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“Well, it might not appear quite the thing you see. Me, running away from him, to go to your aunt. Looks …”
“Aye, aye. I see what you mean.” Suddenly dawning lit up his pale blue eyes. “Got it!” With this statement, he took her arm and led her to the house.
“Do you?”
She listened raptly as he laid out his plans and then scrunched up her face as she gave it some thought. She still had her doubts and told him, “Well, I don’t know how and what your aunt Matilda will say when we show up at her door.”
“Never mind that now. First things first,” Scott answered, obviously having made up his mind.
She laughed at all this newfound manhood and said, “Why, Scott … I am impressed.”
“Aye, so you should be.”
* * *
Quaint and well appointed, the Northport Inn, was, Lady Daphne felt, at least a respectable establishment. This, however, did not stop her from stomping around her charmingly decorated bedchamber and advising her middle-aged, placid-tempered maid that her brother the duke was a villain of some stature.
“For wouldn’t you know he would send me off in a Somerset coach that was too decrepit to make the journey!”
She folded her arms across her ample bosom and seethed. “Does he accompany me? Oh, no. Off he goes to London on some last-minute nonsense while he sends me to do his work for him. Well, when next I see him, he shall answer for this.” She was, in fact, sadly agitated, for she missed her Freddy and heartily wanted to return to him and her life in London.
“I am very sure he will, my lady,” answered her maid with a certain twinkle, for she was well acquainted with her ladyship’s volatile brother.
Lady Daphne eyed her suspiciously for a moment but continued in this vein for a time before she allowed herself to sit and sip the tea her maid had poured for her refreshment.
“Is the coach nearly ready, do you think?” her ladyship asked after the soothing brew had found its way to her lips and down her throat.
“I will go and see, my lady.” Her maid started to rise.
“No, no, sit back down dear and have a cup with me. I shan’t ill use you the way my brother uses me.” She sighed and added, “I am certain they will send us word as soon as it is ready for us to proceed on this blasted journey.” She eyed her maid, who picked up a pastry and took a hearty bite.
Well, there was nothing for it. She had given in to her brother’s winning charm, and just look where she was. It was always this way with him.
It was at that very moment the duke tooled his perfectly matched pair of bay geldings down the Post Road, totally unaware that his sister had been left kicking her heels at an inn while the Somerset Coach was under repair. She had made the journey from London with him in his own curricle, and it had never occurred to him she might have any trouble on the trip to Easton.
London was left at his broad back and ahead, ahead lay some countrified twenty-year-old child, he thought as he grimaced to himself. Egad! Whatever would he do with her?
There were, of course, several alternative solutions that he could have utilized. After all, he wouldn’t even be her guardian in two months. He could have just allowed matters to continue as they were. But, no, conscience was a heavy obstacle. His late uncle’s wishes, he found, were not something he could ignore. The chit had been his uncle’s ward, and he must do right by her. So be it.
Whatever Curtis may have said, however, did not alter the fact that he was a bachelor and one with a reputation for being a bit of a rogue with the ladies. He needed his sister’s help in this blasted matter and was thankful that she had finally consented to fetch the child and take her to Waverly House.
This entire mess was a damned nuisance.
That was another thing. He had arranged to move into the Somerset Town House, but he bloody hell didn’t want to. He had enjoyed his life in his bachelor lodgings. There, he had been used to having friends drop by at all hours …
Now, he was just down the avenue from Waverly, his sister’s residence in Kensington. The very best locations … and yet, he would miss his old place.
Damned annoying.
Now he was a duke.
Also damned annoying.
It was a good four hours to Easton from London, but he couldn’t leave his sister hanging there with his ward. He had promised to join her as soon as he could, and that was his honest intent.
He changed his horses at the posting house and was determined to make the trip in one day; two hours for each team was just right.
With any good luck Daffy had reached Easton as planned and perhaps had even struck up a rapport with the Easton chit. He certainly hoped so. Aye, then, that would make things move smoothly. Indeed, if Daffy took the chit under her wings he might actually slip through this entire mess quite comfortably.
