Tom’s voice broke through the uncivilized urges that had overtaken his thoughts.Blowing out a slow breath.Grayson turned his attention to the coachman, who was eyeing him with a thoughtful expression.“What?”Grayson asked.
“A walk in the garden, if you please?”
Grayson’s mouth tightened.The last person he wanted to stroll around the grounds with was Tom.Normally, he would think the feeling mutual, so the coachman’s unusually friendly behavior roused all his senses to alertness.Now that he had outlived his usefulness, did Tom plan to waylay him?He bit back a snort.
He doubted that even Kate would be able to get the best of him again.Still, he flexed his arm to test the strength of his bad shoulder and, with a swift nod to Tom, strode toward the doors.It would not hurt to stay awake on every suit, and although he did not expect another bullet, Grayson believed in being prepared for any eventuality.
The evening was warm, the air heavy with scents, and the sky brimming with stars.It was a night for lovers.Unfortunately, his companion was no comely maid, but a grizzled old servant, for whom Grayson harbored few charitable thoughts.
But it was not the first time he had been forced to associate with those who fared low in his estimation, so Grayson kept his expression carefully neutral as he fell into step with the coachman.
“I… I just wanted to thank you, my lord,” Tom said, startling Grayson with his admission.“I know that I haven’t always treated you as you deserved, but I had my girls to consider, you see.Now that I know you meant right by them all along, I have to say that I never did see a cleverer piece of work.”
Grayson’s pleasure at the old man’s words was tempered by his natural wariness and his desire to hear similar sentiments from a certain female member of the household.But he nodded graciously and continued walking.
“Aye, if not for you, Lucy would never have had her man, and for that we are all grateful.However…” Tom paused, as if considering his next words, and Grayson’s foreboding deepened.
Now that his task was finished, had Kate given the old man instructions to run him off?For the first time in years, heat stained his cheeks, making him glad of the darkness.If she thought to send him packing so callously, she had better think again.He was not through with Kate yet, not by a long shot.
“We still have a bit of a problem,” Tom said, scratching his beard.“And since it’s on account of your being here, I thought you might see your way clear to remedy the situation, so to speak.”
The old man fell silent, and Grayson wondered what the devil he was referring to.He was in no mood to decipher the fellow’s cryptic comments.
“Perhaps if you could be more explicit?”Grayson put in.He saw the slash of Tom’s grin in the darkness and halted his steps.The coachman’s smile was even more ominous than his flattery, and Grayson tensed.His practiced eye scanned the garden, but nothing moved in the stillness except the leaves above them.
“Uh, you see, it’s a matter of some delicacy,” Tom said, rubbing his beard.“I admit that I misjudged you, my lord, but you’ve proved me wrong.And now I’m expecting you to do what’s right.”
“And what precisely would that be?”Grayson asked, lifting a brow.
“Well, the thing of it is, my lord, you’ve been staying here for some time, without any proper chaperone.Of course, there was once a paid lady, but when the money ran out, she took herself off.
“And then the servants went, until there was none but me and Mrs.Gooding.After the good Lord took her, it was left to me, you understand.That’s the best we could do, even though I knew it weren’t proper.”
Grayson nodded, although he still was not sure where the coachman was heading with this lengthy speech.
Tom eyed him cannily.“I admit that you didn’t exactly come here of your own free will, but it was your decision to stay, and you and I both know what your fancy friends would say of that.Why, you’ve ruined my Katie for sure, just by being here with no female except Lucy.”
Grayson nearly laughed aloud when he realized just what the coachman was suggesting.He hid his amusement, but relaxed his heightened vigilance.Now it was Tom who appeared distinctly uneasy, as he hurried to explain himself further.
“Don’t go practicing your boxing on me, my lord,” he said, holding up a hand, as if to ward Grayson off.“I don’t want to quarrel with you, but I think you ought to do right by Kate, and the only way to do it is by marrying her.
“She is one of your own, an earl’s daughter and all, and you couldn’t do no better were you to go after London’s finest, I’m sure of that,” the coachman added.“If you take yourself off, what with all that’s happened, Kate will be the one looked down on, not Lucy, even though she’s done nothing to earn it.”
Grayson’s thoughts strayed to several examples of Kate’s behavior that could hardly be called proper.Although the coachman, thankfully, was ignorant of these instances, Grayson recalled them vividly.He was well aware that he had compromised Kate in a variety of locations, from the kitchen to a grassy hillside.
Mindful of the coachman’s scrutiny, Grayson pushed the memories aside.He had to admit a grudging admiration for the old man’s loyalty—and nerve.Not many servants would presume to suggest a wedding to their betters.Grayson’s lips curved at the thought, and, despite their often-acrimonious encounters, he was tempted to put the old man’s worries to rest.
“I assure you, I have no intention of leaving Katie in the lurch,” he said.Unfortunately, it seemed lately that Kate might rather be left, and Grayson’s feelings on the matter were far from steady.
Tom scowled, unsatisfied with such a vaguely worded pledge.“What’s that, then?Are you saying you’ll marry the girl?”
Grayson hesitated.He was a skilled gambler, and he was not certain that he wanted to reveal his hand.His original plans had come under renewed consideration recently, though the doubts that assailed him had a tendency to flee in the presence of the woman in question.
Drawing in a deep breath, Grayson gazed out into the summer night.He was cognizant of the coachman’s concerns, for they had once been his own, yet he knew he was under no obligation to marry Kate.None except a few trustworthy servants were aware of his presence here, and no one need be the wiser if he left.
He could still pursue Kate’s uncle and wrest control of her inheritance from his hand, putting it under the wardship of someone more trustworthy.And, once properly outfitted and chaperoned, Kate could have the London Season that had been denied her.But when Grayson pictured her there in some crowded ballroom, surrounded by suitors, he did not care for the image.
She no longer was the innocent she had once been, of course, and his deeply ingrained sense of honor called him to account.Yet Kate was none the worse for what had gone between them.Grayson had unleashed her passion, but she remained chaste for her future husband.
