Page 26 of An Affair at Stonecliffe

“Dear boy.” The countess smiled and patted his arm, then turned to Noelle, still standing in the doorway. “Do come in, dear. I’m so glad to see you.” Her voice was smooth, lacking any hint of reproach, even though she must have been alarmed.

“I am sorry that we gave you any worry,” Noelle said with complete honesty, walking up to the woman. “I—” She hesitated, glancing at Mr. Dunbridge.

“Don’t hesitate to speak in front of Nathan,” the countess assured her. “He is practically a member of the family; he knows all our secrets.” She took Noelle’s arm, leading her toward the small couch. “I hope that nothing I said upset you.”

“No, it was a...a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“Yes,” Carlisle put in. “We’ll discuss it in a moment. But I think young Gilbert might like to play in the nursery.” He looked over at Gil, smiling, and lifted his brows at the boy. “And perhaps some biscuits and milk might be in order?”

“Yes!” Gil trotted over.

Noelle half rose, casting a worried glance at her son. It made her stomach dance to let him out of her sight in this place, among these people. But Thorne was right to want Gil out of earshot for this discussion. She sank back down in her seat.

Carlisle waited until Gil left the room with a sturdy footman before he turned back to the others. “Lady Rutherford has been under the impression that I tried to kidnap Gil,” Carlisle began bluntly.

“What?” Adeline and Nathan gaped at him.

Carlisle explained to them what had happened and what he had learned, his story punctuated here and there by a gasp from the countess or a “Good Gad!” from his friend.

“What will you do, Carlisle?” the countess asked when he finished.

“Take all of you to Stonecliffe, to begin with,” Thorne replied. “You’d best set the servants to packing, my lady. I’d like to leave this afternoon.”

“But, Carlisle dear, what about the clothes for Noelle and Gilbert? Couldn’t we at least stay long enough to buy fabric? There’s a seamstress in the village who could make adequate day dresses if we had the material. Surely we would be safe enough here in this house, at least for a bit.”

“Yes, you’d be safe here. But you can’t go jaunting about the city with an attacker on the loose.”

“Gil can stay in the house, surrounded by our people,” Adeline suggested.

Noelle didn’t like the sound of that. The last thing she wanted was to be separated from her son. And she hated the thought of accepting handouts from the countess. It was already galling enough that they would be living on her charity. “Really, ma’am, you needn’t...it’s very generous of you, but—”

“Generous?” Adeline dismissed the notion with a flick of her wrist. “It’s Gilbert’s money, after all, and he has more than enough for new clothes. Isn’t that right, Carlisle?”

“Yes, of course. Both of you should have proper clothes.” Carlisle turned his shrewd gaze on Noelle. “Think how it would look if we had the Drewsbury heir and his mother running about in rags.”

“Carlisle!” Adeline scolded. “What a thing to say.” She turned to Noelle. “I’m sure he didn’t mean...um...”

Noelle knew he’d meant exactly what he’d said. She and Gil would be an embarrassment to the family dressed in their cheap clothing. And somehow the thought that Thorne would buy the clothes for that reason, not out of pity or kindness, made her more willing to take the gifts. “Pray, don’t worry, ma’am. I don’t take anything Mr. Thorne says for truth.”

She ignored the countess’s soaring eyebrows and the chuckle from Thorne’s friend Nathan as she stared back at Carlisle with a cool gaze to match his own.

“Buying clothes is not the problem,” Carlisle snapped. “The problem is you putting yourself out in the street where this ruffian can attack you.”

“What? I don’t understand.” The countess looked over at Noelle. “I thought it was Gilbert who was in danger.”

“Gil is the one in danger.” Noelle glared at Carlisle. “Mr. Thorne has it fixed in his head that I was the object of the attack.”

“Bloody hell—I beg your pardon, ma’am.” He nodded to the countess. Noelle noticed he didn’t apologize to her for his language, just turned back to glower at her. “I cannot understand why you are so eager to put yourself in danger.”

Noelle hadn’t intended to go shopping. She didn’t even want to, but now she was determined to do so. “I’m not. But I won’t cower inside the house because you have decided that my son’s attempted kidnapping was an attack on me.”

“I’m sure not,” Carlisle retorted. “That would make too much sense.”

“Carlisle, dear, don’t be rude.” The countess rose and patted his arm. “I can see that you are in a bother about it, but you mustn’t fret. We shall be perfectly safe in the carriage. The coachman and the footman will be with us.”

“Anders and Jackson aren’t enough,” Carlisle said, but his expression showed that he was relenting. He sighed. “I’ll go with you.”