Page 14 of Marigold and the Marquess
He knew he was being highhanded, but these were not nice men. It was possible they had friends who would take revenge. If so, he did not want her name mentioned anywhere. Not on an affidavit, not on a Royal Society report, and certainly not anywhere in the magistrate’s records.
If she chose to remain angry, so be it.
“I thought you were better than the others,” she grumbled. “But you are just as bad as they are, dismissing me because I am a woman.”
“I assure you, Miss Farthingale, I am not dismissing you at all. Time to take you home. Good evening, Mr. Smythe-Owens.”
“Good evening, my lord. Miss Farthingale.”
She had set aside her pelisse and reticule as she worked. Leo now grabbed them off the chair for her, then took her by the elbow and led her out.
The air had turned cooler as the hour grew late.
Bessie was seated beside his driver, a blanket covering her legs. The pair seemed quite cozy with each other. Leo noticed his driver had his hands beneath the blanket doing Leo dared not think what to the girl.
When Marigold, completely oblivious to the goings on, suggested Bessie ride in the carriage with them, the girl made up an excuse about her stomach not being right, blaming it on the scare they’d all had.
Marigold believed the girl’s fib. “Oh, dear. Yes, stay where you are. Keep that blanket tucked about you. I’ll have Mrs. Mayhew prepare something to calm your stomach once we return home.”
While Leo did not usually condone liars, he was glad to have Marigold all to himself. He placed his hands around her slender waist and helped her into the carriage. He then climbed in and took the seat opposite hers.
They rode in silence for a while, but she was still peeved about his insistence on handling the matter of those villains. He did not want things to end on a sour note between them, even though she looked quite beautiful while angry. Her eyes were ablaze and her lips were in a kissable pout.
She was incensed and passionate.
He liked that spark of fire in her.
A little too much.
He was going to pull her onto his lap and ravage her if she kept this up, so he cleared his throat and got her talking instead. “Tell me about these fossil hunters, Miss Farthingale. You seem to have encountered bounders like these three before.”
Her anger melted away and her eyes lit up. “I have had dealings with their sort, although I was not directly involved in the brawls that–”
“Brawls?” He leaned forward and frowned. “How? Where?”
She quickly told him about the fossil hunter who had stolen Duchess Adela’s research notes on the significance of ancient cave drawings. “He took a valuable book from the Duke of Huntsford’s private collection along with her research notes. Adela had been working with those materials and blamed herself when the fiend took that priceless book. He only stole it accidentally, for his true goal was to abscond with all of Adela’s work.”
“Did he return the book afterward?”
“No, which only proves how depraved these relic hunters are. Adela felt compelled to retrieve that book for Huntsford. Matters got quite physical. I missed most of the excitement, but Adela and her friends, Syd and Gory, along with the Duke of Huntsford’s brothers were drawn into the melee. A tavern brawl erupted as Syd and Gory attempted to question some of the serving maids.”
He frowned. “When was this?”
“Last year.”
“But you were only seventeen.”
She nodded. “And because of this, they would not allow me to participate in their investigation. I missed out on most of the excitement.”
“Blessed saints, I’m glad they showed some sense even if you did not. You could have been hurt.”
She frowned at him again. “I am not a child, nor am I a porcelain doll. Plenty of girls marry at seventeen and plenty have children by the time they are eighteen. And plenty struggle through hard times and manage to survive on their own. Not that I ever will have to struggle. My family is quite large and exceedingly generous. They are treating me like a princess.”
“You make it sound as though it is a bad thing.”
“And now you are certain I am an ungrateful peahen.” She turned to stare out the window again. “I appreciate all they are doing. I am thankful every day for having kind relatives. My mother’s family took me in and raised me in Lancashire. My father’s side of the family was always attentive and have now brought me to London for my debut. I am forever in their debt. But how am I ever to gain experience if I am kept locked away?”
“It is to protect you.”
