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Perhaps he doubts my intentions. Perhaps he thinks me a scoundrel and a wastrel, who might steal from him or behave lazily. Or, perhaps, he merely wishes to make sure that I am settling in, after what occurred in London.
“Very much so,” Lord Bentley replied, with a half-smirk.
Rose blushed. “I’m glad about that, My Lord. I wouldn’t want him to wish he’d left me in London.”
“No-one would want that, Miss Parker. Why, even the cats adore you.” Lord Bentley stood and dusted off the seat of his trousers. “Well then, now all of that is settled, I shall leave you to Miss Bluebelle’s whims and fancies. I would tell you not to spoil her, but she would likely leave a dead mouse in my bed as punishment.”
Rose smiled down at the cat. “There is not a mean bone in her body, My Lord.”
“Not with you, perhaps. She has attempted to scratch my eyes out on many an occasion, and most of the staff refer to her as ‘the feral one,’ whenever they believe no-one is listening.” Lord Bentley frowned strangely, as though he were thinking of something complex. “Yet here she is, playing the docile kitten with you. There is only one other for whom she behaves like this.”
Rose stroked Bluebelle, giving her sole focus to the creature so that Lord Bentley would not see the hopeful glimmer in her eyes. “Who is that, My Lord?”
“The Captain.” Lord Bentley sighed softly. “You seem to have a way of soothing wild beasts, Miss Parker. The creatures that others despair of or give up on entirely. It is a rather wondrous trait, and you must be sure that you do not lose it.”
“I’ll try not to, My Lord,” she promised, as her mind whirred. Who were the wild beasts that Lord Bentley spoke of? Who were these creatures that others had despaired of or given up on? He could not have been referring solely to Bluebelle, for she was domesticated.
Have I soothed Lord Langston?She did not know how she might have done that, for she had not seen much of him in the past few days. She had caught glimpses when he thought he was alone, out in the gardens, or standing in the house, but she had been careful to go unseen.
He dipped his head in a half bow. “I will leave you now. It has been a pleasure to speak with you and to see that you are comfortable here at Langston House. I had hoped you would be.”
“Thank you for vouching for me, My Lord. I know you did not have to, but I am eternally grateful that you inspired His Lordship to make me an offer of employment.” Rose paused, her throat thick with emotion. “I realize I have not had the opportunity to thank you properly, but I do not know where I would be if you had not done so.”
He smiled kindly. “It was my pleasure, Miss Parker.”
“I should like to thank His Lordship also. Do you think he would mind my thanking him on our excursion?” Rose cradled Bluebelle’s face in her hands and rubbed her thumbs against the cat’s cheeks.
“I do not think he will mind at all,” Lord Bentley replied, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes. “Farewell, Miss Parker. Do not linger out here too long, lest Mrs. Whittaker finds you and scolds you. But I will not tell.”
Warmth swelled in her chest as Lord Bentley walked away, leaving her to the last bronzed cascade of the summer evening. She could scarcely remember a time when she had felt so peaceful, though she reasoned it must have been before her mother died, when all was well, and she had a bright future ahead of her. Now, although she had no loftier ambitions of designing attire and forging a fashion house in her own name, she wondered if a future here could be equally bright, in a different way.
Her gaze drifted across the pond and toward the woodland in the distance. There, just for a split-second, she thought she saw a figure dart into the trees. A shadow or a trick of the eye, she could not be sure. Perhaps, she had not seen anything at all.
I am weary, that’s all.Yet, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and Bluebelle had twisted around in her arms, the cat’s tail flicking with suspicion. And Rose could not shake the feeling that the shadow had been entirely real.
