeping hold
of her arm.
 

“Well?”
 
Sally questioned impatiently, when he didn’t
immediately speak.
 
“Tell me quickly,
Rupert. I am in a hurry!”

“You have
seen Miss Riding, Sally,” Rupert said eventually. “Do you not think she is the
loveliest girl you have ever seen?”

Sally closed
her eyes.
 
“Yes, Rupert, she is very
lovely.”

“I wish you
could have heard her playing upon the harp last night, Sally,” Rupert
enthused.
 
“She has the gentlest touch.
 
I was never much for music, as you know, but
I do think I could listen to Miss Riding play upon the harp for hours at a
time.”

“That’s
nice,” Sally offered.

“She thinks
just as she ought
,
also, Sally.
 
She speaks very well of her parents, and she
wants very much to make them proud of her.”

“Admirable,”
Sally produced.

“I am in
love with her, Sally,” Rupert admitted.
 
“There has never been such a girl, Sally.
 
I am going to ask her father if I may pay my
addresses.”

Sally
cringed inwardly.
 
She did not think her
brother’s chances of success stood very high, with the much bigger matrimonial
prize of the Earl as his competition.
  
She
looked at her brother’s open, hopeful countenance, and found that she could not
say the words of warning that crowded into her mind.

“Does Miss
Riding return your regard, Rupert?” she asked instead.

Under her
amazed gaze, her brother’s handsome countenance reddened, and he dropped his
eyes.
 
“She tells me that she does.
 
I know that I should have spoken to her
father before I let her know of my feelings, Sally, but it just came out.
 
We both felt it immediately.
 
I’m the happiest man in England, Sally!”
 
Rupert
swooped
Sally
up into his arms and spun her around.