Harlequin Historical September 2021--Box Set 1 of 2

by Christine Merrill

  ‘I am happy to hear you say so,’ he said with a sharp laugh. ‘If you want to be rid of me, all you need to do is tell him how I behave when I am near you.’

  ‘All that would accomplish would be to see you replaced with another, whose company I do not enjoy half so much.’

  She had been too frank. He was looking at her now, silent and intrigued. The air seemed to crackle between them in wordless communication.

  ‘None of the other men my brother has hired have such excellent taste in bonnets,’ she said, breaking the connection between them.

  He laughed, to acknowledge the jab and allow them both to pretend that nothing had happened. But there was something in his eyes. Was it wistfulness or regret? It passed so quickly that she could not tell. Then he turned, ready to lead them across the next street.

  They were barely off the kerb when a horseman seemed to appear out of nowhere. The stallion he was riding was out of control, snapping and kicking, first with front legs, then back. Mr Solomon turned to her, shoving her backwards and tossing her hatbox after her as the horse bore down on him, knocking him to the ground.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘Are you sure you are all right?’

  ‘It was nothing,’ Michael said, giving her an encouraging smile from where he lay on the ground. In truth, he ached in every bone of his body. It was only likely to get worse once the rush of the moment wore off and he could feel the injury in any real way.

  He stared up the street, then shook his head in confusion, which made it hurt all the more. If he cared about the identity of the rider, or what had happened to the horse, he should be looking in the other direction.

  Still, his eyes were drawn to the crowd that stood to the other side. Had there been a familiar face in it? Someone he recognised from another assignment, perhaps. He scanned the group and was overcome with the feeling that he was being watched. But that was ridiculous. The accident had made him the centre of attention. There was nothing unusual about a crowd gawping at him.

  But this obvious explanation did not relieve the prickling feeling at the back of his neck that someone was looking a little too intently.

  ‘I have never been so frightened in my life,’ Lady Olivia said, leaning over him and blocking his view.

  This was doubtful, since she had been the one to find the murdered body of her father in her own home. But the idea that she was worrying about him was both flattering and distracting.

  Now, she was helping him up out of the gutter where the galloping horse had left him with a blow from a hoof and a toss of his head. One hand held his, the other cradled his arm as she eased him to his feet.

  He suppressed a groan. Now was not the time to sound less than heroic. It was also a comfort to know that he had managed to miss the worst of the refuse in the street. A bit of dust and a torn coat sleeve was nothing his pride could not recover from. ‘I assure you I have borne worse. It was not pleasant, of course. But the important thing is that you were safely out of the way when it happened.’

  The smile she gave him at this comment was enough to daze the strongest man. He could hardly be blamed for his reaction to it, which was to grin like a mooncalf.

  ‘I think we both need to refresh ourselves. We can hire a carriage to take us for tea, and then home,’ she said, eyeing his gait as if searching for a limp.

  He wanted to argue that it was not necessary, he was fine to walk. But it would be a lie, for he was shaken to the bone. Fortunately, it was not really his place to tell her how this trip was to end. ‘I will purchase you an ice, if you wish one,’ he said, raising a hand to hail a cab.

  * * *

  ‘Mr Solomon, may I speak to you in the study, please?’ The Duke was standing in the door at the back of the house, frowning at him expectantly.

  He rose uneasily from the bench in the garden and tried not to limp as he walked towards the house. The incident with the horse on the previous day had gone better than it might have, in that he had taken only one kick to the arm that had knocked him back onto the pavement. Another step forward and he might have gained a split skull for his pains.

  But he doubted that Scofield cared about his personal problems. Judging by the look on the man’s face, he had done something to displease the peer. He could think of several things that qualified but had no intention of volunteering information that might get him dismissed...or worse.

  He followed the Duke into the house and down the hall to the study, standing in front of a chair until Scofield closed the door behind him and gave him leave to sit. Then, with no further preamble, he announced, ‘My sister was seen on Bond Street.’ Then he added, ‘With a man.’

  ‘Oh,’ he said, trying to decide how best to explain what had happened. ‘That was me. She wished to go shopping. Since it would have been an excellent opportunity to meet with Clement, I accompanied her.’

  ‘That does not explain why you were sitting in Gunter’s, eating sorbet with her.’

  ‘Technically, that is not true. I had a piece of sponge cake, and not a single bit of her sorbet.’

  The Duke’s expression—already ominous—turned darker still. ‘When I hired you, your references said you were an ingenious man, Mr Solomon. They did not say that you were glib.’ Then he fixed Michael with a stare to inform him that they were not speaking of a virtue.

  ‘I try not to be, Your Grace.’

  ‘I suggest you try harder,’ he replied. ‘Now, will you please explain to me what you were doing sitting at the same table with my sister, eating confections when you should have been working.’

  ‘There was an accident,’ he said, trying his best to diminish the event that had left him bruised and limping. ‘A runaway horse.’ He held up a hand in reassurance. ‘You sister was in no way injured, but it did upset her. I escorted her to the tea shop, so she might calm her nerves before returning home.’

  ‘My sister is not the nervous sort,’ he said, still suspicious.

  And yet she had been quite concerned when he’d been struck down in the street and had insisted that they go somewhere to sit until she was sure he had recovered. She had then plied him with cake and tea, asking him to tell her about his work, and assure her that he had been in situations much more dangerous than this.

  Her attention had made him forget all about the feeling that they were being observed. But the Duke’s detailed knowledge of their activities proved he had been right.

  ‘I am waiting for an explanation, Mr Solomon.’

  ‘It was a long morning for her. If she wanted a sorbet, I did not feel that it was my place to deny her. Nor did I want to leave the seat opposite her open, should the whole trip be a ploy to meet Clement.’

  ‘About Clement,’ Scofield said, eyes narrowed. ‘You have stopped two attempts to elope already.’

  Michael nodded, glad that the conversation had returned to his successes.

  ‘The second attempt ended on the road to Gretna. But you knew about it when they were still in London.’

  Again, Michael nodded.

  ‘Why did you wait?’ the Duke demanded. ‘If you had failed, I might have lost my sister.’

  ‘If I had stopped her too soon, she might have become even more strongly attached to the idea of elopement,’ he replied. ‘Hopes that are raised will dash all the harder when allowed a bit of height. As it was, a brief trip north with her supposed hero left her quite disappointed in the fellow. I suspect they will try again soon, and Clement’s inability to carry out the planning will continue to disappoint her.’

  ‘Or it could simply be a flair for the dramatic on your part,’ Scofield said, frowning. ‘In any case, keep it firmly in mind that if you allow them too much latitude and damage my sister’s reputation, it will go as bad for you as it will for Clement.’

  ‘Of course, Your Grace.’

  ‘Likewise, if I hear any more fustian out of you a
bout sponge cake and overwrought nerves, the loss of your position will be the least of your worries.’

  ‘I understand,’ Michael replied, burying his annoyance under a neutral smile. It appeared that the Duke was not satisfied with a single guard but had set someone to follow them on their trip to Bond Street. Or had they just been seen by some friend of his who’d recognised Lady Olivia?

  The lack of confidence in his abilities was insulting. But it was even more annoying that the Duke was upset over a few minutes of innocent conversation in a tea shop. It made him seem as insane as his sister claimed he was.

  ‘Let us hope so,’ Scofield said, giving him a slow and considering look. ‘And I hope that, in setting you to watch over my sister, my problems will cease, and not become worse.’

  Michael frowned, confused.

  The Duke gave him another pointed look. ‘My sister is a most attractive young lady, and quite wilful. I do not know what lengths she might go to, should she truly want to escape the house.’ Now, he was looking at Michael as if he were the sort of unplumbable depth that a proper lady might sink to if she had no other alternative.

  ‘You think that yesterday she was trying to...’ he chose the next word with care ‘...co-opt me?’ Because to suggest seduction was to admit that he had begun to think of her as something more than an assignment. In any case, he shook his head firmly. ‘Once I have been set to a task I do not allow myself to be swayed from it by a sad story or a pretty face.’ Especially when the story and face were attached to a woman whose social caste set her totally out of reach. Any ideas he’d had while with her were the stuff of fantasy.

  ‘I am glad we understand each other,’ Scofield said with a chilly smile. ‘Because if you fail in that way, I will see to it that you never work for anyone ever again.’ It was as if a mask had slipped and revealed the peer’s true character. Though his expression displayed no hint of anger, there was something in the tone that implied an end far more permanent than a few bad references.

  Michael suppressed a shudder, not wanting to seem anything less than completely confident in his own abilities. ‘You have nothing to fear, Your Grace.’

  Of course he didn’t. It was those in proximity to him that needed to be afraid. The Duke gave a slight nod to indicate that their meeting was at an end, and Michael rose stiffly and returned to his place in the garden.

  * * *

  Mr Solomon had returned from her brother’s study and was now sitting under his tree, looking very much as he always did. She could easily imagine what her brother had said, for he had quizzed her over breakfast to get the details of what had happened yesterday. She had the distinct impression that he thought something had occurred between them other than a simple shopping trip.

  She sighed. If it had, she would not have minded so very much. She supposed it made her shallow, to want to run away with Alister and still long for kisses from Mr Solomon. But yesterday he had been ready to use his own body to shield her from a wild horse. Add to that the compliments he had paid her and the kiss he had already given her, and she could not deny that she found him very attractive.

  She was sure the feeling would fade if Alister would do his job and arrange another meeting. Of course, the last elopement had been rather disappointing, and not just because of its sudden ending. He might as well have gone out of his way to say things designed to make her cross. It was clear that he did not like her sister, or her dogs. After marriage, she might win him over on the idea of visits from Peg, but she suspected that her beloved pugs would be lost to her for ever.

  There had to be some way to secure their future. Who did she know who was reasonable, responsible and kind enough to take care of them for her?

  She walked through the kitchen, collecting the requisite scraps for the pugs and then out into the garden. She went first to the dogs, distributing their dinners and smiling down on them while they ate. ‘It is all right, little ones,’ she said. ‘I think I have found the answer to our problem.’ Then she strode down the garden walk towards Mr Solomon. The dogs looked up from the last of their food and followed her, intrigued.

  She was standing in front of him now, waiting to catch his attention. He did not immediately look up when her shadow fell upon his face and she wondered if he was actually asleep and unable to hear her or whether, after his talk with her brother, he had decided it was in his best interests to ignore her.

  She cleared her throat, forcing him to notice her. He started at the sound of her voice, and when he opened his eyes she said, ‘May I ask a favour of you?’ She balled her fists in her pockets so he would not see how tense she was.

  He answered in the same careful tone he often used. ‘As long as it does not interfere with the duties I have been hired to do, I see no reason why I could not help you.’

  This sudden distance was her brother’s fault then. Mr Solomon sounded much more interested in his duty than he had been yesterday, while carrying her hatbox. ‘When I am gone...’ she began.

  He laughed. ‘Are you languishing away after less than a month in my company? It is not that bad, is it?’

  ‘I mean gone from this house,’ she said, annoyed. ‘When I have eloped with Alister.’

  ‘That will not happen, if I have my way.’

  ‘I am aware of your intent. But if I manage to get away despite that...’ she began again. ‘Would you take my dogs?’

  He started again, then looked down at the dogs tugging on her skirts. ‘You do not want to keep them?’

  ‘I do,’ she said quickly. ‘But Alister said there will not be room for them. And no one in my brother’s household likes Caesar.’

  ‘He does not seem so bad to me,’ Mr Solomon said, running his hand down the dog’s back and causing his back legs to kick in euphoria.

  ‘Now, perhaps,’ she said. ‘But Caesar was a very bad dog for a very long time. The staff is quite out of patience with him. And my brother...’ She did not even want to think about that. ‘He is not good with people, and I doubt he would be any better with animals should I make him angry.’

  ‘I see.’ Mr Solomon frowned. ‘And Clement says there will be no room in your new home?’

  ‘Despite what Alister thinks, they do not take up much space,’ she said hurriedly, wondering if the house Mrs Solomon described had room for two small dogs. ‘I would be happy to give you some of my allowance, if that would make it easier to afford.’

  ‘That will not be necessary,’ he said briskly. ‘I am fully capable of paying the upkeep of these two. And, unlike some people, I will not claim that I lack the space for them, since I am not in the habit of lying to a woman I am fond of, just to avoid the responsibility of caring for their needs.’

  ‘Alister is not lying,’ she insisted, then stopped. Had he just admitted to being fond of her? But when she looked at him again there was no sign of excess emotion on his face. And Alister couldn’t be lying. Even if he was, it was not such a big lie. He had probably only told it to avoid hurting her feelings.

  It was painful to think he did not want her dogs any more than he had wanted her sister. Or was hurt even the right word? Perhaps it was a change of feeling that she feared.

  Mr Solomon had noticed her silence and was staring at her expectantly. ‘Have you visited the home of the man you intend to marry?’ he asked. His tone was faintly annoyed, as if it disappointed him to find that she was so obtuse to what was happening around her.

  ‘Of course not,’ she snapped. ‘My brother does not want me spending time with Alister at all, much less travelling to his property.’

  ‘He has a nice set of rooms on Jermyn Street,’ Mr Solomon supplied. ‘And an estate with several acres in Lambeth, not far from the city.’

  ‘How do you know these things?’ she asked, surprised. It was more information than she had gathered from her suitor in the years they’d spent together.

  ‘I make it a poin
t of learning as much as I can about the people I am set to follow,’ Solomon said, shrugging one shoulder. ‘I find it is much easier to do my job when I am not constantly surprised by details.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said. It made sense, of course. But it also made her wonder what this man had learned about her. Not that there was anything to learn, other than that she was the sister of a duke. Other more personal details—her favourite colour, her favourite food, her hopes and dreams beyond marrying Alister—would not have been useful, or attainable. She had no real friends to confide in, nor did she often leave the house.

  ‘Last year Clement inherited his house from an uncle,’ Solomon added. ‘A man of some means.’

  ‘He is an orphan,’ she supplied, glad to prove that she did not live in total ignorance. Then she frowned. She had always felt sorry for him and assumed that he needed her because he was alone in the world, poor and friendless. But it seemed that he’d had at least some family until recently. And Mr Solomon had said that the inheritance from his uncle was recent, but Alister had not mentioned it at all.

  She had imagined constrained financial circumstances in their marriage and had prepared herself for it. They might struggle, but they would do it together. She had decided to view the downward change in her life as refreshing and exciting, rather than depressing. She had got no pleasure from being a member of a rich and powerful family. As long as they had love, life with an impoverished Alister would be better than that.

  But now it seemed she had not understood at all. Why had Alister not explained to her that he had a home and a fortune? It seemed, even after all the time they had spent together, she knew very little about his actual life, beyond the fantasy that she’d created around him.

  ‘You will not have to concern yourself about the animals,’ Mr Solomon said, bringing her back to reality. ‘I have no intention of letting you run off with this man. And it is probably just as well, if he is not willing to take this charming creature.’ He lifted his foot and, along with it, the dog that had sprawled over his boot, letting the limp pug flop back into the grass.