“I can walk to the nearest village and hire transportation there. I assume it’s at the end of this path.”
“Taking my coat and boots with you? And what of your balloon? Are you going to haul that?”
“Perhaps you could provide a footman to assist me. As well as a letter of reference stating I will pay what is owed once I reach London, so hopefully I’ll have less bother obtaining a ticket. I’ll just wait here.”
He shook his head. “Come on. You’ll like my mother.”
When he reached down to pick up the balloon, she grabbed his arm to stop him. “You know what I am. You can’t introduce me to her and you most certainly can’t take me into her parlor.”
“With all your confidence, I’ve always had theimpression you thought you were worthy of dining with the Queen.”
“I might give that impression, but Idoknow my place, and it most certainly—”
“Oliver!” An older woman, with pale blond hair, was dashing down the front steps. A dark-haired gentleman was following at a more sedate pace, although his long legs allowed him to nearly keep pace with her.
“Too late now.” Langdon’s tone was one of victory and satisfaction.
“Bugger it,” she muttered beneath her breath.
“Careful or you’ll find yourself in a cursing match with my sister.” Turning, he opened his arms wide and embraced the woman as she rushed into the circle of his arms. They hugged each other tightly. Marlowe didn’t know if she’d ever seen such an enthusiastic greeting among the aristocracy. The gentleman who’d been accompanying her reached them and looked on with affection. She didn’t need anyone to tell her that he was the Earl of Claybourne, because his son so favored him—except for the nose. The earl’s appeared to have been broken a time or two.
The woman leaned back, patting her hands against Langdon’s cheeks, his shoulders, his chest. “I’ve been so worried about you. That storm was awful.”
“Stuart should have told you I was fine.”
“He did, but I like to see for myself.”
He stepped back. “Mother, Father, allow me to introduce Marlowe. The storm saw fit to deliver her to my shore in her hot-air balloon.”
The countess smiled. “The aeronaut Stuart told us about. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Marlowe.”
Before curtsying, she caught sight of Langdon’s jaw tensing, no doubt because Stuart was not to have revealed her presence within his dwelling. Without a chaperone, it would have been scandalous. On the other hand, being a mistress probably overrode that. “It’s just Marlowe, my lady.”
“Still, it’s a pleasure. Do come inside and rest before dinner.”
“We’re not staying,” Langdon finally said—thank God. “I need to change and have my carriage readied so I can return Marlowe to London.”
“But if you leave now, you won’t get far before you’ll be traveling at night.”
“We’ll stop at an inn—”
“Your mother would like you to stay,” Claybourne said, in a tone that would brook no argument. “Besides, after that storm, the roads are likely to be muddy and treacherous. You risk getting stuck. Best to wait until the morning to leave.”
“I’m not properly attired to join you for dinner,” Marlowe said.
The Countess of Claybourne patted her shoulder gently. “Poppy will have something you can wear. You’re about the same size. Come up to the residence and we’ll get you settled.”
She slipped her arm around her husband’s, and they began walking away. Marlowe looked at Langdon and he gave her a sympathetic yet small smile. “It won’t be that bad. We might as well surrender.”
“Do you think they have any idea who I am?”
He nodded. “My father has long made it his business to know who everyone in London is. My mother and sister scour the gossip sheets, although they probably won’t know about Hollingsworth. I don’t think he’s ever referred to by name when you're mentioned. But they won’t be judgmental, Marlowe. They’re not without sin. But if at any minute, you tell me you don’t want to stay, we’ll leave immediately.”
She gazed past him to the residence. “Do you know I’ve never been to Hollie’s estates?”
“I would think a woman who ascends into the heavens would have nothing to fear.”
Especially, she thought, with him at her side.
