“They’re excellent croissants, Derek.” Val looked mournfully at the remaining croissant. “You should try one.”
“I did,” Derek said slowly. “At breakfast.” This was about pastry? He stared at India. “You screamed because he took your croissant?”
For the first time since he’d met her, she looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Not exactly.”
“Not at all,” Val said. “She screamed because I challenged her to do so. Or perhaps dared is a better word.” He grinned at India. “What do you think, Miss Prendergast? Was it a challenge or a dare? Or...” He paused in a meaningful manner. “Was it a wager?”
“I told you—I do not wager,” she said in a manner entirely too lofty for a woman who had screamed not to defend her honor but to protect her pastry. “And you know perfectly well why I screamed.”
“Val.” Derek summoned a hard tone. “Why did she scream?”
Val shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Utter nonsense. You know exactly why.” India huffed. “I asked him to leave as his presence is unwanted as well as being highly inappropriate.”
Val slanted him an unrepentant grin.
“I threatened to scream if he did not take his leave. He didn’t, so I did.”
“And an impressive scream it was, too.” Admiration curved Val’s lips. “I didn’t think she had it in her.”
“And yet it didn’t seem to work,” she said coolly.
For a moment, Derek thought there was a glint of amusement in her eyes, but then Val had always been skilled at amusing women. Still, for whatever reason, the thought that Val could make her smile was irritating.
“I’d wager you could hear it all over the house,” Val said smugly.
“I’d wager you could hear it all over the city.” Derek nodded at India. “Well done, Miss Prendergast.”
“Thank you, Mr. Saunders.” A satisfied note sounded in her voice, and this time there was no mistake. India was definitely trying not to smile. Perhaps there was hope for her, after all.
“You said you call him Derek.” Val’s eyes narrowed.
“Apparently, when I am entertaining incorrigible gentlemen in my bedchamber, I prefer more formal, proper terms of address.”
Val laughed, and Derek couldn’t resist a grin. This was going to be an interesting stay. He moved farther into the room, grabbed a chair and positioned it on the opposite side of the bed from Val.
She raised a brow. “Oh, do join us, Mr. Saunders.”
“I would be delighted.” He ignored the sarcasm in her voice and sat down. “While you have obviously already met, allow me to properly, formally introduce the Marquess of Brookings, my stepbrother.”
“Your what?” India stared in disbelief.
“Derek’s mother was my stepmother.”
“Val’s father was my mother’s second husband.”
“That explains so much,” she said under her breath.
“You were right, Derek,” Val said with a regretful shake of his head. “She is stuffy.”
“You said I was stuffy as well as calm, unemotional and cold?” She turned to Derek. “Dare I ask what else you said about me?”
Derek threw his stepbrother an annoyed look. Did the man ever know when to hold his tongue? “I’m afraid Lord Brookings has taken my comments out of context.”
“Oh, I don’t think I did,” Val said. “I distinctly remember you saying all of that as well as calling her stubborn, suspicious, overly proper and something of a pain—”
“It scarcely matters what Mr. Saunders thinks of me.” India waved off the comments. “Nor does it matter what I think of Mr. Saunders.”
A wicked glint sparkled in Val’s eyes. “What do you think of Mr. Saunders?”
“What do I think?” Her green eyes met Derek’s. “Oh, I have no doubt Mr. Saunders knows exactly what I think of him.”
Her gaze stayed locked with his, and for a moment the oddest sense of regret washed through him.
“But I don’t know what you think of him, and I would pay a great deal to know.” Val grinned. “I daresay it might well be one of the most amusing things I’ve heard in a long time.” A maid appeared in the doorway and caught his attention. “If you will pardon me for a moment.” He stood, moved to the maid and they exchanged a few quiet words.
Val grimaced. “It appears the gendarmes are here, and I need to speak with them. This is a most respectable neighborhood, and it seems someone in the vicinity reported a woman’s screams.”
“Not the first time I imagine,” India said wryly.
Val tossed them an unrepentant smirk and took his leave.
“India,” Derek began, bracing himself. “Please accept my apology for my comments. I am sorry if they offended you in any way.”
“Goodness, I can’t imagine why they would. They certainly come as no surprise.” She shrugged. “I am never offended by the truth.”
“Still, it was rude of me and I never intended—”
“For me to learn of them?”
“Well, yes.” He still couldn’t believe Val had betrayed his confidence. “I shall have a few well-chosen words to say to my stepbrother about this.”
“You needn’t bother.” She paused. “I suppose no one especially wants to hear themselves described as stuffy, unfeeling and cold—”
He winced.
“And while the words themselves do seem rather harsh, they are not inaccurate. I am...” She thought for a moment. “Reserved, if you will. I don’t believe in displaying my emotions, nor do I allow them to dictate my behavior. And I do believe that the rules of proper behavior should be adhered to. I am well aware of my own nature and how I appear to others. Especially those who do not know me.”
“I suspect your friends probably know better.”
“My friends...” She hesitated, then raised her chin in a resolute manner. “Yes, I would imagine they do.”
“If you are amenable to the idea...” He chose his words with care. “I would like to offer the hand of friendship.”
“Good Lord, Derek.” She stared in obvious disbelief. “You don’t like me, and I certainly don’t like you. Why on earth would I want to be friends?”
“I don’t dislike you,” he said quickly, but she was right. The woman was perhaps the most stodgy, opinionated creature he’d ever met. Still, they were stuck with each other. He drew a deep breath. “For one thing—we share a common purpose. We both want to locate Lady Heloise and make certain of her safety. It’s going to be much less difficult if we aren’t at each other’s throats.”
“You may have a point there.”
“In addition, we are to be together for the foreseeable future. I would prefer to spend my time with a friend rather than a foe.”
“But I don’t trust you.”
“I am more than willing not to trust you, either, which gives us something in common on which to base a friendship.”
“I don’t think friendships are built on mutual distrust.”
“Then we shall be the first.” He flashed her a grin.
“That’s absurd.” She frowned. “Why, friendships are based on shared admiration and respect. I have no respect for you at all.”
“Then I shall simply have to earn your respect.” He was fairly certain it would not be easy, but then, thus far, nothing about India Prendergast was. “Although we do already have one thing between us on which to base a friendship.”
“I can’t imagine what that is.”
“Honesty.”
She raised a brow. “And yet we distrust each other.”
“But we are honest about it.”
She studied him closely. “It would be entirely dishonest of me to say I am willing to accept your offer of friendship. But, in the spirit of cooperati
on, I am willing to attempt a certain level of cordiality between us.”
“I can ask for nothing more.”
“I do have a condition.”
“Anything.”
“As I have been entertaining gentlemen in my room, while I am still in my bed, dressed in my nightclothes—which even you would agree is the height of impropriety—”
He nodded.
“I believe you should rescind your description of me as stuffy.”
“Well.” He grimaced. “You did scream.”
“My scream was directed more at encouraging his lordship to leave than any concern about proper behavior on my part.”
“I’ll give you that. Very well then.” This was actually going far better than he’d expected. “You are not nearly as stuffy as one would have thought.”
“Thank you. Now, perhaps you would consider—”
“I should leave you to dress.” He rose to his feet. “I think we should start our efforts today at the hotel Lady Heloise mentioned in her letters. I suggest we depart as soon as you are ready.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“One more thing we have in common.”
“Unfortunately...”
“Unless you have another idea?”
“It’s not that. But my maid—Suzette—says she has not seen my luggage. I was forced to borrow this—” she glanced down and winced “—garment to sleep in last night.”
“I see. Then the nightclothes are not yours?”
“Dear Lord, no.” Indignation rang in her voice. “I would never wear something this...this flimsy. And suggestive. And indecent.”
“No, of course not.” It was a pity really. He suspected what he could not see of her in the nightgown was even more delicious than what he could. “I would imagine your nightclothes to be of good solid linen, unencumbered by silliness like lace or ruffles.”
“Simply because one is abed doesn’t mean one should abandon good judgment and proper attire,” she said primly. “But that is beside the point. As I was saying, Suzette has not seen my luggage.”
“She hasn’t?” He knew this was coming. It might have been wiser for him to have said something right away, but while Derek considered himself fairly courageous under most circumstances, this was not one of them.
“No, which means I am forced to wear the same clothes I wore yesterday, and they are being freshened. I’m afraid we will have to delay our start until Suzette returns with my clothing.”
“Oh well.” He sighed. “It can’t be helped I suppose. We can’t have you running about the streets naked. Even in Paris, that would be frowned upon.” He started toward the door.
“Derek.”
He paused. “Yes?”
“I can’t help but notice you are not wearing what you wore yesterday.” Her brow furrowed. “Am I to assume you have your luggage?”
He winced and turned back toward her. “I do.”
“And have Professor and Mrs. Greer their luggage?”
“As far as I know.”
“Then, as our luggage traveled together, mine should be somewhere in the house. Delivered to the wrong room perhaps. Don’t you think?”
“One would think that. I know,” he said brightly. “Why don’t I check for you?”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I would be most grateful.”
“I am happy to do it, as any responsible friend would.”
“In the meantime, I will wait for Suzette to return.”
“And I will see you downstairs whenever you are ready.” He smiled and took his leave, closing her door behind him.
It did indeed stand to reason that her trunk would be somewhere in the house. If, of course, it had arrived at the house in the first place. Which was contingent upon whether or not—when it was checked at the beginning of their journey—it was appropriately labeled for Paris and not, oh, say, Prague. An understandable mistake really. There was nothing more annoying than to have to delay one’s travel plans and be compelled to stay longer in a city than intended in hopes of recovering one’s luggage. But if one wished to ever see one’s belongings again, there was little choice. And who knew how long it might take?
Derek ignored a tiny twinge of guilt. When all this was over, he would replace India’s wardrobe and anything else she might have brought along with her. And there was always the possibility that her errant trunk would make its way back to England. Eventually.
Uncle Edward would argue that, ultimately, this was in India’s and her cousin’s best interests as well as Aunt Guinevere’s. His resources were far more likely to track down Lady Heloise than Derek and India were. Still, she would never see it that way.
Even so, diverting her luggage off to the ends of the earth was not the best way to start a friendship.
CHAPTER NINE
As much as it may be an affront to the sensibilities of a proper Englishwoman, one must understand the customs of a foreign land are often far different from what one is used to. Embracing local customs will endear one to the native population as well as provide an amusing story to relate upon one’s return home.
—The Lady Travelers Society Guide
WHERE WAS THE blasted man?
India waited in the foyer and resisted the urge to tap her foot with impatience. She’d sent word to Derek through Suzette that she was ready to leave and now wished to do so without further delay. Admittedly, their late start could partially be laid to rest at her feet, given she had not risen as early as was her custom. Even so, it did seem that it took an eternity to get her clothes returned. She felt much more her usual self in her own clothing with her hair in its usual coiffure. Ready to face the world and get on with the search for Heloise. And more than ready to put this morning behind her.
She wasn’t at all sure what had come over her. In hindsight, she had indeed done all she could to get Lord Brookings to leave her room. Short of leaping out of bed and escorting him bodily to the door, she didn’t know what else she could have tried. It was most annoying. But oddly enough, she’d found the man—as well as his stepbrother—rather amusing. And she shouldn’t have. There was nothing amusing about impropriety.
Even though there was no blood between them, she was not at all surprised to learn of Derek and Lord Brookings familial connection. Both men shared a certain air of confidence, both obviously relied on their dashing looks and charming natures, and both were entirely too flirtatious for their own good, or the good of any woman who unwittingly crossed their paths. Derek was a bit less obvious about it than his lordship, although she never would have imagined any man could be surer of himself than Derek. But she had noted the oddest look in Derek’s eyes when he had first entered her room that didn’t speak at all of confidence. It was rather something akin to revelation.
It wasn’t until he’d left and she’d assessed her appearance in the antiquated pier mirror by the window that she suspected what that look might have meant. It was absurd, but, for a moment, India wasn’t entirely sure the image reflected was her. She didn’t look at all like her usual self. Her hair had reverted to its natural state and was a riot of annoying curls, the bane of her existence. Her face was decidedly flushed, no doubt with frustration over her attempts to rid the room of Lord Brookings, which made her eyes look somewhat greener than they were. And thank God neither man had seen more of her in the negligee than her arms. The disgraceful garment clung to her in all sorts of ways it shouldn’t, defining and revealing curves she didn’t realize could look quite so fetching. In a terribly immoral way, of course. All in all, she had no idea who the tousled creature staring back from the mirror was. The image was both shocking and, perhaps, a bit intriguing, but it certainly wasn’t India Prendergast. Or at least not the India Prendergast she’d always seen in the mirror before. Regardless, it was a momentary aberration and
nothing more significant than that. The blame could be placed squarely on the negligee, the circumstances, the decadent boudoir and even Paris itself.
And despite how amusing she might on occasion find Derek, she could not let that deter her from the reasons she was with him in the first place. One—and the most important—was to locate Heloise and make certain she was safe. And two—find some way to prove Derek was indeed the mastermind behind the fraudulent Lady Travelers Society—an immoral, illegal enterprise created for the sole purpose of separating women, particularly older women, from their savings. India hadn’t been able to save Heloise from his plot, but she would prevent him from fleecing anyone else. It was the responsible—the right thing to do. And India prided herself on always being right, morally as well as every other way.
“I see you’re ready to go.” Derek descended the stairway, a spring in his step, to join her in the foyer.
“I am.” She nodded. “Have you managed to find my trunk?”
“Not yet, but I have the entire staff looking for it.” He smiled in an encouraging manner. “This is an extremely large house, and your trunk could have been put anywhere. However, I am certain that your luggage will be recovered by the time we return.”
“I do hope so,” she said, the confident note in her voice belying the niggling fear that she might never see her things again. In terms of possessions, she didn’t have a great deal to lose. The trunk itself was somewhat battered—it had once served to transport her things to and from Miss Bicklesham’s—but losing it would be devastating.
She had packed sparsely with an eye toward economy. A few dresses suitable for traveling, a couple of additional blouses, an extra skirt, undergarments of course, nightclothes, a pair of boots and a second pair of sturdy walking shoes. She’d also brought a simple gown appropriate for evening and slippers to match, should that become necessary—which she assumed it wouldn’t. This was not a pleasure trip. Still, one should be properly prepared. According to Heloise, being properly prepared for any eventuality was practically the motto of the Lady Travelers Society. In that piece of advice alone the society was competent. India did wonder if any of the pamphlets Heloise had brought home from the society dealt with the loss of one’s luggage.
The Lady Travelers Guide to Scoundrels and Other Gentlemen Page 10