Page 66 of Lord Gabriel’s Undoing

Mattie stopped playing the piano and fixed her curious gaze on their unexpected caller. Phoebe had confided in her that she rather liked Gabriel, so Mattie had been full of commiserations that he’d not been seen for a week.

Gabriel strode into the room, just for a moment his eyes, restless with disquiet, resting on her before he returned them to Aunt Fanny, who had set down her book and now wore a somewhat reproving expression on her face. No doubt she was thinking of reprimanding him for not having called.

Phoebe’s heart began to pound and her pricked finger bled unnoticed onto her sewing. Without being told, she knew without a doubt why he was here.

Gabriel swept a bow to them all, but kept his attention on her aunt. “Good morning, Lady Brockwood. I must apologize for calling at such an unearthly hour.” Despite the air of restlessness about him, his voice was calm and measured. Only someone who knew him would be able to divine his lack of composure.

“I’m afraid I’ve been somewhat indisposed for the last week but am quite recovered now. A feeble excuse, I know, and I owe Lady Phoebe an abject apology for not having called sooner, nor informed her of my indisposition.”

The lie slipped easily off his tongue, and she would have laughed if she hadn’t been so diligently keeping a straight face. Papa might have counseled her to beware of throwing in her lot with someone so good at not telling the truth. For once, she ignored his ghostly warning.

Gabriel smiled that oh so charming smile, and her stomach began to twist in anticipation.

“However, I am most keen to make up for my absence by taking Lady Phoebe out driving again, if she would care to accompany me. The weather is a little improved today, I’m glad to say. I imagine she might enjoy it.”

What polite posturing he was capable of. No one could have guessed at his secret…at their secret. Phoebe, her blood-spotted sewing lying discarded in her lap, couldn’t help the little smile that slipped across her face.

Gabriel’s smile worked on Lady Brockwood like a charm. The reproving expression on her face dissolved and she smiled back at him, a little condescendingly, it had to be admitted, but it was a smile, nevertheless. Phoebe could only hope it was a smile of approval now, for that was what she needed.

“I’m sorry to hear of your indisposition,” Aunt Fanny said, not sounding as though she meant it. “I must admit I had remarked on your absence at the Rucker’s soiree and the Audley House ball, although your brother was present. I should tell you that Phoebe was most popular at both, and has had young gentlemen calling on her all this last week. I think we should be expecting to make an announcement very shortly regarding her engagement.”

Gabriel, who must be well aware that this could be classed as a warning, cast a glance at Phoebe. As Aunt Fanny had chosen that moment to look at Mattie at the piano, Phoebe took the opportunity to show her feelings for these callers by wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Gabriel gave a snort of laughter adroitly turned into a cough.

“Well,” Lady Brockwood, who had missed the well-disguised laugh, said, “if she would like to go with you, then she may.” She fixed him with a hard stare. “But I refuse to have my ward’s feelings trifled with, young man, and a week is a long time for you to have ignored her, despite your excuses. I should tell you that I have high hopes that Lord Evesham will make an offer for her shortly. I implore you not to dally with her feelings if your intentions are not sincere.”

Gabriel kept a straight face. “I can assure you, Lady Brockwood, that I have no intention of trifling with Lady Phoebe’s feelings.”

Which wasn’t entirely true, was it? Because he’d done the trifling already and she was well and truly in love with him and determined, whoever his mother turned out to be, to marry him.

Phoebe rose to her feet, her sewing falling unheeded to the floor. “Thank you, Aunt Fanny. I should very much enjoy a ride out to the park in Lord Gabriel’s carriage.” She held out her hand to him and he took it, bowing.

His smile was mischievous, his eyes suddenly sparkling with excitement. “Shall we go?”

Her heart rose. “Why thank you, Lord Gabriel.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Little Compton Street turned out to be on the very route along which Gabriel had taken Phoebe when they’d walked to the St Giles Rookery. It was not what one could have called salubrious, but at least it wasn’t in the worst area, and had an aura of shabby semi-respectability about it. However, the landau and matched grays managed to look very out of place amongst the brewers’ drays, carts, and costermongers and their ponies when Lovat drew it up outside number ten, which was a shop.

An annoying thin drizzle had commenced when Gabriel and Phoebe had emerged onto Hill Street, so Atkins had been forced to take an inside seat, opposite them. This had necessitated near silence bar the usual pleasantries on the drive.

As the carriage drew to a halt, Atkins peered out of the window. Phoebe hadn’t been able to miss the ever-increasing worry on her face, even though Gabriel had directed Lovat to take them via Oxford Street. Of course, she must have been wondering which park they could possibly be going to as they were heading east, away from the part of London where most of the parks lay. To do her credit, she had said nothing. Her lips had become tighter, though, and her brows fiercer as they passed right through Soho Square and out onto Greek Street. She could not have been blind to the deterioration in the quality of the housing.

Now she was looking out at what could only be described as the rundown state of Little Compton Street, and Phoebe was sure she could hear her tutting to herself. What an infernal nuisance it was to have to take one’s maid everywhere. If only they could have come on this search in their disguises as the Booth brothers.

Gabriel opened the door and stepped out onto the pavement, then turned and held out his hand for Phoebe.

Atkins caught her arm. “I don’t think you should, milady. This doesn’t look like a safe place for a lady to alight from her carriage. Your aunt wouldn’t like you doing so. And you can’t want to buy anything here, surely? Not in a place like this?”

Phoebe tugged her arm free with determination. “I shall be perfectly all right with Lord Gabriel to look after me. Have no fear. You may remain here in the carriage. You’ll be quite safe as you have Lovat to look after you.” She smiled in what she imagined to be a confident manner, which was difficult as she was really full of trepidation. “I repeat, my dear Atkins…Rose. I shall be quite all right.”

And she too stepped down into the street without a second glance for her worried maid.

Number ten was a tall building with sash windows on every floor except the ground floor, which possessed a solid, black painted door and a small shop window. Within this spotlessly clean glass resided a selection of articles designed to lure the shopper inside: a few rolls of printed calico and linen, a black-trimmed bonnet, some folded cotton stockings, a selection of dull-colored ribbons, and a board with buttons affixed to it. Above the window, faded letters proclaimed this the establishment of Madame Brunet and, to its left, a narrow alley edged its way between the shop and the next building. None of this was conducive to a passing shopper such as Phoebe to go in and ask for service. But then, they were not in an area that catered for those who bought clothes for anything other than everyday workwear.

“Shall we go inside?” Gabriel asked, rather needlessly.