by Erin Rye
“How did you get in, Cyril?” she asked. “Which window did you climb through?” Hopefully, it remained unlocked.
“Window?” He snorted. “I went through the back door, then up the stairs to the Demon…uh…the man’s room at the very top. Why would I go through a window when Sean showed me how to pick locks?” He rolled his eyes.
“Pick locks?” Ella cuffed him soundly on the ear. “I am ashamed of you.”
“But he’s a Dem—”
“Don’t say it.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him across the street. “You will wash clothes with me for the next ten years—maybe longer.”
Cyril tossed her a sullen look, but wisely remained silent as they founded the corner of the inn. They arrived at the back door and Ella eyed the lock when the door suddenly opened. A tall man emerged, dressed in a fine gray coat and with a hat tucked under one arm.
Ella jumped back. “My lord,” she murmured as years of habit dipped her knees into a curtsey.
Too late, she realized her mistake. She’d forgotten she was dressed as a man. Quickly, she straightened and kept her head bowed as the man surveyed them.
“Cyril?” An astonished voice queried, then added in an even more shocked tone, “Ella? Ella Nicholson?”
Ella snapped her head up. In the dim moonlight, she discerned Sir Stirling James’ handsome features. She had grown to know him quite well during the soirees and garden parties. They’d shared a passion for whist and endless glasses of lemonade. They’d made an unbeatable team. Then her father’s case had been reported in the papers. She froze in shame. Not only was she scandalously dressed in breeches, there wasn’t a soul in the ton who hadn’t discussed her father’s crime and her mother’s scandalous behavior.
Stirling’s keen eyes traveled over her. “I wondered where you two had vanished to,” the Scottish lord murmured. “I made inquiries, but no one knew.”
Ella curtseyed again. “My lord, forgive me. I do not wish to disturb you.”
She tightened her hold on Cyril’s hand and stepped back to leave, but Sir Stirling touched her arm. “Nonsense. This is a most fortuitous meeting. Come, I insist you both join me for a bite to eat.”
Did she really look that pitiful? She glimpsed Cyril’s wide-eyed enthusiasm and said to Sir Stirling, “Forgive me, my lord, but we’ve an errand to attend.” She edged toward the door.
Stirling frowned. “Nae, I must insist we speak. Your circumstances—”
“We are fine, truly.” Heaven above, she had no desire to discuss their circumstances. “Forgive us, but we really must be going.”
Stirling’s hand shot out across the doorway and blocked the way. “Please, I insist. Come, now, what harm is there in having dinner with an old friend?”
If she knew one thing about the man, she knew he never gave up. “Can we meet for breakfast, my lord?” she bargained. “I have an important errand that cannot wait.”
Stirling hesitated, then his shoulders sagged. Relief flooded through her. She’d won. A gentleman to the bone, he found it hard to deny a lady.
He angled his head in acquiescence. “If you insist, Lady Ella.”
Lady Ella. Her heart twisted. She was ‘Ella the Washer Woman’ now. Still, she smiled. The man’s kindness touched her. “I fear that insist I must.” She inched toward the door.
Stirling grasped the knob and opened the door.
“Allow me, my lady.” He dipped his head in respect as he extended a hand toward her.
Her heartbeat quickened. He expected her to place her fingers in his. She couldn’t allow him to see her roughened hands. Ella smiled and started past him. He caught her elbow. Ella looked up in surprise.
He stared down at her, brows furrowed. “Swear you will meet me here in the morning, Ella. I’ll take you at your word.” His gaze shifted to Cyril. “You will see to it she comes, aye, lad?”
Ella stiffened. “I have my word still, at least,” she answered. “Tomorrow, my lord. I will be here.”
“Tomorrow, then.” He canted his head and released her. “Though it is most definitely against my better judgement to wait even that long,” he added with a rueful smile.
Ella pulled Cyril behind her and ducked inside the door. Warm air and the scent of savory meat caused her stomach to growl. Guilt stabbed. She and Cyril hadn’t eaten since morning. She’d let pride get in the way of feeding her brother. When they returned to their room, she would give him her share of bread.
“Hurry,” she hissed, and walked quickly toward the servants’ stairs three steps ahead on the right. “With any luck, the room will be empty.”
Cyril pulled free of her hold and raced up the stairs. She frowned and hurried after him. He enjoyed this far too much.
She caught up with him at the top of the stairs and seized his arm. “Do not draw attention to yourself.”
He nodded, but with a devilish grin, and before she could chide him further, slipped through her grasp and darted down a plush hallway covered in thick Aubusson carpet. Oil lamps in brass brackets hung on the walls and illuminated oil paintings of the hunt in gilded frames. Apparently, this floor of the inn housed the wealthier guests. Ella slowed pace. The paintings sent her back in time, to her last summer at home when the princess had visited for the hunt. She nearly bumped into Cyril when he suddenly stopped before a door.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
Her brother scowled. “This is the room.”
She eyed the bottom of the door. No light spilled across the carpet. She gave the door a sharp rap. They waited. When no one answered, she cast a quick glance around. The hall remained empty.
She pushed her brother’s shoulder. “Quickly, open the door.”
Cyril pulled a small leather case from his back pocket and removed two four-inch iron picks. He tossed the empty case at her and then set down to business. She watched, astonished, as he jiggled the picks. A moment later came a tiny click, and Cyril looked up at her, eyes wide with excitement.
Ella stared, alarmed. He’d obviously missed the entire point of their endeavors. Instead of righting a wrong, he saw their presence here as The Adventures of the Demon Earl, Act Two. Her brother should be in school, getting a proper, gentlemanly education. How could she work and keep him off the streets—and out of prison?
Cyril withdrew the picks and reached for the knob, but she knocked his hand aside. “No, young man, I will return the watch. You wait for me at the bottom of the stairs.”
A crestfallen look darkened his expression. “Fine,” he grumbled, and turned away.
“Wait,” she hissed before he’d taken three steps. “Where did you find the watch to begin with?”
He spun on his heel with an eager grin. “A leather satchel on the bed. Here, I’ll show you.”
At the strength of her glare, he gulped, spun on his heel, and dashed down the hallway toward the stairs. She waited until he’d vanished from sight, then faced the door. Her heart beat fast as she gripped the knob and slowly turned. No one cried out as she eased the door open six inches. Ella leaned forward and peered inside. The embers in the hearth cast a circle of light that bathed the legs of two overstuffed leather chairs and a table in a dull, orange glow. Directly ahead, a wall mirror reflected the right-hand, corner window. The open drapes provided a view of the alley below with the moon high in the sky. A soft, wool carpet covered the floor, and to her right, stood a large, four-poster bed. Her heart sank. There was no sign of the leather satchel on the counterpane.
“Fiddlesticks,” she muttered, and entered the room. Ella closed the door, then hurried to the bed. Please, she silently prayed, let the leather satchel be on the floor. No such luck.
She knelt beside the bed, lifted the counterpane and looked underneath into murky darkness. The possibility of webs and spiders arose. She hastily dropped the counterpane and grimaced. She wasn’t about to thrust her hand anywhere spiders might lurk. She stood and slipped her hand into her coat pocket. She’d simply leave the watch on the bed. Let him wonder
how it got there. As her fingers closed around the cool metal timepiece, voices sounded in the hall.
The door knob rattled.
Ella froze.
Where to hide? She snapped her gaze onto the floor where the fabric of the counterpane met the rug. Out of the question. She whirled and spotted a wardrobe in the corner. In one sprint, she reached the wardrobe and yanked open the door. As the door behind her began to open, she dove inside the wardrobe. Her knee struck the lower edge of the wardrobe. Pain spiked up her leg. Tears stung as she squeezed against the clothes and grasped the door’s edge. She pulled it closed as the bedchamber’s door creaked open. Ella held her breath and watched through the slit in the wardrobe door. Light spilled into the room as a plump, middle-aged maid entered carrying a small lamp.
“My lord, we didn’t expect you back so soon,” the woman said. “I’ll just light the lamps and stir the fire.”
A man stepped into view. He stood at least six feet, and his brooding scowl reminded Ella of a particularly beautiful picture a friend once drew of the biblical Samson. His dark clothes and black, shoulder-length hair strengthened the severity of his scowl. Ella understood why he’d been dubbed the Demon Earl. She glimpsed his strong chin and the curl of his chiseled lips in the instant before he stepped from view near the window.
Ella drew back in alarm. Did he intend to remain in the room? Heavens, what if he decided to change his clothes? As if beckoned by her thoughts, a coat slipped from the hook above and fell over her head. She clapped a hand over her mouth and muffled a screech of surprise as the coat slithered down her body and covered her feet.
“Is there anything else you need, my lord?” the maid asked as she lit the frosted, cut-glass lamp on the bedside table.
The man didn’t respond.
Apparently, the woman was accustomed to his rude manner. “I’ll be off then, my lord.” With a curtsey, she left the room.
Ella’s heart pounded in her ears. Why, oh why hadn’t she simply tossed the watch into the room to begin with? What had possessed her to look for the accursed leather satchel? She could have simply slid the watch along the floor and left. She’d be out of the inn and on her way back to the washroom by now. A loud knock on the door made her jump. A fresh avalanche of clothes piled onto her head. She smothered a gasp.
“Enter,” the man at the window called.
Ella shoved the clothes aside in time to watch the newcomer enter. Her mouth dropped open.
Sir Stirling James strode to the fireplace. “You are a difficult man to find, Ashton.”
“It’s too late. The trap has sprung,” The Demon Earl murmured in a deep baritone. “I will not be in the running, unless you can find me a wife before ten o’clock.”
“A wife?” Stirling cocked his head. “What of Anne?”
“Anne.” Ashton came into view near the hearth and folded his arms across his broad chest as he stared into the fire. “Anne and I parted ways yesterday. The small matter of her unborn child—not mine.” His lip curled in a scornful scowl.
Stirling lifted a brow. “What happens at ten?”
Firelight flickered over the tense play of muscle on Ashton’s lean jaw. “At ten, the opera ends when my grandmother arrives in the private parlor and learns I haven’t wed.”
Silence fell, the only sound the tick, tick, tick of the mantle clock.
Something tickled Ella’s nose. A hair? She blew a breath, and the unseen hair shifted before it could make her sneeze.
Stirling was the first to speak. “Bother it all, this is rotten timing. We have less than four hours.”
“We?” Ashton gave a bitter laugh. “I am cursed. You would do better to leave before my luck affects you.”
“Nonsense,” Stirling said. “I don’t believe in curses. Perhaps, your grandmother will understand?”
Ashton snorted.
The infernal hair teased Ella’s nose as another tickled her cheek. She wiggled and huffed as silently as she could, but no matter which way she twitched, the hairs returned. She scowled through the crack and mentally commanded the men to leave, but to her dismay, Stirling settled into a chair as Ashton sat in the chair to his right. Heavens, did they plan to chat all night?
Again, a knock sounded on the door, and again, Ashton responded with a curt, “Enter.”
The middle-aged maid returned, this time with a letter on a silver tray. “A message, my lord,” she announced as she crossed the room.
With a nod of thanks, Ashton waited until she’d left, then tore open the envelope. He scanned the letter’s contents, his face impassive.
“What is it?” Stirling prompted when Ashton looked up.
Ashton crumpled the paper. “Duncan is here with the news that his wife is not only pregnant but expecting twins.” His voice was hoarse with emotion. “It is…too late for me.”
The ticklish hairs returned with a vengeance. Ella sneezed before she could halt the action. The wardrobe door flew wide and, with her feet tangled in the mound of clothes, she pitched forward and sprawled across the floor.
Chapter Two
The Unexpected Wife
Ashton leapt to his feet and whirled as the wardrobe door slammed back on its hinges and a slim lad tumbled out amid a pile of clothes. He reached the wardrobe in three long strides, grabbed the boy by the back of the collar and jerk him to his feet. The boy’s cap flew from his head and a wealth of auburn curls tumbled down over slim shoulders.
Ashton stared in surprise at a comely lass with large blue eyes framed by thick fringes of lashes.
She stared back, rosy lips parted in shock.
He dropped his gaze in a quick inspection. With the way her breasts swelled above her slender waist and the way her hips filled those tight breeches, it was a mystery why she’d attempted to pass for a boy. Surely, not a soul alive was fooled by the poor disguise.
“Who are you?” He shook her arm.
Something she clutched slipped from her grasp, struck his knee, and landed by his boot. His father’s watch, and his maternal grandfather’s before that. “The watch will one day be yours,” his mother had told him many times.
Guilt stabbed. The image of his father’s bloody body rose before he could slam the wall down on the memory.
He pursed his lips and forced his attention onto the woman. “So, a thief?”
“Heavens, no.” Her blue eyes further widened. “I came to return it, my lord, I swear.”
Bloody likely. He released her arm. “Ah, yes, how silly of me. One hides in wardrobes when they return stolen items, do they not?”
The lass raised her chin and licked her lips. “Nae, my lord, it is a child’s blunder.” Her voice cracked. “A misunderstanding—”
“I don’t believe you.” He grabbed her arm and turned toward the door. “Out you go.”
“Nae, Ashton, have her stay.” Stirling rose from his chair. “I will vouch for her.”
Ashton froze, his grip tight on her slender arm, and stared at his friend.
Stirling’s gaze wasn’t on him. “Lady Ella.” Stirling courteously dipped his head, then redirected his gaze to Ashton. “She speaks the truth, Ashton. Her wee brother, Cyril, confessed his mischief to me only moments before I joined you.”
Lady Ella? Ashton allowed his hand to drop to his side and again regarded the young woman.
“It’s Ella Wetherby now,” she whispered. “I may be a lady no longer, my lord, but I’m certainly no thief.”
Stirling joined them, a gleam of humor in his eye. “This is a case of your reputation preceding you, Lord Strachan. What lad could resist a dare to steal a trinket from a man such as yourself? Another lad put him up to it. He succeeded, and is quite proud of himself, despite the fact his sister discovered his folly and insisted they right the wrong.”
“I’ll see him properly punished, my lord,” Ella hurriedly added. “Please, accept my apologies on his behalf. He is so very young and far too trusting, I fear. He didn’t think of it as stealing, so much as…” Her
voice faded away.
After Anne and her constant manipulations, he was surprised to realize he believed the sincerity in the lass’s tone. He took in the sharpness of her cheekbones and the blisters on her hands. A lady no longer? The condition of her hands agreed, but the refinement of her words and gestures confirmed that once, she had carried the title. He expelled a breath. Obviously, her tale was a tragic one, but he hadn’t time to hear it. His world was quickly crashing down around him.
“Very well.” He stepped back. “Think no more of the matter. You may go.”
“Hold a moment.” Stirling startled him with a deep, warm chuckle. “Bless me, but I see the hand of Fate here.”
Hardly in the mood for mystery, Ashton shot him a scowl, then angled his chin toward the door and repeated, “Lady Ella, you may go.”
“No, Ella, stay. Ashton, she’s your answer.”
Ashton sighed. “What the hell are you blathering on about? It’s too late. It is done. Finished.”
“You did ask that I find you a wife.” Stirling smiled. “A wife would keep you in the race, would she not? Especially, a wife such as Ella.”
“A wife?” Ella blurted.
“In name only,” Stirling quickly explained. “Please, hear me out. I’ll see your interests secured. I’ll pen the contract myself. Surely, a position as Ashton’s wife is preferable to washing clothes. Cyril told me you work nigh on sixteen hours a day. Think of this as an opportunity for the young lad. We’ll have Ashton send young Cyril back to school this very week. In fact, I’ll escort the lad there myself.”
Ella’s mouth clamped shut.
A wife in name only. “Clever,” Ashton granted. Still… “Stirling, Duncan’s wife is pregnant with twins.”
“Are you certain?” Stirling asked.
“What—” He broke off and gave a slow nod. “There is no guarantee Duncan told the truth.”
“It certainly wouldn’t be the first time he lied,” Stirling said.
His grandmother was a shrewd woman. She wouldn’t take Duncan’s word. At the very least, she would wait until Linda gave birth. That would give him time. He looked at Ella. Marriage would meet his grandmother’s most pressing demand. As for the heir? He’d worry about that once he got through the night’s announcement. For the first time that day, a shred of hope loosened the tension in his shoulders.
