by Amelia Grey
Instead, he said, “Your one job was to watch after my sisters to keep this very thing from happening. You let them down and you let me down.”
She sucked in another deep breath, but it was so deep no sound came out. “I know,” she whispered.
“You felt Josephine needed you more than Lady Sara?”
Her chin lifted. “At that moment, yes.”
“Your services are no longer needed.”
A soft moan passed her lips. Once again, Griffin almost reached for her, but Sparks walked into the room.
“You’re Grace, I’m glad you’re home.”
“So am I, Sparks. Make arrangements to see to it that Miss Swift and her sister are taken back to their home this afternoon. You can have their things delivered to them tomorrow.”
Sparks looked at Esmeralda and seemed about to speak when Esmeralda said, “Thank you for doing that for us, Sparks.” Without looking at Griffin she turned and walked out of the room.
“Your Grace, I—”
“Damnation, Sparks, just do what I said!”
Griffin swore again the second Sparks left the room. Already he wanted to go after Esmeralda and tell her he didn’t want her to go. But he couldn’t. She was wrong to leave Sara and Lambert alone together in the house no matter the reason. He walked over to the side table and poured himself a generous portion of brandy. The first drink burned all the way down.
Griffin heard a door close. He looked toward the entranceway. Was Esmeralda leaving already? He felt his stomach wrench. Still, he took another drink.
A few moments later Vera walked into the drawing room. “Thank goodness you’re home.”
She looked almost as wary as Esmeralda had.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, Griffin, it was Lord Henry,” she cried and flung herself against his chest. The brandy sloshed over the glass.
“What are you talking about?” He put down the glass and wrapped his arms around her. Good lord, he’d never had a day where three women were crying in front of him. “What happened?”
“It was Lord Henry all along.” She sniffed. “He’s the one who was up to mischief.”
The Earl of Berkwoods’ son?
Griffin took her by the arms and forced her to look at him. “Tell me what happened.”
Vera sniffed and suddenly looked defiant. “After we left Hyde Park where Lord Henry was a perfect gentleman, he took me to a secret alleyway.”
“He didn’t!”
Her tears dry, she nodded. “That wretched man said he knew I loved him and that with the looks I’d been sending him I’d been begging for his kisses since the moment we met. He said he aimed to kiss me, so I slapped him first on one cheek and then the other. That made him angry with me. He said someone needed to make good on the gossip about ruining our reputations, and since the cowards who’d said they’d do it hadn’t, he might as well do it himself.”
“I’ll kill him,” Griffin muttered under his breath.
“I think I may have already done that.”
His hands tightened on her arms. “What do you mean?”
“I didn’t like what he said so I started hitting him on the head and shoulders with my parasol and he started bleeding. Blood ran down his face and onto his collar. It was horrible.”
“Never mind about him. What I want to know is did he hurt you?”
“Only my pride,” she admitted with another sniff. “He wanted to bring me home but I told him I’d rather have my reputation ruined by walking home alone than ever being seen with him again. He’s a bore and an oaf.”
“And if you didn’t kill him, I still may.”
Her lips twitched with a little smile. “I don’t want you to do that, Griffin. I’m not hurt. Just tired from walking. You are such a good brother, Griffin.”
He wasn’t feeling much like one. “Go upstairs and ask your sister if she feels I’m a good brother.”
“I don’t want her to know what Lord Henry did.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want her to know she was right about him. She didn’t like him after she met him, and she told me I should set my hat for someone else. I don’t want her to know she was right and I was wrong.”
“Just go talk to your sister. I think she would like that and it will make you feel better, too.”
“You won’t actually kill Lord Henry will you, Griffin?”
He smiled and patted her cheek affectionately. “No, but I’ll do my best to make him wish I had.”
Chapter 26
Don’t be afraid to admit when you are wrong.
MISS MAMIE FORTESCUE’S DO’S AND DON’TS FOR CHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS, AND NURSES
Griffin sat at the table with the newsprint in front of his face. The draperies were pulled wide from the window, but the day was so gray it did little to brighten the room or lift his temperament. For the third time he tried to focus on the article about why there was a delay in getting gas lights on more of London’s streets, and for the third time his thoughts turned to yesterday. And Esmeralda.
His gaze strayed over to the letter that had been delivered that morning from Lambert. With an overabundance of words, the man had apologized for his ungentlemanly treatment of Lady Sara and then professed his love for her and hopes that he could offer for her hand in marriage.
Frustrated, Griffin wadded the newsprint he held and threw it across the floor. He didn’t know if Lambert was serious about his marital intentions toward Sara or if he was just trying to keep Griffin from enacting some form of revenge on him for ravishing her.
Placed on the white linen in front of Griffin was a plate of food he hadn’t touched: scrambled eggs, a slice of ham, boiled potatoes. On a saucer beside it lay a slice of bread and a serving of cooked figs. In the center of the table sat a three-pronged candlestick, affording the only bright light in the room. It was an oval table with six chairs. All empty save his. He looked at the chair beside him and imagined Esmeralda sitting there, her golden-brown hair hanging down her back. Her expression serene, and her beautiful lips smiling at him.
He hadn’t stopped thinking about her. Why had he put so much faith in what Esmeralda had believed about Lambert, Lord Henry, or all the other gentlemen? She’d told him she knew nothing about the ways of a man, so why had he trusted what she’d thought? Because he’d been drawn to everything about her, including all she said. That hadn’t changed. That empty feeling that had formed in his gut when he’d told her to leave hadn’t changed either.
Griffin hadn’t stopped wanting her simply because he was upset with her. His desire for her hadn’t changed. If anything it had increased since he’d held her warm, supple body in his arms and tasted her tender lips. No, the way she made him feel had become more than desire. It was a hunger. He wanted her morning and night. Midday and afternoon. Twilight and midnight. He wanted her with him. In this house. In this room. Right now, sitting at this table with him enjoying a cup of chocolate, or tea, or whatever her heart desired. He didn’t care as long as she was there.
Somehow, deep inside he’d known all along that she wasn’t just a poor relation to a well-respected baron. And finding out she was a lady of quality had complicated his craving, but it hadn’t stopped it. And now, rejecting her, sending her out of his life, hadn’t made it stop either.
Maybe he wouldn’t have acted so coldly to her if he understood his feelings for her. If he understood why he couldn’t get her out of his thoughts or why he couldn’t stop wanting her. He had no doubt she wanted him—not his title, not his wealth or his influence, but him—as much as he wanted her.
Esmeralda had thought Lambert had a genuine interest in Sara. Maybe he did. Griffin would meet with the man and hear what he had to say for himself. He wouldn’t be opposed to Sara marrying Lambert, but was it his intention to offer for her or simply continue to dally with her? And he had certainly acted differently than Lord Henry had.
He looked down at his scuffed knuckles and winced as he opened an
d closed his hand. Lord Henry would not only be nursing the crack on his head from Vera’s parasol, he’d be sporting the swollen eye and busted lip that Griffin had left with him last night. It would be a few days before he’d want to be seen in public again.
A noise from the front of the house caught his attention. Someone was at the door. Female voices. His sisters? They never came to St. James. He rose as his butler stopped in the doorway, and said, “Your sisters and Lady Evelyn would like to see you.”
Lady Evelyn?
“I’ve asked them to wait in the drawing room for you.”
His aunt? Out of the house? His heart started beating a little harder. Something had to be wrong.
“Prepare chocolate for them.” Griffin lay aside his napkin and strode down the corridor and into the drawing room. Sara and Vera were on the settee and Lady Evelyn, wearing a plum-colored hat with a sheer black veil covering her face, was perched on a straight back chair near them. All three stood when he walked in. He put his hand out for them to sit.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, though he was feeling better now that he saw no one was harmed, or crying. In fact, they all looked rather perturbed.
“You tell us,” his aunt said, almost sharply.
“All right. I’m thinking it’s wrong for you to be out of the bed. If you wanted to see me, you could have sent for me.”
“I may look like a beast,” she answered, “but I’m still quite capable of walking. When you do drastic things that are harmful to this family, I don’t have time to wait around until you decide you have the time to come see me.”
Had she received word that he paid a visit to Lord Berkwoods’ son? Griffin opened and closed his injured hand again, thinking his aunt was sounding a bit like Esmeralda did the first day he met her.
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“I had a letter from Miss Swift this morning telling me that she was sorry she had neglected her duties to Sara, and she completely understood why she could no longer chaperone them, and to please forgive her.”
“We had similar notes from her,” Vera added curtly.
“And we don’t know why,” Sara continued. “Bring her back, Griffin. No matter what you think of me or Mr. Lambert for kissing me, it wasn’t Miss Swift’s fault.”
“I know everything that happened yesterday with Sara and Vera, Your Grace,” Lady Evelyn said. “They both confided in me this morning and have sought my help. I agree with them. Bring Miss Swift back.”
He frowned. “She left Sara alone in the house with Lambert,” he said without mercy.
“No,” Sara said. “I was so upset with you yesterday I didn’t think to tell you everything that happened.”
“You can spare me the details, Sara. I have a pretty good idea about what happened between you and Lambert.”
“That’s not what she’s talking about, Griffin,” Vera interjected. “He’d left the house, but came back after Miss Swift went chasing after Josephine. He saw Sara standing in the doorway crying.”
Esmeralda chasing after Josephine. There was nothing uncommon about that. There was no telling what Josephine had gotten into. “Why were you crying? What happened?”
“We all were,” Lady Sara said. “Even Sparks had to wipe his eyes.”
“What the devil are you talking about?”
“So, as I thought, you don’t know the whole story of what happened yesterday.” Lady Evelyn said.
His stomach clenched. “Apparently not, but someone tell me right now.”
“I’ll tell it since I was there,” Sara said. “We were sitting in the drawing room talking, when Josephine and Napoleon came in from the back garden. A few minutes later Sparks came to Miss Swift and said there was a man who wanted to see her.”
“Oh, botheration, Sara,” Vera complained. “Let me tell it. You will take forever, and I simply don’t have the patience for it today.”
“You can’t tell it because you weren’t there. You were still out with Lord Henry.”
“Both of you stop bickering, and one of you tell me what happened.”
“I’ll tell it,” Lady Evelyn said, rising from her chair to stand before Griffin. “Sparks was there and I spoke with him this morning to make sure I had all the facts straight from the twins. A Mr. Chambers from several streets over saw Miss Josephine playing with Napoleon outside the back gate. He called to her but she ran back into the garden with Napoleon. Of course, he came right over and demanded the dog be turned over to him because he said it belonged to his granddaughter. He then forcibly took Napoleon away with him.”
Both Griffin’s hands made tight fists despite his injury. “He took Napoleon from Josephine?”
“With her crying, screaming, and beating him on the back,” Sara added.
I will strangle that man with my bare hands!
“Sometime during all this,” his aunt continued, “while Miss Swift was still trying to reason with Mr. Chambers, she asked Mr. Lambert to leave so she could handle the situation properly. According to Sparks, Mr. Lambert did leave the house. However, he watched from his carriage across the street as Josephine rushed out of the house to chase Mr. Chambers, and Esmeralda and Sparks ran after her. Mr. Lambert saw Sara standing in the doorway visibly upset, and he came back to comfort her. That is what led to the kiss you witnessed.”
“So you see, Miss Swift didn’t leave me unattended with Mr. Lambert. I should have made that clear to you yesterday that she thought Mr. Lambert had left.”
“I don’t care about Mr. Lambert or his leaving right now, Sara. Did they get Napoleon back?”
“But it’s important for you to know Miss Swift didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Sara,” he said impatiently, “we’ll settle that later. Did Esmeralda get Napoleon back?”
“No,” Vera said.
“Mr. Chambers said that Napoleon’s real name is Spook and he belongs to his granddaughter, Gracie. Spook wandered off when she was visiting him last year and they couldn’t find him. Now that he’s found Spook he was taking him back to his granddaughter.”
No, hell, he isn’t.
“Napoleon definitely knew the man,” Sara continued, but Griffin was no longer listening.
His fists grew tighter.
“Did Mr. Chambers say where he lives?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll find him.” Griffin looked from his aunt to Vera to Sara. “I’m going to bring Napoleon and Miss Swift back.”
Chapter 27
Don’t think that you will never be wrong. You will be.
MISS MAMIE FORTESCUE’S DO’S AND DON’TS FOR CHAPERONES, GOVERNESSES, TUTORS, AND NURSES
The door of Miss Mamie Fortescue’s Employment Agency was locked. Griffin looked around. The sun had set but the street lamps hadn’t been lit along the storefronts. He hadn’t noticed before, but even though it was still twilight most of the shops were closed.
He knocked on the door and waited. Impatiently. There was no answer. He knocked again. Louder. Finally, he heard the soft patter of footsteps. They stopped but there was no click of a key turning in the lock.
“It’s Griffin, Esmeralda. Open the door.”
Nothing but silence greeted him from the other side. He knew she was angry with him and had every right to be, but he would see Josephine.
“I’m not going away. Do I keep knocking and disturb your neighbors or will you let me inside?”
The door opened. He didn’t ask if he could come in and she didn’t try to stop him as he walked past her into the office. She looked tired. Sad. She clutched the brown woolen shawl she’d been wearing the first day he saw her around her slim shoulders.
She avoided his eyes when she said, “We have nothing to say to each other.”
“We do, but I want to talk to Josephine first.”
“That’s not possible. I’m sure she doesn’t wants to see anyone. She’s been quite upset.”
Griffin grunted softly at her rejec
tion. She’d spoken with that authoritative tone she’d used with Miss Pennywaite. It had scared the governess right down to her unmentionables, but it wasn’t going to work with him.
“I will see her, Esmeralda,” he said calmly.
Again she didn’t look at him. He watched her spine stiffen, and he almost smiled. She hadn’t lost her spunk. Good. That was the Esmeralda he wanted to confront.
“Only if she agrees to see you. I won’t force her. I’ll ask but if she says no, you’ll have to respect her wishes.”
Griffin had to think about that. He wasn’t good at just accepting something he didn’t want to accept, but should he force Josephine to see him if she didn’t want to?
Finally he said, “I agree.”
“Wait here. I’ll go ask her.”
“I’ll just follow you.”
For a second, he thought she was going to argue. Instead, she turned and led him out into a narrow, unlit corridor where they climbed a set of steep stairs to the top of a landing that dead-ended into a door. She opened it and they entered.
It wasn’t a large or fancy area but it was orderly. The draperies had already been drawn. A single lamp burned on a side table and a bed of hot coals added warmth to the room. There was a floral printed settee in the center of the room; an armchair was placed in front of it with a small tea table between them. Two unlit sconces and a painting of an Irish hillside dotted with sheep were the only things hanging on the walls.
Griffin’s admiration for Esmeralda grew. She had made a relatively nice and safe home for herself and Josephine. He didn’t know any other young lady who had accomplished so much, and to have done it without the help from her family was commendable.
“Josephine has been in her bed since we arrived home yesterday afternoon,” Esmeralda said, leaving all warmth out of her voice again and still refusing to look into his eyes. “She didn’t sleep at all last night. Or today. She’s very tired.”
“I won’t keep her long but I must see her.”
