“My lord!”Badcock shouted.At his words, everyone began talking at once, moving toward Grayson like a swarm of loudly buzzing bees abandoning their previous quarry.Grayson knew that because in their wake he saw a single gentleman seated in a medallion-backed chair in the center of the room, with hands and feet bound to the piece of furniture.
Grayson refused to be startled.Telling himself that nothing at all could surprise him anymore, he walked toward the fellow, who was trussed up like a scrawny, ill-dressed chicken.As far as Grayson could see, the man did not look big enough to threaten Kate, let alone the dozen occupants of the room.
“And who,” Grayson asked, lifting a brow, “is this?”
“My name’s Brown, and I’m glad to see someone with sense in this bedlam!Get me out of here!”
“He’s a wretched creature!A devil!”Lucy’s wail rose above the other voices, loud and piercing, making Grayson realize just how little he had missed Kate’s sister.
“Badcock,” Grayson said, his tone brooking no resistance.
Instantly, the valet was at his side, babbling excitedly.“We couldn’t find you, my lord, so we were forced to take matters into our own hands.”
“And what matters might these be?”Grayson asked, fixing Badcock with a stare that made the valet squirm.
“Why, this, this ruffian, my lord!He threatened the marchioness.”
As if on cue, the crowd ebbed and parted around him to reveal Kate, who stepped into the room, as regal and graceful as any queen.She was dressed in a simple gown of pale striped silk that made her skin appear all the more flawless, her hair as dark as a midnight sky, her eyes as beautiful and mysterious as twilight.
Grayson’s breath caught and held.He had not expected the jolt of awareness that rushed through him or the certain feeling that he was home at last.He stood unmoving, drinking in the sight of her, until he realized that the previously lively group in the room had all fallen silent, watching the interchange with great interest.
Straightening, Grayson pushed aside his yearnings with disgust.Not only had Kate robbed him of his dignity, but she’d turned his household into a bunch of raving lunatics, too.
“Well?”The word came out rougher than he had intended, and Grayson felt, rather than saw, her recoil before she regained her composure.
“Mr.Brown claims to have been sent by my uncle.”
“That I have, and when Jasper arrives, you’ll pay for your little prank!”
Grayson turned slowly, fixing the man with a curious stare.“I beg your pardon?”
“See?He is a fiend!”Lucy cried, taking the opportunity to faint into Rutledge’s waiting arms.The little drama made Meg drop her rolling pin to rush to the girl’s side, and Grayson was forced to draw in a deep, calming breath.He still had no coherent explanation for the chaotic scene before him or the presence of the beady-eyed Brown.
And the quiet that had reigned abruptly disappeared, replaced by escalating noise behind him.Ignoring it for the moment, Grayson studied the man, whose speech and clothes marked him as less than quality.What was Brown’s relationship with Jasper?And why would he use his employer’s first name?”
“When Jasper arrives—” the man began.
Grayson cut him off with a sharp glare.“And just when is Jasper to arrive?”
As if in answer, he heard an angry rumble from Tom, and then Badcock’s more reasonable tone.“I believe he just did,” the valet said.
Grayson turned to face Kate’s infamous uncle, eager for some kind of resolution at last, hopefully one that involved Jasper’s blood.He assessed his nemesis carefully.
Dressed in the bright colors and high collar of a dandy, he was of medium height, his hair a shade darker than Lucy’s.His body was not fat, but had the slightly fleshy look of one who had reveled in too many dissipations.
While Grayson watched intently, Jasper blinked, as if bewildered by the confusion.He scanned the room, his gaze coming to rest briefly upon Grayson, who thought he saw a flicker of recognition in the dark eyes before they moved on.
“No one answered the door, so I let myself in.Kate?Lucy?Where are my lovely nieces?”he asked.
“Jasper!Make them loose me!”Brown cried.
Ignoring his man’s plea, Jasper stepped toward Grayson.“Wroth, isn’t it?I believe I have seen you in Town.”At Grayson’s nod, he smiled.“My heartiest congratulations, my lord.I only recently learned of your marriage to my niece, and I couldn’t be happier, to be aligned with such an exalted personage.Dearest Kate deserves the best!Where is my darling girl?”he asked.
“I am not your darling, by any means,” Kate said coolly, and Grayson couldn’t help feeling a swift surge of pride at her aplomb.
“What is it, Kate?Don’t you know me?”Jasper asked, his expression crestfallen.
“You must pardon my wife for her less-than-enthusiastic welcome.This man came to the house earlier today, claiming to be your representative and threatening her and her sister,” Grayson said.
