“Mother!” Vivienne wrapped her arm around his. “You’re exaggerating.”
Before the countess could add anything, he bowed and opened the door without waiting for the footman. He’d had enough of waiting.
“You can’t leave me.” Lady Huntington’s voice came from behind him.
Vivienne paused and faced her. “I’m not your responsibility anymore. Samuel is going to take good care of me.”
You bet. He nodded.
Lady Huntington clamped a hand over her mouth and ran up the stairs in a flutter of black fabric.
As much as he didn’t approve of the countess’s suffocating love for her daughter, her pain was palpable, and he didn’t enjoy seeing her distraught.
“I apologise for my mother’s words.” Vivienne needed his help to sit in the carriage, her breathing short. Dobkins followed.
“Don’t apologise.” He didn’t care about what her mother said. “I’m not offended.” He started to enter the carriage after Dobkins when a movement caught his eye.
A short man with a top hat and in a dark suit pivoted when Samuel craned his neck to take a better look. The man hailed a hansom and vanished. Samuel could have sworn the man was limping.
“Is something the matter?” Vivienne asked.
“There was a man on the other side of the pavement. I was sure he was about to cross the street in our direction but changed his mind so quickly he seemed to be fleeing from something.”
She gazed around. “I didn’t see anyone.”
“Never mind.” He climbed into the carriage, troubled by something he couldn’t point out. “You are quite pale.”
She lowered her gaze, and he didn’t like it.
“The captain will take a look at you,” he said before holding her hand and stroking her fingers.
“Is the captain all right?” Dobkins said.
“He’s been sober for five years, and it shows.”
Dobkins squeezed his hand. “It’s so good to see you, and I’m looking forward to seeing the captain—” She composed herself. “Well, he doesn’t need to know that.”
He chuckled.
Vivienne brightened when the carriage stopped in front of the house. “Is this your house? Heavens, it’s huge. How many servants did you hire?”
Speaking of which. “There’s something I have to tell you.” He helped her out of the carriage.
“Yes?” She put both hands on his shoulders, and he held her by the waist to help her out.
When she stepped onto the pavement, she stood so close to him he got lost in her sapphire eyes. Beautiful, but for the missing spark of vitality he desperately wanted to see.
She leant into him when they walked to the front door.
He forced himself to focus. “My household includes people who were former servants but were dismissed because of physical problems. I found some of them in the streets or in circuses similar to Cade’s.”
She paused. “Are there more awful circuses like Cade’s?”
“Some aren’t terrible. I mean, in some circuses, the workers are happy to be there. But others aren’t. A few of my servants have…disfigurements.” He paused before knocking. “I just wanted to warn you.”
She nodded.
The door swung open, and Bernard came into view in his impeccable dark suit.
