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“Not particularly.” In fact, Caroline had only met the duchess once a number of years ago, and it seemed as though the woman had found herwanting.
“Then you may count yourself fortunate in that regard.” Peasemore shook his head. “Even the most terrifying dragons are afraid of her, you can trust meonthat.”
Caroline couldn’t help butlaugh.
But Peasemore blew out a breath instead of joining her. “After sitting through a charming discussion of all my faults and failures yesterday, the most egregious being my continued bachelor state and general choice of companions, Imighthave mentioned that you’d offered to play matchmakerforme.”
“Did you, indeed?” Caroline halted in her spot, drawing Peasemore to a stop beside her. She’d offered no such thing, not really. She wasn’t certain she even had matchmaking in her anylonger.
“Your reputation precedes you as well, my lady. Once I said those words, Her Grace was more than appeased. So I do hope I can convince you to be of assistance. And make my falsehood a reality before she ever finds out thetruth.”
Honestly, this was the last conversation Caroline expected to have today. How very odd on a number of different levels. Though she did owe him. He’d come to her rescue twice. Once with Marc and now with finding Fluff. “Is there a particular girl you have your eye on, LordPeasemore?”
If there was, he would certainly not need her assistance in the least. The man was so very handsome with a pleasant personality, and hewasheir to the Newbury dukedom. He’d need more help fending off would-be countesses thanfindingone.
Peasemore shrugged slightly. “There was a girl I had my eye on last season but she’s since married some dragoon guard. And my tastes generally tend toward the less than proper, if we’re being completelyhonest.”
Which, of course, Caroline had heard. “And the already married,” she added evenly, glad Rachel and Emma had darted ahead and were too far out of earshot to overhear her. But if Peasemorewasstill engaged in a torrid affair with Louisa Ridgemont, he’d need to end it soon before pursuing an eligible debutante. After all, she’d never help put an innocent young girl in a situation that would only lead to herheartache.
“That too,” heagreed.
At least he was honest. That would make working with him easier. Actually, none of the men she’d assisted in the past had ever come to her willingly. This was a novel experience. “Any current entanglements?” she asked as she started once again for Staveley House, because she would need to know what she was dealing with if she agreed tohelphim.
“Not as of asennightago.”
Well, that was one less thing to worry about then. “This girl last season…What was it about her that calledtoyou?”
A genuine smile tipped his lips. “She was utterly charming. Well—” he shrugged again “—she was beautiful, of course, and from a good family, but she had such a charming air about her. Any time spent with her left me grinning like an idiot,I’msure.”
Wasn’t he adorable, and not nearly as roguish as she’d firstthought?
“To the casual observer, she was perfectly prim and proper,” he continued, “but I think it was her Scottish blood that held a hint of wildness and made her quite unlike any other girl inLondon.”
Lady Elspeth MacLaren, well, Lady ElspethReidnow, sister to the Earl of Ericht. That had to be whom Peasmore was referring to. The Scottish girl had married a dragoon guard the year before. And she was quite lovely. That information would give Caroline a general idea about the sort of girl who might make the earl a perfectly lovely countess, if she was seriously considering this endeavor. She still wasn’t sure if she was. “In all honesty, I’m not certain I’ll be able to duplicate my past successes,mylord.”
He tilted his head closer to hers. “Is my reputation trulythatbad?”
His reputation had nothing to do with it. “No worse than my brother Luke’s was once upon a time. I’m just not certain I have the same abilities any longer.” After all, it was difficult to focus on happily-ever-afters when one felt hollowinside.
The genuine smile he cast her made his hazel eyes shine just so. “I have all the faith in the world in you, Lady Staveley.” Then he shrugged as they neared her stoop. “Besides, I’d rather put my future in your hands than leave my fate up to my grandmother. She’d saddle me with some dreadful chit with the face of a sloth and the personality to match simply because she has hips forbirthing.”
Well…helping Lord Peasemore might just be the thing to help her feel a bit like her old self, even if it wouldn’t bring the order and steadiness to her life that she craved. And shedidowe him a favor or two. “Give me the day to strategize,” she said. “But for now, let’s see what can be done about yourcheek.”
Chapter6
Someone had definitely climbedinto Staveley House through the study window. The boot prints in the soft ground beneath that particular window were evidence enough of that. Marc’s stomach twisted at the thought. Who was it? How long were they inside? Did they find what they were looking for? And what if Caroline had stumbled upon the villain in the dead of night? What would have happened to her? Those last two questions would prevent him from sleeping for the foreseeablefuture.
“I am sorry, milord,” Simmons muttered. “I never heard asound.I—”
“He’s a master,” Marc said, examining the broken seal of the window frame. A very specialized tool had been used for the job. “Lady Staveleyisout?” he asked, as it wouldn’t do for Caroline to find himthere.
The butler nodded. “She and her girls are in search of Miss Emma’s escaped cat who went out the same way,apparently.”
“Then she could be back in five minutes or five hours.” Marc frowned, sinking down to his haunches to examine the boot prints even closer. Hmm…a man would be heavier than a cat and would definitely leave his prints behind, but as soft as the ground was, one would think there’d be at least one set of paw prints as well if the animal went out the window. “Can you tell if anything is missinginside?”
“Nothing seems to be, milord.” Simmons shrugged. “Not that I know what I’m looking for, but everything seems to be inorder.”
So the thief was an expert at covering his tracks…well, aside from those boot prints. Which begged the question, why wouldn’t he shut the window? So odd. “We were assuming Galloway’s man was staffed inside the house,” Marc said more to himself than to Simmons. There’d be no reason to crawl in through the window if the villain was part of thehousehold.
