Page 11 of The Duke of My Desire

He frowned, resisting the urge to pop his head out the window to look for himself. “Where?”

“A little ways up the walk. He was standing alone on the pavement, looking in one of the shop windows. I couldn’t see his face, so I don’t know for certain, but I–I think it was him.”

His gaze met hers as she worried her lower lip with her teeth, and he could tell by the expression on her face that she was almost certain the man she’d seen was Lovelace.

Bollocks.

They’d tried to be careful, but there was every possibility that the man had followed Lady Dunne’s maid from her townhouse to the shop.

“Did he see you?” Gregory asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t believe so. But if he had, wouldn’t he have approached us by now?”

“Yes, probably.” But not definitely. “He might also be watching for us, intending to follow.”

Lady Dunne frowned. “Damn.”

Gregory reached an arm out the window facing the street and thumped the door with his fist twice to draw his driver’s attention.

John’s broad face appeared in the window a moment later, his brow furrowed in confusion at seeing the occupants spread out across the bench seats.

“I want you to drive on, John, slow and easy,” Gregory instructed. “Once you’re certain we have not been followed, stop the carriage someplace where we won’t be observed.”

John nodded his understanding and a moment later, the carriage set off up Bond Street with a jolting start.

“Now what?” Lady Dunne asked, sitting up in her seat as Gregory did the same. “Do we leave my belongings behind and press on?” She frowned, clearly unhappy with the idea.

Gregory tugged his waistcoat in place and considered what they should do next. He had little experience with subterfuge, but he’d been schooled from a young age in the art of problem-solving. This problem could be solved, he simply needed a moment to think on it.

“I think I have an idea,” he said a few minutes later just as the carriage drew to a stop on a quiet residential street.

“What is it?” Lady Dunne asked, but just then John appeared at the window, and Gregory spent the next minute relaying a new set of instructions to his driver.

When he’d finished, John nodded then set off on foot to see the errand done.

“I hope this works,” Lady Dunne said, her eyes impatient.

“So do I.”

He sat back in his seat and hooked an ankle atop the other knee, fighting the urge to fidget. John was on his way back to the shop, where he would instruct the lady shopkeeper to wrap Lady Dunne’s valise in brown paper, thus giving the illusion that it was a shop purchase out for delivery.

It wasn’t a foolproof plan by any means, but it was the best he could come up with. He wished he could assuage Lady Dunne’s fears and tell her everything would be all right, but how could he make such a promise? He had no way of knowing if it was true, and he’d never been very good at lying.

“Does Lovelace know you have a sister in Cheshire?”

He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought to ask this before, but it only now occurred to him.

“No, I don’t think so,” she replied after a moment’s thought. “I cannot recall ever mentioning it to him.”

Gregory nodded, his mind working. “Even so, I think we should play it safe and change our plan. If we take an indirect route to Cheshire, it will take us longer to get there, but it should make it harder for him to follow.”

“I agree.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. “I’m sorry, Your Grace. I realize this is more than you had bargained for.”

Gregory gave her a reassuring smile. “Please don’t apologize. I only hope we can get you to your sister’s without incident,” he said. “And that some time apart will cool the viscount’s...ardor.”

Lady Dunne scoffed. “Ardor. It’s his pride that’s been affected, that’s all. I didn’t know it before now, but he’s the sort of man who does not like to be rejected.”

“I don’t know of any man who does,” Gregory said. “We are a prideful lot, I’m afraid.”