“Two eggs, my lord?”
“Please, Mrs. Barwick.”
As the door closed behind the housekeeper, Georgie murmured, “I’m not quite sure what to say. People said a great many things after my mother and brother died, but none of them were particularly helpful.”
His head bowed, Lord Peter chuckled, a dark and ironic sound. “At times like these, I’m not sure what to say, either. Shewas hale and hearty two weeks ago, and now she’s gone. Only a miracle would have saved her, and I could not produce one.”
He sighed, and raised his head. His hazel eyes were reddened and ringed with dark circles. “All I can do is eat a hearty breakfast and sleep until her widower arrives to arrange the funeral.”
Georgie saw the burden his vocation could bring to him etched on his exhausted face. His willingness to be called out of his bed to comfort a dying woman and her family was admirable. A surprising number of clergymen might have refused to do the same, or sent a curate in their place. But Lord Peter had stayed by her side, and remained to comfort her family when she was gone.
“I can read the newspaper to you, if you like,” Georgie said tentatively, and Lord Peter smiled at last.
“I would appreciate that. Thank you.”
It wasn’t until she was three paragraphs into the first story that she remembered to lower her voice. She peeked over at him, but he already seemed half-asleep, mechanically munching on a slice of toast as his eyelids drooped.
She really must be more careful. She had known the man for barely a day and she was already far too comfortable with him.
If he discovered she was a woman, she would be thrown out of the vicarage, and if she was lucky, he would allow her to take the otters with her. If she wasn’t…
Self-consciously, she cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice low as she continued to read aloud.
4
After spending the day tiptoeing around the rectory so as not to awaken Lord Peter and tending to the otters, Georgie knew she could not put off her next decision. She forced herself to get up before breakfast the next morning and write the letter to Caroline asking if she had heard of anyone in need of a companion. She must at leasttryto find employment so as not to compromise Lord Peter any more than necessary. She would walk to the village and send the letter from the local shop that very day so she would not come to dread it so much that she never sent it.
Even if Caroline did not know of any positions, that would be useful information for Georgie to know before she made other plans.
With a sigh, she folded the letter and sealed it. She should have enough money left to post it pre-paid to Bath.
She nearly bumped into Lord Peter on her way into the breakfast room as he came around the corner unexpectedly. He was slightly rumpled, and a fainteau d’otterled Georgie to believe he had been out to visit them already. She tried not tofrown, feeling a pang at knowing someone else had taken on the care of her pets.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said, interpreting her glance correctly. “I had already gotten into the habit of feeding them in the morning. I didn’t realize you might want to do it yourself.”
“It’s all right,” she said, a little uncomfortable he was able to read her so well. If worse came to worst and she did need to abandon her otters, at least Lord Peter seemed willing to care for them.
For a moment, they both hesitated in front of the closed breakfast room door, and Georgie realized she was waiting for him to open it, out of long habit. She reached out and turned the knob to let both of them into the room.
There was another fresh newspaper this morning. Georgie wondered how to discreetly steal it away later to look at the advertisements, but even as she had the thought, Lord Peter frowned at her over the opened paper.
“Have you thought about your plan going forward, Mr. Morley?”
“I’d like to borrow the newspaper after breakfast to look for any posted positions,” she said, with a rush of gladness she would not need to add to her deceptions of changing her name and gender. “And I shall be posting a letter to an old friend today to ask if… they know of any positions that would suit.”
He did not seem to notice her hasty pronoun substitution and only nodded. It would not do for Lord Peter to become curious why a young man had an “old friend” who was a woman.
“We can set out for the village as soon as we finish breakfast. I have some business at the church today, so I can walk with you and show you the way.”
“Thank you,” Georgie said. “It’s very kind of you.” It would be a relief to her if she could feel she had made at least a small step towards helping herself.
After breakfast, Georgie donned her brother’s greatcoat and they set off at a brisk pace that made her realize how often gentlemen had adjusted their stride to her own… or had failed to. Lord Peter seemed to expect her to be able to keep up with him, though he paused when he realized she was struggling.
“Bit out of condition, are we?” he said, a touch of humor in his voice, and Georgie glared at him as she fought for breath. She had not realized until now how restricted her life had become since her cousin had moved in, and that included the small area of the house and grounds she was allowed to walk through. She had taken to staying in her room as much as possible, only leaving when she had to teach lessons to the children or feed the otters.
“I am a scholar, my lord, not an athlete.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lord Peter said, with what Georgie felt was considerable heartlessness. “The best way to get around this part of the country is on foot. You’ll be in prime shape in no time at all.”
