“So he came to see Durward...” Carina murmured. Of course he did. They were friends.
“He came tosaveLord Durward,” Lily said.
Alex said, “I received a letter from him by return—well, written by his valet but it was from Mr. Foster.”
“How?” Carina interrupted. “How can you receive letters in this house without anyone knowing?”
“Francis the footman brings the post up from the inn and puts it all on the hall table,” Rose said. “At the same time every day, more or less. All we had to do was make sure one of us was there every morning to look for one addressed to Alex.”
“To be honest we weren’t perfectly sure we’d get one,” Lily admitted. “But Orchid nabbed it—”
“I had to hide under the hall table when the maids went to dust the reception room,” Orchid interrupted. “But I had all the letters with me, so I found the one with Alex’s name and put it in my pocket before I put the other letters back on the table and ran upstairs.”
“She was very clever,” Lily said.
Orchid preened. “I was! Even Rose says so.”
“Well, you clearly are,” Carina said, “though I’m not so sure the underhand nature of all this—”
“I saw a bit of your letter from home,” Alex said, reddening with shame. “I know I shouldn’t have looked, and I’m very sorry and won’t do anything like that ever again.”
“He was worried about you,” Lily defended him. “We all were.”
“Why?” Carina asked, bewildered. “I thought we were quite happy together.”
The children exchanged glances, but none of them spoke.
It was Duncan who said, “They like you, but they know this isn’t right for you. I don’t know how they know these things, but they have an intense sort of...understanding of people. I knew they were right, because there’s something different about my brother too. Since he met you.”
It was Carina’s turn to blush. “Do you mind?”
“Good God, no. Just don’t let him fight any more duels. They make me pretty popular at school, mind you, but I don’t wanthim fleeing the country! It upsets Bethany,” he added, in case, presumably, anyone thought him soft.
Bethany in fact, had joined the group around them. “Why isn’t Durward back yet?” she asked worriedly, fixing her gaze on Carina. “You don’t suppose they’re fighting again, do you?”
DURWARD EASED FOSTERinto the library’s comfortable chair and went to pour a couple of glasses of Grandison’s excellent brandy.
“You should be at home in bed, shouldn’t you?” he said, pressing one of the glasses into his old friend’s hand.
Foster’s fingers closed around it, and he took a grateful sip. “God, no. Though I’ll not deny I’m as weak as a damned kitten. If you knew howboredI am with my own bed and those same four wretched walls...!”
“Sorry,” Durward said. “I meant to miss you altogether. If the ball caught you at all it should only have grazed your shoulder... You could have died. By the look of you, you still might.”
“No, I’m on the mend,” Foster insisted. “It’s just taken so long that I’m not used to doing anything just yet.”
“Don’t try and spare me, damn you,” Durward burst out. “You relapsed! That’s why your father had the warrant raised—”
“Never thought he’d do that,” Foster admitted. He gave a weak, yet achingly familiar grin. “Seems neither of us thinks ahead. I faked my relapse to get my sickroom to myself for a while, so my man could help me plan my escape.”
“Just to attend Snake Sanderly’s wedding?”
“Of course not, idiot. I came to see you. To prove I was alive and you didn’t need to flee the country and leave the woman you loved.”
Durward felt his jaw sag and snapped it back into place. “How do you know about the woman I love? How did you know I’d be here?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Foster said, taking another swallow of brandy. His eyes had brightened and his colour was improving. “First, tell me about this lady who’s finally tamed you? Was that her beside you when I arrived?”
“She hasn’t tamed me,” Durward said, affronted. “She doesn’t even try. She just...is. And yes, she was beside me. She was going to run away with me, Foster, share my adventures and my disgrace.”
