He followed her partway up the servants' staircase, waiting until they were out of earshot of the kitchen. "I must speak to you."
A hot tide rose in her face. He had grasped the back of her skirt, and their fingers tangled when she tried to free herself. "I don't want to talk to you," she hissed.
"It's not about our interlude in the garden, if that's what's worrying you," Nathan said bluntly, then softened his tone. "More important, at this moment, is tracking down Walter Frakes-Hogg before he tracks you down. I want you to be on guard during the times I am not within your sight, but I'll try to join you just as soon as I've had a good look around outside and another talk with Fred, now that he's sobered up."
"It's all like a terrible dream," Adrienne protested.
"Well, it was not a dream." He caught her gaze in the dawn shadows for one meaningful instant. "Every moment was quite real."
She started away, up the curving steps. "I'll see you later then. I hear Lady Thomasina's bell."
* * *
"Do you know, my Hunty has the most beguiling brown eyes!" her ladyship rhapsodized from her tub chair in the library. "Lady Caroline Lamb once said that Hunty's eyes were more beautiful than Lord Byron's!"
Adrienne looked up from her sketches of the still-in-progress Systems and managed a wan smile. "How nice."
"Are you listening, Miss Beau?"
"Of course, my lady. However, Tavis and Sam are about to embark on the next phase of the Systems, and I want to be certain that the instructions are quite clear—"
"The maroon bindings are next?"
"Just as you have written, my lady."
"Good!" Bending to pet Angus, she fretted, "I do hope the staff has begun preparing in earnest for my son's arrival. There is so much to do! When do you suppose the floors were last scrubbed?"
"Which room were you thinking of?" Adrienne wondered cautiously.
"Why, all of them, of course! Jarrow and that new housekeeper, Mabel, have been organizing the rest of the servants, haven't they? Where is the house steward?"
"Visiting his mother in Cornwall, I believe, my lady."
"Oh!" She fell back dramatically, and her brocade turban came loose. "Does no one understand the value of a hard day's work any longer? Is this the way these people repay me for all my kindnesses?"
"I'm sure that your son's true concern is for you, my lady. He doubtless won't even notice the condition of Harms Castle..."
A while later Lady Thomasina heard the hall clock announce the noon hour and put a pudgy hand to her brow. "I am faint with hunger. Where is that girl with my tray?"
"Let me go and see." Seizing the opportunity, Adrienne hurried out of the room and nearly collided with Nathan. "Oh, thank goodness it's you! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!"
"A gratifying change of heart," he replied with decided irony. Reaching in his coat pocket, he found his spectacles and put them on. "Particularly since I must speak to you."
Adrienne checked to be certain that Lady Thomasina's meal was on its way, suggesting that Hortie sit with her mistress while she ate, and then Nathan led her off into the conservatory.
"Sit down. Don't worry; her ladyship will be occupied for quite some time. The rat catcher is roaming the house, and I assured him that Lady Harms would be eager to discuss his findings, so he'll visit her in the library within the hour. When I left him, he'd already killed five rodents of gigantic proportions."
Adrienne shuddered. "Hideous! Never mind." She took a gilt chair bathed in sunlight and looked around. Clearly, although the glass conservatory had great potential, Fred the gardener had no vision. There was one row of orange and lemon trees, barely blooming and in need of water, and a few half-dead flowers. "What a shame!" Adrienne remarked. "My mother would weep to see such waste."
"I'm afraid time does not allow a discussion of the plants." Nathan, whose boots were scuffed, drew his own chair close to her and lowered his voice. "I found fresh footprints in the dirt where the gardener saw the stranger. They looked as if they were made by boots to me—"
"Walter always wears Hessians!"
"I thought as much. Has he particularly long, narrow feet?"
"Yes!" Looking stricken, Adrienne jumped up and began pacing to and fro.
"There is nothing to be gained from hysterics, unless you become more cautious as a result—and obey my orders!" He gave her a stern glance, then continued, "I followed the footprints to the place where Frakes-Hogg had tied his horse. That was when Fred lost sight of him."
"Oh!" She paced faster, remembering what she and Nathan had been doing at that same time. "If only—"
"If only you had stayed inside, as I instructed? I doubtless would have captured Frakes-Hogg rather than you, my provoking midnight prowler."
"Scolding me now won't help a bit."
Nathan sighed. "I wish I knew what would help." He was vaguely gratified to see her go suddenly pink. "At any rate, while our gardener went racketing about the castle in his cups, looking for me and consulting with Jarrow, who was doubtless foxed as well, Walter Frakes-Hogg walked his horse through the trees until he reached a spot where he could view the gardens."
"You—you don't mean—" She gasped for breath, one fair hand splayed over her bodice. "How could you draw such a horrifying conclusion?"
"Quite easily. I followed the prints left by his boots and his horse's shod hooves. They both stopped in that crescent-shaped grove of elms that protects the garden—"
"—and continues to the castle's west entrance?"
"Yes." Nathan watched her pace for a few moments, considering how to phrase his next speech to best effect. At length, he leaned forward and caught her skirt as she passed by. "Will you sit down? This situation isn't one we can run from."
She obeyed but could not meet his penetrating gaze. "I have been so very foolish."
"Have you? Well, it is time for both of us to deal with reality. It seems probable that Frakes-Hogg saw all or part of what transpired between us in the garden last night."
Wringing her hands, Adrienne moaned. "I fear it's true—that he did see us—because just as I was letting myself back into the castle, I saw a movement in the elm trees. I confess that I had a sense of foreboding, even then."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Her anguished blush was answer enough. "See here, there is one thing we must clear up before any other. No matter how many regrets either of us has about last night, we must own up to what happened and handle the consequences. No more pretending that you can merely erase those... stolen moments." A faint, wicked smile tugged at his mouth.
"You are horrid."
"Yes, yes. Now then, on to capturing Walter Frakes-Hogg. You'll have to help me, since you know him and I don't. Agreed?"
Adrienne nodded miserably. "Agreed."
It was Nathan's turn to pace. "Right then. First, tell me about his physical appearance. I've seen him from a distance, once or twice in London—and just recently the Winchester butcher pointed him out to me on the street. I know that he's very tall and thin, with prematurely white hair and dark eyes. What are the details that come to your mind?"
"He has very ruddy cheeks, because he's always at the brandy," she replied immediately. "And he has an odor—brandy mixed with a sandalwood scent he uses to try to hide the smell of spirits. His face is long, and his nose is long, but it has a reddish knob on the end of it. And the edges of his ears are always red."
"That's quite an attractive picture you paint. Anything else?"
She fussed with the folds of her skirt. "There is a strawberry birthmark in the middle of his chest."
"Don't worry," Nathan said lightly, dropping back into his chair. "I won't ask how you know about that. I'm sure your knowledge couldn't have been gained through pleasant means."
"Quite true." She met his gaze squarely, her eyes like fiery emeralds. "I despise Walter Frakes-Hogg. He is a bully and is all the more lethal because he pretends to be so very amiable. All his advances toward me were made with
a smile on his face, and he would continue to smile later, when he'd counter my rejections with veiled threats." She shuddered. "He's a monster! If only there were a way to help his daughters. I stayed far too long because I loved Beth and Ellie and couldn't bear to think of them not being properly cared for."
"What would happen to the girls if their father should die?"
His casual tone sent a chill down her spine. "Their mother's sister, Mrs. Halper, would raise them. She was recently widowed and has never been able to have children of her own, so she adores Beth and Ellie. However, the problem is that she is now penniless. Before I left the girls with her, she was considering moving into Walter's house...."
"Might she have taken the girls back home for that reason?"
"It's doubtful, unless they are all living there in his absence. I warned her about him. And Walter told me that he didn't want her in his house, interfering with his... pleasures." Adrienne shuddered at the memory. "His decision had nothing to do with Mrs. Halper's problems. I suspect he enjoys denying other people's wishes—but he's sly about it. Unfailingly polite."
"It sounds as if he's one of those fellows who uses whatever power he has to toy with other people."
"Exactly!" Adrienne cried. "It took me the longest time to realize that Walter Frakes-Hogg really is a terrible person. I hoped that he would change, or that deep inside he was good...."
"And now you know better?"
"Sadly, yes. I am much older."
A grin lit his tanned face. "Verging on spinsterhood?"
"I wish I could be, so that people would stop expecting me to marry! My notion of hell on earth is lifelong dependence on a member of the male species."
Before Nathan could reply to that strong statement, Mabel, the stocky Irish housekeeper, stopped outside the conservatory door and rapped on the glass. He rose, motioning for her to enter.
"Been lookin' everywhere for the pair of you! Her ladyship's fit to be tied!" Mabel shook her finger at them. "An outrider's just come in advance of Lord Harms's party. Seems that he an' his friends are due to arrive within the hour!"
* * *
Wielding a long driving whip, Huntsford Harms tooled his own high-perch phaeton and team of chestnuts up the weed-dotted drive to Harms Castle. The young Corinthian was attended by an assortment of footmen, outriders, his valet and other personal servants, and another traveling coach filled with friends.
A coachman sat next to Huntsford, looking panic-stricken as his employer narrowly missed turning over at the last curve. By the time the phaeton came to a halt several yards beyond the castle's grand entrance, a crowd had assembled to greet the party.
Jarrow had put on a fresh tailcoat and cravat for the occasion, and he stood at the forefront of the ragtag band of castle staff. Nathan and Adrienne had agreed to go down together on behalf of Lady Thomasina. The old woman's ankles were, she claimed, too swollen for her to climb stairs. Her son might attend her in the library, where she was waiting with Hortie and Angus the terrier.
"He certainly makes a striking picture," Adrienne whispered.
"That's one way of putting it," Nathan replied sardonically. "Very kind of you."
She was fascinated in spite of herself. Resplendent in a curly brimmed beaver hat and a driving coat with innumerable capes, Huntsford Harms allowed a great fuss to be made as he came down from the phaeton. The servants behaved as if he were royalty, and he did nothing to discourage their obeisance.
"Ah, Jarrow, there you are. Good to be home, as it were." Huntsford waited for the old man to do a sufficient amount of bowing before he continued, "I trust that the necessary preparations have been made for my house party?"
"We are honored to have you among us again, sir. Indeed." His red face brightened further. The situation was all the stickier because no one was quite sure what to call young Huntsford since his father's death. As the son of a baron, he'd never been a lord before, and Jarrow didn't consider barons to be real nobles, anyway. Still, the boy did have power, at least in this house. "Not to put too fine a point on it, I suppose it is my duty to say... ahem! That is, we, the staff, did not have sufficient time to prepare as we might have wished. Her ladyship's requirements, for the normal run of events, are rather... less stringent."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Huntsford replied coldly. "And where is my slothful mother?" Upon hearing the story of her swollen ankles, he flared his nostrils and rolled his eyes at the same time. "Perhaps it's just as well. She doesn't make a very favorable impression, does she, and my guests might've been frightened off if they'd met Mummy straightaway."
Jarrow kept one eye trained on the good looking and extremely fashionable persons of quality approaching from the other coach. The two young men looked just alike, from their exaggerated shirtpoints to their tasseled Hessians, and the females were clad in nearly identical redingotes and elegant hats. One of the ladies was carrying a small, fluffy dog that began to yip as they approached the group of strangers.
"Little Peter must need to straighten out his affairs!" his mistress exclaimed. She put the dog down, and he promptly relieved himself on the steps.
Huntsford Harms gave the young lady a withering stare. "Confound it, Lucy, I told you repeatedly to leave that smelly little beast in London. If he spreads fertilizer all through Harms Castle, you'll never be asked again!"
One of the male guests cleared his throat. "Appalling manners, Harms. Do show us your breeding instead."
At the back of the crowd, Adrienne lifted her eyes to meet Nathan's and they shared a look of amused consternation. "I wish we could escape," she whispered.
He nearly took her arm and whisked her away, but more than duty made him stay. Huntsford Harms was so repellent a character that Nathan sensed that he bore watching. The young buck now appeared ready to advance toward the doorway, but turned back to Jarrow on an afterthought.
"This news about Mummy's ankles gives me pause, old chap. A pang of filial concern, and all that. Is she in failing health? I mean... shall I brace myself to be shocked when I see her?"
Adrienne could bear no more. Impulsively she walked forward to stand in front of Huntsford Harms. "Sir, I could not help overhearing and thought I should introduce myself. I am Miss Adrienne Beauvisage, your mother's companion. Lady Thomasina asked me to greet you in her stead, and I would like to assure you that she is in fine health and spirits."
Out came his quizzing glass. He raised it with gloved fingers and gave her a long, languid stare, from head to toe. "By Jupiter, what's a beauty like you doing rusticating with an eccentric like my mother?"
Her feminine self could not help noticing that, up close, he was indeed a very handsome man, with a face that reminded her of Greek sculptures. And, as Lady Thomasina had promised, his big brown eyes were quite beautiful. He removed his hat and bowed to her, revealing fashionably windswept golden hair. What could she say now?
Nathan intervened. His fingers touched the small of her back to alert her to his nearness, and then he spoke. "I also should make myself known to you, sir. I am... Nathan Essex, and—"
"Yes?" Harms snapped, glancing at the other man's modest clothing. "Whose companion are you?"
"There have been threats against Miss Beauvisage. Her family, in France, hired me to ensure her safety. I've been looking after Lady Thomasina as well." Considerably taller and more powerfully built than Huntsford, he consciously used his physical presence to assert himself.
The younger man's eyes darted away. "Why are you boring me with these meaningless details? My guests are tired and hungry." With that, he hurried his friends toward the massive doorway, servants scurrying in their wake.
Nathan and Adrienne stood alone together on the stone steps. After a minute of welcome silence, he muttered, "I despise that imbecile."
She strove for a cheerier note. "At least our situation here won't be dull any longer."
"Might I remind you that Walter Frakes-Hogg is lurking about and I must capture him—with your assistance? I wouldn't cal
l that a dull situation."
Realizing that Nathan meant to be horrid and stubborn where Huntsford Harms was concerned, she made no further attempt to lighten the mood. "Be that as it may, I have more immediate duties. Lady Thomasina is upstairs at the mercy of her son, and I ought to go to her aid."
Nathan stayed behind. The last thing he needed right now was another view of Huntsford Harms ogling Adrienne. It created a strong dark twisting sensation in his chest that bore a suspicious resemblance to jealousy.
* * *
Harms Castle may have been too dusty and tarnished for the taste of its heir, but he and his friends made do all the same. Musty apartments were aired, and under the leadership of Huntsford Harms, common rooms were rearranged by the bestirred servants. The gallery was transformed into a portrait-lined billiard room, chairs were arranged along the walls in the drawing room and saloon to allow for dancing or other entertainments, and dropleaf tables were set up in the dining room so that the number of people dining could be adjusted easily.
Huntsford was supervising and explaining his wishes to Jarrow, while footmen moved furniture this way and that, when his mother appeared in the doorway of the dining room.
"I thought I must be hearing things!" Her massive bosom heaved from the exercise of walking the dozens of yards from her usual station in the library. Angus stood at her side, emitting a low growl. "Hunty, have you gone mad? What are you doing to my beautiful house?"
He chuckled and strolled to her side. "Dear Mummy, you have ever been a great one to tease. We both know that this old tomb could do with a bit of dusting up, hmm?" Coaxing a smile from her and a snarl from Angus, Huntsford continued, "Jarrow and I thought that these tables might make the eating arrangements more efficient. We fellows will doubtless be afield during luncheon, shooting and so forth, thus the kitchen need feed only Lucy and Clair at midday. You see?"
Lady Thomasina's mouth turned down again. "It is my house. You might at least ask."
"Now, now, give us a kiss. You mustn't worry about such nonsense, darling Mummy." Out of the corner of one eye, Huntsford noticed that Angus had discovered one of his prized powder-blue gloves under a cobweb-laced side chair. Glove in teeth, the terrier slunk toward the other door. "You there! Cur! Come here this instant!"
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