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As soon as she saw Apollo.
The rest of her toilet took minutes, and then she was hurrying to Penelope’s room.
Her cousin was naturally still abed, but after an interminable two-hour wait, Penelope was ready to go down for breakfast.
“I don’t know why we must rise so early,” Penelope grumbled. “After all, if Wakefield has flown off to London, there’s no one to see me, is there?”
“What about Scarborough?” Artemis asked absently and then felt like groaning. The last thing she needed was to encourage Penelope to stay for the elderly duke.
“Scarborough is charming enough.” Penelope’s cheeks actually pinkened despite her casual words. “But he’s not as rich as Wakefield, nor as powerful.”
“He’s a duke,” Artemis said softly as they entered the long room at the back of the house where breakfast was served. “And he likes you.”
“Oh, do you think so?” Penelope stopped and glanced at her, her expression shy.
“Of course.” Artemis nodded to where the elderly duke had stood at their entrance. “Just look at his expression.”
Scarborough was smiling so widely, Artemis was afraid something might crack in his face. It was odd, really, but the duke did seem to like her cousin—not just her youth or beauty, but Penelope herself.
“But he’s so old,” Penelope said, for once lowering her voice. She had a slight frown between her brows as if honestly distressed.
“Does that really matter?” Artemis said softly. “He’s the type of man who will shower his wife with all manner of expensive gifts. It’s said that his first wife had a veritable treasure chest of jewels. Think how nice that would be.”
“Humph.” Penelope bit her lip, looking indecisive. “We’ll be returning to London in any case.”
They’d neared Scarborough as they spoke and his face fell almost comically as he heard Penelope’s last words. “Never say you’re deserting me, Lady Penelope?”
Penelope made a moue as she sat in the chair Scarborough held for her. “Since it seems our host has deserted us, I think it the thing to do.”
“Ah, yes.” Scarborough frowned down at the gammon steak on the plate before him. “Wakefield did take off yesterday like a startled hare. I’ve never seen the like. I do hope,” he said jovially, glancing at Artemis, “that he didn’t take your teasing about the Ghost of St. Giles badly, Miss Greaves.”
“I do not think the duke is so easily frightened,” Artemis replied.
Scarborough raised his eyebrows and spread wide his hands. “And yet Wakefield has fled his own country home.”
Artemis’s heartbeat picked up. The last thing she wanted was suspicion being cast Maximus’s way now.
“But the duke said he had urgent business in London,” Penelope said, her brows drawn together in a puzzled frown. “I don’t see how that can have anything to do with something Artemis said.”
“No doubt you’re right,” Scarborough said at once. “Yet his abrupt departure has left his younger sister to travel alone to London.”
“But surely Miss Picklewood will be accompanying her?” Artemis pointed out.
“Not as I understand it,” Scarborough said to her. “Apparently Miss Picklewood received news this morning of a friend in Bath who has been struck by a sudden illness. She’s already left to go to her side.”
“Then Lady Phoebe will simply have to make do with her lady’s maid on the trip to London,” Penelope said dismissively.
“A servant is hardly the same as a companion, especially for a lady in Lady Phoebe’s condition,” Scarborough mused. “As I said, it’s a pity that Wakefield found his business more urgent than his blind sister.”
Artemis winced at the blunt words. Yet, the duke’s insistence on the subject might be used to her advantage. Penelope usually only gave her a half day once a week to do as she pleased. Even if Apollo were gravely injured, Artemis very much doubted that Penelope would let her go to the Duke of Wakefield’s London home for more than a couple of hours. But if she thought it was her own idea…
us slowly turned his head. “You did this?”
“Aye,” Ridley said with satisfaction. “Always were mouthin’ off, th’ whoreson. ’E ’ad it comin’ to ’im, ’e did.”
Maximus looked at Kilbourne, lying near death, his face unrecognizable, and thought: No one deserved that.
“Surprised ’e lived through that first night,” Ridley mused, apparently under the impression that they were now fast friends.
