Page 10 of The Viscount in her Bedroom
“Excuse me, my lord,” she murmured.
“There’s nothing to excuse.” He waited until their voices trailed away, and he had mastered his distracted thoughts of Miss Shelby. “Are we alone, Grandmama?”
“You need not have that edge in your voice for me,” Lady Wade said. “And yes we’re alone, except for your valet.”
“Well, I had to be certain.” He cocked his head. “Manvil, please wait outside the door for me and close it behind you.”
He heard the click of the door latch, but before he could speak, his grandmother did.
“Simon, forgive me for not introducing Miss Shelby earlier,” she said in soft voice. “I admit that I just…forgot I needed to.”
He heard her sorrow, something she didn’t normally reveal. Of all of his family, she’d been the one who’d most mastered the ability to act perfectly normal, as if he weren’t blind. How could he remain angry with her? She was letting him stay in her home, when his own mother hadn’t been able to get away from him fast enough.
“You’re forgiven,” he said gruffly. “But I still don’t understand why you hired a companion, and Miss Shelby in particular.”
“Lady Ralston recommended her to me as a very compassionate girl. I need someone who understands that although I may be aging, sometimes I don’t want to be reminded of it.”
He held his tongue, though he still wasn’t satisfied with her answer. It was only what she wanted him to hear. And there had to be another reason why she chose Miss Shelby—and why Miss Shelby had accepted.
ChapterThree
Miss Wade escorted Louisa up to the second floor and down another long corridor, this one lined with doors interspersed with tall paintings. The last doorway led to a lovely corner bedroom, decorated in blue. Besides the large four poster bed and all the basic furniture, she even had her own writing desk, which she well appreciated. Tall windows looked out over an immense park.
Miss Wade smiled at her and crossed the room. “One of these is actually a door to the balcony.” She brushed aside the edge of the curtain to show the door handle. “It runs along the rear of the manor, so it is not exactly your own private balcony.”
Louisa laughed. “I wouldn’t need that much privacy, Miss Wade, not for the outdoors.”
“There’s a bathing chamber through the other door, with hot and cold water.”
“I’ll feel like a princess,” she said. Even Banstead House did not have such luxury. “But I promise I’ll remember my place.”
Though Louisa was only teasing, Miss Wade’s expression turned serious.
“Miss Shelby, I know that a lady’s companion is not always treated respectfully, but you can trust my grandmother to treat you as the gentlewoman you are.”
“I never doubted that,” Louisa said.
“My grandmother is…very different from what most people expect in someone her age. Her mind is still lively, and she has seldom been ill, so she enjoys paying her calls as much as ever. What has worried her the most is my brother. Simon, I mean,” she added.
“You have another brother?”
“Leo, who is between Simon and me in age.”
The name sounded familiar, but then she’d met so many men in the last several years.
“Leo has spent his life teasing me, and Simon has always been my protector.” Miss Wade lowered her voice. “It’s my turn now.”
Louisa frowned. “To be Lord Wade’s protector?”
Miss Wade sighed. “That’s the wrong word, of course. I’m more of an…assistant than a protector.”
“I’m sure everyone wants to help him since his accident. His servant must be very dedicated. His valet, I assume?”
“Yes, Manvil helps Simon with everything he needs to do.”
“If it is not too forward of me, how do you act as your brother’s assistant?”
“I help Simon with his work. He has his secretary and steward, of course, to help him with all the duties of a man of property.”
