Page 21 of To Heal a Broken Earl
“My lord!” Hastings pulled back, brows knitting together as whipped soap flew from his hands. “You do realize this is averysharp blade? They would show me no mercy if I sliced your throat by accident. No one would believe any defense I laid out,” he said in a wry tone.
Michael laughed softly and held up his hand to placate. “I apologize. You’re right. It’s just that when I’m supposed to stay still, my mind wanders to pressing matters. You know this about me. I’ll try very hard not to move.”
“Yes, but you’re not usually this fidgety, and you’re much more distracted than normal. Please, stay still,” Hastings replied, shaking his head with both amusement and exasperation.
“You’re right, once again. Several things are running through my mind, any one of which can be distracting. As a group, they areverydistracting. Perhaps you can help me with a few things before we proceed.”
“Happy to, my lord—especially if it means I won’t be at risk of slicing your neck or nicking your ear. I don’t like it when blood mixes in with my whipped shaving cream. Nasty business.”
Michael laughed, and Hastings joined in.
“Can you find the name of the modiste in town and then invite her here to meet with Lady Grantham and Katie?” Michael asked. “Also, I need you to look into hiring more footmen to guard the perimeter. I need them more for security purposes than household chores at present. Wright plans to join us after he visits his Aunt Chippie in Brighton. With his keen instincts, he’ll be an excellent asset in setting up a defense. And please handle this discreetly. I don’t want to provoke Stanhope and give him the impression that I’m disregarding his household hiring authority. Of course, I will discuss it with him, but I’ll tell him that Wright and I will manage it. You understand the qualities I look for in recruits for security. If you don’t mind doing that, I’d appreciate it. Stanhope’s expertise lies in household matters, and he will have his hands full hiring for key positions within the manor.”
Hastings picked up the shaving cream. “I promise to do as you ask. Now, if you will lean back and relax, we can finish.”
“Agreed. Thank you, Hastings.” Michael leaned back again and tilted his head, his thoughts turning again to Katie and Emma. He realized that he was growing fonder of Katie. She was a bright child with a curious mind.
And Emma…she was another story completely, he thought, thinking of their whispered conversations on the journey while Katie and Doris had slept. His fondness hadunnerved him a little, convincing him to ride his horse the last leg of the journey, while Katie, Doris, and Emma had the carriage. It had also given him a chance to keep an eye out for anyone who might have followed them, he reasoned. While they hadn’t had any time since their arrival the evening before, he was very aware of her presence.
When he joined Emma and Katie in the breakfast room an hour later, Michael felt more like himself—and more certain he’d be ready, should the arsonist follow them.
As he entered the breakfast room, he found Emma and Katie discussing the food and trying to decide what would be the safest food to sneak to Finn, while the dog lay in the corner, head flat on the floor, looking in Emma and Katie’s direction with doleful “feed me” eyes.
Michael couldn’t help but notice how pretty Emma was—her hair was swept up in a loose chignon, and her rose-pink satin dress contrasted nicely with her red hair and violet eyes.
“Good morning, Emma and Katie…and Finn,” he said, stooping to pet the dog before walking to the buffet. “Everything smells delicious,” he added, picking up his plate. He noticed Katie was enjoying her toast, bacon, and eggs. Finn had settled in the corner of the room and was clearly waiting for what he hoped would be his next scrap of bacon.
“We should ask Lord Michael what Finn can eat, Katie,” Emma admonished her gently.
“I would keep to the basics, Kat, and only give him things like bacon or eggs. I suppose the bananas and blueberries would be all right, but no pastries or things that are sweet,” Michael said.
“That’s an easy list to follow,” Emma said. “Let’s limit it to those few things. Will that be all right with you?”
“Yes, Auntie. I wouldn’t want Finn to get a tummy ache,” Katie said, kissing her aunt on the cheek. “They hurt.”
“I see Finn has thrown me over for you, Katie,” Michael said, ladling some eggs on his plate.
“I like Finn very much,” Katie replied. “I never had a dog before, but I don’t think Finn ever had a person my size before. We are the same height,” she said, glancing between Michael and Finn.
Emma and Michael exchanged looks of amusement and chuckled at the precocious child.
He turned back toward the buffet table, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he heard Katie speaking sweetly to Finn, and Finn softly barking in return. After enduring the harsh imprisonment and abuse in the damp, dark hull of the pirate ship, the dog had decided that spending time out of doors was not to his preference, howling each time he was placed in a pen in the stable. Originally, the stable master planned to develop a small brood of hunting dogs, making Finn the first. But it was evident that the harsh treatment of his past haunted him. A nearby neighbor had raised dogs when Michael was young, and Michael had learned a lot from him. To Michael’s eye, Finn couldn’t be more than two years old, given the glistening coat, the brightness of his teeth, and the abundant energy he emanated.
Had his mother been alive, she would have sent the dog to the pasture. Michael, on the other hand, had no issues with Finn living inside the house. Hastings didn’t seem to care, either, yet Stanhope shot disapproving glances that pierced the air like arrows every time the dog was in his presence.
But Michael ignored that, welcoming Finn’s presence in the house. He was unwilling to leave the dog in the stable, where he would howl in fear all night. He made certain the dog was kept clean with no pesky fleas and made sure he was regularly taken outside to do his necessary business.
Michael enjoyed having a loyal companion gave a sense of comfort to all their lives. In his spare time, he had trained the dog on rudimentary commands like “heel” and “sit.” Still, he’d never once considered that a child was exactly what Finn needed—until now. Within what seemed like moments, Finn had become Katie’s enthusiastic playmate. And Michael delighted seeing Katie’s face as she took great pains to train Finn to play. Michael decided that, for all their sakes, he would spend some time with both and teach Katie how to walk the dog.
“My lord—” Emma began…
“Michael,” he interrupted. “Please call me Michael.”
She nodded and smiled sweetly. “Please forgive me…Michael.”
He tried to deny it, but he loved hearing his name roll off her lips.
“I should get started getting oriented with my new duties. I’m fashioning a chatelaine to hang the keys and a few other useful household items, but I’ll need the keys. I’ll need to inventory the silver collection, figure out what linens we need, and there may be keys to other areas of the house, such as cupboards, that need to be collected.”
