AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Lord Haversham!” little Emma Benton gushed, coming around the corner and holding a fluffy white cat in her arms. “I don’t suppose you have any lavenderdrops?”
So the secret to winning over Caroline’s youngest daughter was with hard candy? Marc made a mental note of that for the future. “I am fresh out, Miss Emma.” He smiled at the child. “Though I’m certain I’ll have some the next time we meet.” He would keep a stash of them from now on. Then he gestured to the white ball of fluff in her arms. “Who do you havethere?”
“This is Lord Fluffington,” she said, lifting her cat out for himtotake.
Damn it all. He didn’t want to hold the thing. He was just being polite. That was where politeness got one – holding cats one didn’t want to hold. “Hello, my lord,” Marc said as she handed him the ball of fluff, and he couldn’t believe he’d just ‘my lorded’ a cat forGod’ssake.
Lord Fluffington began to purr and Marc scratched him behindhisears.
“A very handsome fellow,heis.”
She beamed up at him with that certain childlike sparkle in her eyes that made him miss Callista in that instant. It had been a few weeks since he’d seen his daughter last, and he was clearly due for anothervisit.
“Did you enjoy Astley’s last night?” heasked.
“Indeed.” She nodded eagerly. “I like it best when the riders stand up on top of the horses. I don’t think I could ever do that. But I like toimagineit.”
“I have no doubt you can do whatever you’d like,” he said and started to hand her cat back to her, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Though you might want to run trick riding past your mother before youattemptit.”
She giggled and his heart ached for his own daughter. “Fluff and I were about to have a tea party if you want tojoinus.”
A tea party with a cat? Not the reason Marc had darkened the doorway of Staveley House that afternoon. “I shall have to decline this time, Miss Emma. I’ve actually come to see yourmother.”
“Oh!” Her green eyes twinkled once again. “I’ll take you to her.” Then she grabbed his hand and began to tug Marc down thecorridor.
He glanced over his shoulder to find Simmons biting back a smile. The traitor was enjoying himself quite a lot at Marc’sexpense.
A moment later, Emma pulled Marc over the threshold into Caroline’s whiteparlor.
“Here she is,” she sang, and then all of the laugher and chatter in the room came to an instant stop. “Oh! Aunt Juliet!” Emma cried, releasing Marc’s hand and dashing toward the settee where Juliet Beckford and Felicity Carraway sat together. “I didn’t know you were here!” She huggedheraunt.
But all other eyes were firmly on Marc, standing with a fluffy white cat in his arms in the doorway. He must look like a bloody idiot. Of course, his gaze landed on Caroline, and he was relieved when a ghost of a smile tipped her lips. It was gone a second later, but he was certain she was glad to see him. And he was always glad toseeher.
“Lord Haversham,” Caroline said, pushing out of her seat, which made that jackass Peasemore push out of his as well. “What asurprise.”
“I didn’t mean to intrude,” Marc replied. And he wouldn’t have barged into the parlor if Emma hadn’t pulled him alongwithher.
“Not at all,” Caroline assured him. “I see you’ve met Fluff.” She seemed to swallow a laugh. “You don’t have to hold him if you don’twantto.”
“Thank God.” Marc blew out a breath as he bent over and dropped the cat to the floor, who promptly scampered out into thehallway.
“Fluff!” Emma cried, rushing out of the parlor after her cat. “Comeback,boy.”
The room was still deathly silent as Marc glanced around the parlor. So he nodded in the general direction of the others. “My ladies.Peasemore,” he grumbled theman’sname.
“Lord Haversham,” Lady Juliet began coolly, lifting to her feet. Of course, she said most things coolly. “It has beenanage.”
And she’d prefer it to be another age before she saw him again, if her dismissive expression was any indication. He wasn’t certain how his old friend Luke Beckford ever thawed the lady’s icy demeanor. But as the pair now had a sonanda daughter, he apparently did from time to time. Or had at least twice. Personally, Marc would be afraid of coming away from the encounter with frostbit nether regions; but, he supposed, to eachhisown.
“Actually,” Peasemore began, glancing down at his pocket watch, “I just realized the time. I am due somewhere else, if you’ll allexcuseme.”
“Oh!” Caroline said, “I’ll seeyouout.”
“Not necessary,” the jackass assured her as he started for the doorway. “I’ll see you thisevening.”
What the devil was Caroline doing with Peasemore that evening? Marc moved aside, happy to let the man pass, though his mind was awhirl from the earl’s last comment. Bloody Peasemore had been around entirely too often for Marc’s comfort. And now he was seeing Caroline thatevening?
“Oh! Sebastian,” Felicity Carraway started after him. “A word first, if youdon’tmind.”
