Page 36 of The Hired Hero
“Occasionally. But I prefer landscapes.” A wry grimace. “People are too much trouble.”
She wondered at the deliberate ambiguity of his answer but forbore to comment on it. Instead, she pointed at the delicate rendering of the lady. “Who is that beside Lord Davenport?”
“Oh, that’s Lady Davenport.”
Caroline sat back. “The earl is married?” For some reason, the thought bothered her more than she cared to admit. But of course he was, she reminded herself. Hadn’t Mrs. Collins already alluded to that fact? And yet the existence of Davenport’s wife seemed to have slipped her mind…
“Julian? Good lord, no!” responded Jeremy. “That’s his brother, the late earl’s wife.” The earl’s friend hesitated for a moment. “Though I sometimes think it was Julian who was in lo?—”
The door to the set of rooms suddenly banged shut with a rattle. Davenport stalked across the room and placed a jug of cider and a package wrapped in oilskin down on the table with a tad more force than necessary.
“Have neither of you anything better to do than gaze at pictures?” he snapped.
His eyes, noted Caroline, were so clouded that they appeared nearly as dark as the charcoal lines in Jeremy’s drawings.
Davenport then turned his stormy gaze on her. “I thought you were concerned about reaching London as quickly as possible. It appears Jeremy has found some new garments for you, so why are you dallying about with pictures instead of trying to make yourself halfway presentable?”
He gave an exaggerated grimace. “You look like hell, and that will only attract undue attention,” he added acidly, eyeing her muddy cheeks and disheveled hair with a withering look.
“Julian!” exclaimed Jeremy in a shocked tone.
“Don’t be angry with Mr. Leighton, sir,” she replied. “He found me stealing a look at his sketches, and I asked if he would be kind enough to allow me to continue. There’s no need to get in such a pucker over it.” She couldn’t help but add, “It’s no wonder you are taken with the lady—she’s quite beautiful.”
Davenport slammed a fist down on the rough wood. “Stubble the commentary and get yourself dressed,” he said through gritted teeth.
Caroline regarded him calmly. “I’m now beginning to see the resemblance. At this moment, you’re looking nearly as nasty as that portrait of you that hangs over your mantle.”
A choked laugh caused both of them to turn toward Jeremy.
“She’s right, you know,” he said. “At this moment, you are taking on an unfortunate resemblance to Charles.” As Davenport glowered, Jeremy smiled at Caroline. “How astute of you, Miss Caroline. Most people wouldn’t notice anything but the handsome face, but I—well, I call the subtle hints of character my little revenge on Charles.”
Caroline’s brows came together in confusion. “I don’t understand. The man in the painting…”
“Is Julian’s older brother,” replied Jeremy. “Older by ten minutes, that is.”
“H-How long has he been…” stammered Caroline.
“Four months.”
Comprehension slowly dawned on her face. “Ye gods,” she whispered. “Then you’re nothim. You’renotthe Earl of Davenport. I mean, you are—but you’re not.”
“Ah, well.” A note of irony tinged the earl’s voice. “It would appear that neither of us is what we seem.”
Eleven
Davenport turned on his heel and retreated to the adjoining room, kicking the door shut behind him.
“I hope I haven’t put you in His Lordship’s bad graces, Mr. Leighton.” She cast an aggrieved look toward the bedchamber. “I vow, he is the most ill-tempered, high-handed, exasperating gentleman I have ever met.”
Jeremy’s brows knitted together. “Julian? Oh, you’re quite wrong, Miss Caroline. He’s the most steadfast, generous, loyal…” He paused uncertainly, as if wondering whether it was wrong to be discussing his friend behind his back. In a low voice, he simply added, “Please make allowances for his behavior. He’s been under considerable strain these past few months.”
It was Caroline who felt a stab of guilt. No matter how shabby his manners, the earl had risked his life to rescue her this morning. He was being well paid for it, she reminded herself, but that still didn’t quell the feeling that, somehow, it was she who was showing to disadvantage. He might have been arrogant and mercurial, but there was no question as to his courage or quick wits.
What a maddeningly complex man.Which only piqued her curiosity more.
“How do you know His Lordship?” she asked after a long moment.
“We became acquainted at Oxford. Though Julian is several years older, we found that we shared mutual interests.” Lest she imagine the worst, he hastily added, “That is, we enjoyed discussing books and paintings.” Again, he halted, as if debating whether to go on.
