Page 25 of Must Love Scoundrels
Lucy closed her eyes and massaged the bridge of her nose. She had thought the boy would forget about that discussion, but it seemed all he ever remembered about Lucy’s “brother.”
“No,” Duncan said, crouching down so he might look the boy in the eye. He was one of the few people who did that, and she thought it remarkably kind. She could see how it made Master Johnny feel as though what he said mattered. Lucy certainly remembered that feeling as a child when an adult really listened to her. Until she’d been about eleven or twelve, she’d been mostly ignored. “I’ve had nothing to cry about of late,” he continued. “How about you?”
“I cried because Miss Lucy wouldn’t let me have a biscuit at tea yesterday.”
Duncan gave her a reproving look. “No biscuits?”
“He’d had two,” she said.
“Ah. She wouldn’t let you have a third biscuit. Well, I suppose better to cry about that than to cry when your teeth rot from too many sweets.”
“I have a loose tooth right now.” Johnny reached into his mouth and wiggled one of his bottom teeth. “Is it rotten?”
“Let me see,” Duncan said, peering at the boy’s mouth seriously. Johnny smiled widely and Duncan made hemming noises. “I believe that tooth is coming out from natural causes and not an overindulgence in sweets. Surely Miss Lucy told you everyone loses their baby teeth.”
“Mama told me. She said my adult tooth will grow in when this one falls out.” He looked about. “Where is my ball?”
“It rolled into that group of trees there,” Lucy said. “Why don’t you fetch it, and we can all kick it together?”
Johnny ran toward the trees, and Lucy turned to Duncan. “It’s good of you to be so sweet with him. Most of the other manservants ignore him, and his father is so busy, he doesn’t see him for more than a few minutes a day.”
Duncan reared back as though she’d thrown poison at him. “I’m not sweet with him.”
“It wasn’t a criticism.”
“No matter.” He waved his hand, seeming to dismiss her. “I’ve had a letter from Baron.”
“Already? My report can’t have reached him yet.”
“I think he must have sent this shortly after we departed.”
“May I see it?”
He patted his waistcoat. “I have it here. I thought we could read it together later this evening.”
“I’ll meet you under the lime tree. And do try to be on time. Yesterday I had to wait ten minutes. That’s not like you.”
He slanted her a look. “Perhaps I’m not as punctual as you thought.”
She was about to respond that she appreciated punctuality in another agent when her gaze landed on the wooded spot where the ball had rolled, and she saw no sign of it or Johnny. She clutched Duncan’s arm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Johnny? Johnny!” she called, starting for the wooded area.
There was no answer, and her heart began to pound. She started running, but her damn skirts caught her ankles and she had to slow. Duncan had no such impediment, and he ran ahead of her, calling the boy’s name. When there was still no response, he said, “I’ll go left; you go right. Meet back here in ten minutes.”
She nodded and lifted her skirts, tying them quickly. Her dress would have caught on a fallen branch or bramble bush in seconds if she hadn’t. She’d not waste precious time untangling herself. “Johnny,” she called, searching for a flash of blue amongst the green foliage. Johnny had been wearing a blue coat today. “Johnny?”
Why didn’t he answer?
He had become distracted by a plant or an insect. He often didn’t seem to be able to focus on anything else when something caught his attention. She didn’t want to consider the possibility that someone had taken advantage of his solo foray into the woods to abduct him, but as she was an agent, her thoughts had gone to a potential abduction immediately. Stolen right under her nose. How could she have allowed this to happen?
The answer was she wouldnotallow it to happen. She was a Royal Saboteur. She could foil this abduction in her sleep. But the key was to find the boy quickly. The longer he was gone, the harder he would be to trace. She studied the ground, looking for footprints, broken branches, or torn leaves. But everything looked pristine and untouched. In the distance, she heard Duncan calling for Johnny, and she began to call as well. After what she estimated as five minutes, she started back, carefully tracing her path and looking for anything she might have missed.
She emerged into the clearing just as Duncan emerged from his side. As soon as she saw him, her heart flew to her throat.
Duncan held Johnny’s brown ball.
