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“But, Mama,” Rachel complained for the millionth time that day. “Lilly and Violet andKittywill—”
“On my life, Rachel!” Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose in a vain attempt to stave off a headache. “You are driving me to Bedlam.” On the bench beside her, Emma slid her hand into Caroline’s and squeezed her fingers in silent support. Rachel must be driving Emma to the ends of hersanitytoo.
Rachel heaved an irritated sigh. Of course, over the last little while, every breath Rachel took sounded irritated in one way or another. “I just don’t understand why you have to be so mean about the entire thing. It’s one little ride in thepark.And—”
“And I’ve already given you my answer,” Caroline replied as the coach came to a stop in front of StaveleyHouse.
“Once upon a time, you were fun,” her oldest daughteraccused.
And Rachel was absolutely correct on that score. Caroline shook her head in exasperation. “Once upon a time, I had the luxury ofbeingso.”
Walters, the coachman, opened the door and Emma quickly scrambled from the carriage in her apparent haste to escape her frustrating oldersister.
Caroline heaved a sigh of her own. “If you want to attend Astley’s with Olivia and Alex this week, you will let the matter drop,Rachel.”
“I don’t know why we even bothered to come to Town if we’re not allowed todoanything,” Rachel muttered under her breath as she alighted from the coach, but Caroline heard every syllable, as her daughter had most assuredly meant for her todoso.
“We can always return to thecountry,if—”
“Who areyou?” Emma asked, halting Caroline’s threat and drawing her attention to theirfrontdoor.
But Tindle wasn’t at his post. Instead, another fellow in butler’s attire stood in the threshold. A fellow who looked vaguely familiar, and…then she knew immediately who the man was.What in the world?But even as that thought circled Caroline’s mind, she knew the answer to that question as well. Damn Marc straight to thedevil.
“I am Simmons,” the man said and smiled warmly at Caroline’s youngest daughter. “AndyouareMissEmma.”
Emma nodded and her dark curls bobbed against her shoulders. “Yes,and—”
“Just what are you doing here?” Caroline snapped. Of all the overbearing, high-handed… “Where isTindle?”
Simmons met her gaze, not unkindly, and said in a firm voice. “I’m afraid Tindle was called away, milady. So I’ll be filling in for theSeason.”
“The devil you will,” Caroline seethed and ignored the twin gasps from her daughters over her language. Then she turned her full attention to Rachel a few feet away. “Go inside and stay with yoursister.”
“Where areyougoing?” Rachel blinked at her inconfusion.
“To deal with a pompous, over-reaching marquess.” Caroline flicked her gaze to Walters and added, “Upper Grosvenor, with great haste.” Then she whispered just loud enough for him to hear, “Haversham House,” because saying those words any louder would be more thanscandalous.
“Of course, LadyStaveley.”
Oh! When she got her hands on Marcus Gray! The arrogant blackguard! How dare he? How dare he make decisions regarding her household? Fury welled up inside Caroline in the short distance to his home. She’d been very clear the day before about not wanting to have anything to do with him. But as always, he paid her no attention at all! Well, that was about to change. She was not going to have him inserting himself into her life in any way, shape, or form. And he was going to accept that facttoday!
The carriage drew to a stop in front of Marc’s townhouse, and Caroline quickly alighted from the conveyance. She bounded up the stoop, but before she could knock, the door opened and a fellow in footman livery stood in the threshold. Of course he wasn’t a butler asMarc’sbutler was currently standing inside StaveleyHouse.
“Yes, Miss?” thefootmansaid.
“Is Lord Haversham in?” sheclippedout.
The footman’s brow furrowed slightly. “His lordship is, however, he’s not receiving callers at themoment.”
“He’ll receive me.” Caroline pushed her way past the servant, into the entrance hall. “Marc!” she called loudly before she lost herbravado.
“Miss…” the footman began as he shut the front door behind him. “Miss,please.”
Miss? Caroline managed not to snort. How manymissesdid Marc generally entertain here? Probably more than she cared to know about. “I amLadyStaveley,” she stressed her title. “Whereishe?”
“Well, Lady Staveley, he’s in his chambers. He’s not receiving, as I said. If you would like to callanothertime…”
His chambers. Hiding out, most likely. The coward. Well, he wasn’t going to hide from her. Firing her butler and dropping his own off like a gifted puppy was beyond the pale… “Marc!” she called again, starting down the corridor. “Marcus!” She glanced back over her shoulder at the blackguard’s would-be butler and said, “Well, which way to his lordship’schambers?”
