Page 30 of Love and the Shameless Lady

She hoped she had disgusted Sir Julian, but he merely seemed amused. “Why didn’t you dare?”

“Because I didn’t want to set the other smugglers against me. Reggie was well-liked amongst the fraternity.” And a cruel man who deserved to be dead, but she didn’t say that either. She’d already revealed far too much with that comment about dancing a jig.

“I wouldn’t want to be the target of your vengeance, Miss Warren.”

“Then go away, and you won’t be.”

That made him laugh, annoying man. He eyed her for a long moment, but she had the feeling his thoughts were elsewhere. He took a few mouthfuls of ham and eggs and a swallow of ale.

She sighed and ate a forkful of eggs, wondering how to get rid of him.

“To return to our earlier discussion, Miss Warren: you have two choices. Either you remain here, in which case I shall inform your servants of the danger in which you stand, and find out from them who is the nearest magistrate and inform him as well. Unfortunately, this will involve revealing that you are an authoress, but I will have no choice.”

She stood, aflame with rage, just as Ellie trotted in with a rack of toast. “There you go. Shall I bring anything else?”

Hurriedly, Daisy rearranged the expression on her face. It wasn’t quite enough, for the maid’s eyes widened. Daisy took a breath and managed a bit of a smile. “That’s all, thank you, Ellie. Everything looks delicious. You’ve done a marvelous job. Please have someone bring my cases to my bedchamber.”

“Yes, Miss Daisy.” Ellie broke into a relieved grin, curtsied, and left. Daisy shut the door behind her and whirled to face Julian. “Why are you doing this to me?”

“As I said before, I am trying to protect you.” He kept on eating, as calm as ever.

“Bollocks!” she retorted, but crude words didn’t faze him either. “Very well, tell the servants. Tell the squire and anyone else you choose. I won’t succumb to blackmail.”

“Admirable of you,” he said, “but before you force me to take such steps, you might listen to the alternative.”

She narrowed her eyes, twitching with fury. “And what, pray tell, is that?”

“You may come with me.”

Daisy’s mouth dropped open, but Julian knew she wouldn’t be speechless for long. He felt very little compunction about treating her unkindly. This wasn’t his usual difficulty of deciding whether or not a radical thinker merited imprisonment. Genuine danger threatened Daisy, and therefore he had no choice.

What a relief to be faced with a clear problem, no soul-searching required.

She gathered herself and said, “You are out of your mind. That would be far more scandalous than revealing I’ve written those novels.”

“That depends on where we go. I’m not proposing an improper liaison or even the appearance of one. Lord Garrison’s estate is only fifteen or so miles away.”

“No,” she snapped. “Impossible.”

He knew an urge to shake her. “Why not? As your nearest male relative apart from your brother, he’s the obvious choice.”

“I can’t possibly go there. Weren’t you there when . . . no, perhaps you didn’t hear Mr. Bonaventure say he’d been invited. They’re having a house party.”

No, Julian hadn’t, and this meant a change in plans. He had thought to leave Daisy at Garrison House and return to Mr. Bennett’s, but not if the marquis would no longer be there. Why, he wondered, would a French spy visit Lord Garrison? His lordship wasn’t likely to know military or government secrets.

Of course, a spy would vary his friends and acquaintances so as not to be too obvious. One might learn, by casual questioning, whom he had visited recently . . . whom he intended to visit in the near future . . .

Or he might not be a spy at all.

“I wouldn’t be welcome at the best of times, much less when they’re having guests,” Daisy said.

Julian scarcely knew Lord Garrison, but perhaps he could trespass on his acquaintance with Lady Garrison, whom he’d known before her marriage.

But he was getting ahead of himself here. “Do you mean to say that Lord Garrison would turn you away?”

She shook her head. “No, probably not. He wouldn’t wish to offend Colin. But it wouldn’t be fair to his wife or to their guests.” Her lip trembled. “Even if they allowed me to stay, even if Lady Garrison tolerated me for Miles’s sake, I couldn’t expect anything but the cold shoulder from others.”

His heart twisted at the misery in her face and voice.