by Cheryl Holt
“Drat it! I was hoping I’d enticed you beyond your limit.”
She rolled her eyes with exasperation. “Would you please stop blathering about how marvelous you are so we can get back to the topic at hand?”
“What was it again?”
“Our mutual niece, Daisy. I guess she’s Daisy Prescott. I don’t know if your brother gave her his name or not.”
“I suppose I ought to find out.”
“Yes, and would you allow me a request?”
“I can’t guarantee I’ll grant it, but you’re welcome to raise it.”
“I’d like to have Daisy come home with me, but there are significant issues that might prevent that conclusion.”
“What issues?”
“Could I simply not say? Could you take my word for it that it’s complicated?”
“No,” he curtly responded. “What are the issues? Let’s lay them out on the table so I have all the facts.”
“I’ve only learned what Mr. Slater shared with me a few minutes ago.”
“And that was…?”
“My sister, Maud, was seduced by your brother when she was sixteen.”
He looked genuinely stricken. “I’m very sorry.”
“She birthed Daisy at an unwed mother’s home, then Daisy was brought to Benton by my father. She’s always lived here, and your brother supported her.”
“You’re slaying me with your revelations, Miss Bates.”
“You claimed you wanted to hear about my issues.”
“Maybe I don’t really. Maybe they’re so hideous they’ll be the death of me.”
She chuckled. “I doubt that.”
He stood and went to the sideboard, and he returned with an empty tea cup and a bottle of what was probably brandy. He filled his cup and gulped the liquor in one swallow, then he plopped down in his seat.
“All right,” he said, “I’m sufficiently fortified. Go on.”
“Maud is older than I am.”
He frowned. “How old are you? You can’t be more than nine or ten.”
“I’m twenty, and she is twenty-five. While my father appears to have known about Daisy, I never knew.”
“If your sister was sixteen when it happened, then you were what? Eleven?”
“Yes, and I never had an inkling about any of it. Maud has been in London for weeks, and while she’s away, I’ve been opening all the mail. Mr. Slater wrote about Daisy, and I assumed he must have contacted the wrong Maud Bates. It’s why I came today. I intended to apprise Mr. Slater that he was mistaken.”
“But he wasn’t?”
“No.” She sighed, feeling yet again that it was all too much, and there could be no benefit to her getting involved. “I have to talk to my sister, Lord Benton. She’s in London.”
He studied her, and his gaze grew sympathetic. “It will be difficult for you.”
“Very difficult. We don’t have the best relationship, and she’s about to marry.”
“Oh, no.”
“Oh, yes, and I’m sure she’d never have confided the situation to her betrothed. He’s rather a pompous fellow.”
“You’re in an appalling bind.”
“Yes. I’m excited to discover that I have a niece. Maud and I have a very small family, with no other siblings or even any cousins worth mentioning.”
He snorted with amusement. “In light of my own hoard of kin, I wouldn’t deem that a bad thing.”
“Yes, but I don’t have the funds to support Daisy. I live with my sister, and actually she’s my half-sister. She owns our home, and she has an income—where I do not. I can’t bring Daisy there unless Maud agrees, and if she doesn’t—and I’m positive she won’t—I couldn’t move elsewhere and rear Daisy by myself.”
“I see.”
“So I was wondering—if I can’t arrange for her by the fifteenth—could she remain here for a bit while I continue to work on it?” He didn’t answer, and she added, “I will fuss with it constantly, Lord Benton, until I arrive at a resolution. I swear it.”
“I don’t question your drive or veracity, Miss Bates, but I need to speak with Mr. Slater about this. I can’t make promises and throw out guarantees until I’m certain of the road I’m traveling.”
He poured himself another glass of liquor, and he drank it down. Then he stood, indicating their appointment was over. She stood too, and she hated that it was time to leave. Her crossing paths with him had been an exotic experience, and she didn’t suppose she’d have an opportunity to be with him in the future.
“Have you met Daisy?” he asked.
“No.”
“Shall we locate her? We’ll track down her whereabouts, and we’ll introduce ourselves.”
“I’d love to, but Mr. Slater advises me that she’s in London for the day. She’s outgrown her clothes, and her governess is buying her new.”
“You’ve astonished me again, Miss Bates, with your recitation of facts of which I’m blindly unaware. As you’ve bluntly cited, I have other nieces—and perhaps nephews too. I employ a governess, and I’m paying for children’s clothes. I’m so glad you trekked to Benton. If you hadn’t, I might never have been exposed to half of what occurs in this accursed place.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
“Trust me, if ever there was an outsider in this world, it’s me. I’m as much of a stranger here as you are. I don’t have a single friend in residence, and I definitely claim no allies. Evidently, I don’t even have a servant who will give me candid information.”
It was a shocking speech that he shouldn’t have voiced in her presence, but she was delighted that he had. It made her feel closer to him. It made her feel that he liked her and valued her opinion.
“Daisy and her governess won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon,” she said, “and I can’t afford to tarry until then.”
“You should stay at the manor. It’s just until tomorrow, and this oversized mansion has dozens of bedchambers. I have no doubt we can find a bed for you to sleep in.”
“I didn’t bring a bag. I presumed I would have a quick conference with Mr. Slater, then depart. I didn’t plan for an extended visit, and I would never be so rude as to impose.”
“It wouldn’t be an extended visit. It would be for the one night—so you can meet your niece.”
“I couldn’t,” she repeated.
“Where do you live? Not in Benton village, I don’t think. You’re much too pretty and unusual to hail from such a dreary spot.”
“I can’t deal with such ribald flattery, Lord Benton. Please stop showering me with it.”
“I can’t stop. Where you’re concerned, the compliments just burst out of me. I can’t control myself.”
“Don’t have me fearing that you’re as wicked as your brother.”
“I’m probably much worse.”
“We should hope not, and if you might be, you shouldn’t brag about it.”
He ignored the scolding she’d tried to impart and kept pestering her. “Where is your home? You haven’t told me.”
“It’s on the other side of Telford.”
“Not far then. What’s the distance? Ten miles or so?”
“A bit more than that.”
“It seems patently ridiculous for you to travel all that way only to turn around in the morning to travel back.”
“I don’t mind. I’m rather excited about seeing Daisy.”
“Is anyone waiting for you? Your sister is in London which signifies you have no doting parent who’s anxious over your absence.”
“No, there’s no one to fret but a few servants, and if I failed to arrive, they’d barely notice.” She glanced down at the floor, mortified to have confessed such a terrible reality.
“Then it’s settled,” he said.
“What’s settled?”
He didn’t respond, but swept from behind the desk and marched to the door. He called for a footman, and the one
who’d previously escorted her rushed down the hall.
“Yes, my lord?”
“Miss Bates has decided to spend the night.”
“Lord Benton!” she complained. “I have not.”
He ignored her again, and she was beginning to realize it was his customary habit. He told others to jump, and they simply asked, how high?
“Have the housekeeper prepare a room for her,” he said to the footman, “and I’ll need a man from the stables to ride to Telford for me. Right away.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The footman hurried off, and Lord Benton came back and sat down. She was still standing, and she felt as if she was a student at school and about to be reprimanded by the headmistress. She slid down too.
“I can’t stay,” she protested, “and I don’t want to stay.”
“Why not?”
“It’s…it’s just odd, that’s all.”
“Out on the lane, Miss Bates, did I—or did I not—explain that I like to seize the day?”
“Yes, you did.”
“I’ve been at Benton for three tedious weeks, when I’ve hardly ever been here since I was seven. I’m bored to death, and I would like your company. I’m determined to have it.”
“I believe you’re a bachelor, sir. You can’t assume it’s appropriate for me to remain.”
“I have dozens of servants, and all of my brother’s in-laws live in the manor—including his mother-in-law. If you’re afraid for your virtue—”
“I’m not!” she huffed.
“—you don’t have to worry. I wouldn’t dare misbehave with her being present. She’s quite vicious, and I’m scared of her. You’re safe with me.”
“I’m glad to learn that you’re scared of someone, but you’re being a bully.”
He scowled as if he’d never heard of the word. “A bully? How?”
“You’re pressuring me horridly.”
“Well, you should succumb to my demand. In your interactions with me, it’s much easier to accommodate my whims. It’s impossible to thwart me.”
“That’s likely the truest comment you’ve ever uttered.”
He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. His gaze was warm, his eyes very blue. She felt as if she was drowning in them, and she couldn’t look away.
“Josephine—Jo—spend the night,” he murmured. “I insist.”
His voice was low and seductive, reeling her in, but she had to resist his magnetic pull. “I shouldn’t, and I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“How did you travel from Telford earlier this afternoon? When I stumbled on you, you were walking to the manor. You didn’t have a carriage.”
“No, I took the public coach.”
“I suppose that’s how you plan to get home.”
“Yes.”
“Now that we’ve met, you have to know I won’t permit it. You’ll force me to have one of my own carriages harnessed. Then I’ll be honor-bound to send it back to fetch you in the morning. Will you really put me to all that trouble?”
“I’m perfectly capable of utilizing a public conveyance.”
“And I am not the sort of gentleman to let you traipse off across the countryside alone. Why didn’t your maid come with you?”
“I don’t have a maid, and anyway, I’m an adult. I make my own decisions and arrange my own schedule.”
At the admission, she blushed furiously. While seated in his ostentatious library, it seemed a personal failing to not have a maid. After their father’s death, they’d been reduced to a barebones staff. Maud’s sole extravagance was a lady’s maid, but she would never share her with Jo. Nor would Jo request the woman’s assistance.
“But you have a few servants?” he asked.
“Yes, but I’m used to being on my own.”
“I am absolutely devastated to hear it.”
She chuckled. “Why would you be?”
“No female as pretty as you should ever have to take care of herself.”
Apparently, it was more of a gallant speech than he’d intended. He was blushing too, and he tried to pretend nonchalance. He shoved the inkpot and a jar of quills at her.
“Write a note to your housekeeper,” he said. “Tell her that Lord Benton has invited you to stay the night. While in the past, I’ve been the very humble Commander Prescott, these days, I’m incredibly grand. Surely she can find no fault or impropriety.”
“If she found fault, her only act would be to tattle to my sister.”
“What is there to tattle about? You’re to be the special guest of Lord Benton. What complaint could she raise?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“You lead a dreadful life, don’t you?”
“It’s all right.”
She told the lie with a straight face. She wasn’t about to describe her strained relationship with Maud, how their mothers had been from the opposite ends of the social classes, how Jo was a pariah because of it. She wasn’t about to describe how Maud treated her.
If she started to talk, she might spew such a torrent of angry words that she’d ignite the entire world. She swallowed them all down.
“Lord Benton, don’t push this on me,” she begged.
“It will be fine, Jo. You shouldn’t fret so much.”
“I’ll feel so out of place.”
“I’m predicting you’ll fit in perfectly. I’m not concerned about it, and you shouldn’t be either.”
Boots sounded out in the hall, and a man entered.
“You needed a rider, my lord?” he asked.
“Yes. I’ve badgered Miss Bates into tarrying overnight, but she wasn’t expecting to remain. You’ll ride to her residence outside Telford and transport a message about it to her housekeeper.”
“I’ll be happy to, my lord.”
“You’re to have the woman pack a bag for Miss Bates, then you’ll bring it back with you.”
“I will.”
Lord Benton had a wicked gleam in his eye. He realized how he was coercing her, and he reveled in it. He retrieved two pieces of paper from a drawer and laid them in front of her.
“Explain the situation to your housekeeper,” he advised, “then jot some directions for my man so he knows where you live.”
She glowered at him, her exasperation clear, and they engaged in a brief war of wills she could never win. She wasn’t a fighter. She was polite and gentle and could never see the reason for strong emotion to be voiced. From all her years of tiptoeing around volatile Maud, she’d learned that potent sentiment was pointless and only led to more discord.
Ultimately, she shook her head to indicate her aggravation. In response, he simply grinned his devil’s grin, and she stood and dipped the quill in the ink and penned the letter and the directions. After she finished, he snatched them away and gave them to the man from the stables.
“Inform her housekeeper,” Lord Benton instructed, “that she’ll be at Benton tomorrow for sure, but if circumstances warrant, she might be here a day or two beyond that.”
“Lord Benton!” Jo objected.
“What if Daisy’s journey is delayed?” he asked Jo, then he continued speaking to the other man. “If Miss Bates doesn’t return right away, they shouldn’t worry. We’ll deliver her there safe and sound after her business with us is concluded.”
“I will tell her, my lord,” the man said, and he left.
If he had an opinion about the odd exchange between Jo and Lord Benton, it was concealed. She and the Earl were frozen in their spots, listening as his strides faded down the hall.
Once it was silent again, Lord Benton said, “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“It was pretty bad.”
He laughed. “You’ll get over it.”
“I might not.”
“You’re made of stern stuff, Jo Bates. You can survive whatever I throw at you.”
“I hope so. You’re like a hurricane. If I’m not careful, I’ll
be blown away in the tempests you stir.”
“It’s possible.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“You stay where you are. I’ll locate my housekeeper so she can settle you in. Don’t move a muscle until she comes for you.”
Then he was gone, and she exhaled a heavy breath. For a woman who refused to socialize with a handsome rogue, she’d certainly jumped into the soup pot.
She was spending the night? As the special guest of Lord Benton himself? How had that transpired exactly? She couldn’t quite figure it out.
She was dizzy and disoriented, as if she’d been swept into a quagmire from which there could be no escape. She sunk down in her chair, terrified to discover what would happen next.
CHAPTER THREE
“Hello, Richard. Fancy meeting you here.”
Peyton had the pleasure of seeing Richard jump.
After he’d gotten Miss Bates squared away with the housekeeper, he’d marched to the estate agent’s office at the rear of the manor, and he’d made himself comfortable. He was sitting at Richard’s desk, the ledgers spread in front of him.
He didn’t have much of a head for numbers. They bored him silly, so he hadn’t looked at them, but he liked Richard to believe he’d been pouring over the columns. He needed to have an outside appraisal completed, and he thought he’d show them to his First Officer and friend, Evan Boyle.
Evan lived and breathed mathematics which was a fascination Peyton had never understood or shared.
If Evan announced himself too lazy to assist, Peyton now had a slew of bankers, accountants, and lawyers who could do it instead. In the meantime, he liked to have Richard squirming. On a dozen occasions, he’d asked to review the ledgers, and Richard always had excuses as to why it wasn’t convenient. His reticence left Peyton extremely wary.
Barbara was Neville’s widow, and Richard was her twin brother. They were thick as thieves and so closely attuned that they finished each other’s sentences. They would share a glance across the dining table, and an entire conversation was held in their minds.
Peyton wasn’t exactly clear on when Richard had assumed the role of estate agent or who had decided it was a good idea. Peyton didn’t countenance the notion of employing relatives. If matters soured or if the person proved inept, it was so bloody difficult to fire them.