Page 16 of Brave New Earl (The Way to a Lord's Heart 1)

“I wouldn’t!”

“You will ride with Tom, or we won’t go.”

Geoffrey’s face reddened. His little jaw set; his eyes narrowed. Startled, Benjamin recognized a resemblance to his own father in the cast of his son’s features. He almost expected an explosion of irritation—the kind of scolding he’d received when he interrupted his father’s studies. But Geoffrey was silent, blue eyes burning. He was braced for a lecture, Benjamin realized. The shoe was on the other foot.

“You should learn to ride, however,” Benjamin said. “I’ll make inquiries about a pony.”

Geoffrey froze for a long, incredulous moment. Then delight swept his face, and immediately died away. “You’ll forget,” he said.

“No, I won’t. Why do you say so?” He’d expected a bit of gratitude at least, Benjamin thought. Did Geoffrey know the wordthanks?

“You always forget. You forgot the cricket bat and the top.”

Benjamin, in fact, had no recollection of these things. Had they been discussed at some point? Surely he would know. And he would have said that Geoffrey was small to handle a cricket bat. He did not believe promises had been made. Still, Benjamin was assailed by an uncomfortable mixture of shame and resentment and impatience. He couldn’t entirely dismiss the reproach in his son’s gaze. “I give you my word that I will look for a pony,” he said. “I can’t guarantee I’ll find a suitable animal at once, mind.”

Geoffrey put his hands on his diminutive hips and stared up at him. After a moment, he pursed his lips and nodded like a much older child. And thus he was judged, Benjamin thought, amusement taking over. A strange gurgle at his back made him turn to Miss Saunders. “Is something wrong?”

“I…I have no riding habit with me,” she replied.

“Ask Mrs. McGinnis. I’m sure she can find you something.”

“I’ll take you,” said Geoffrey, clearly eager to remove any impediments to the promised expedition. He grabbed Miss Saunders’s hand and tugged. She allowed him to pull her along, but Benjamin thought she looked apprehensive as they went out. He smiled. One of the few pleasures of the intrusion that had turned his peaceful life upside down was watching his pretty houseguest cope with his unruly son. Miss Saunders had obviously expected quite a different sort of child. And didn’t it serve her right!

Only then did Benjamin realize that it had been hours since he’d thought of Alice.

Four

“I’ve found you a habit that’ll fit well enough, I think,” said Mrs. McGinnis the following morning. She spread a swath of crimson cloth on Jean’s bed and set a tricorn hat atop it.

“Was it Alice’s?” Jean asked. She didn’t want to wear her dead cousin’s clothing, for a variety of reasons.

“No, miss. Her ladyship’s clothes were given away. This belonged to Lord Furness’s mother when she was young. We got it from a trunk in the attic. It’s been brushed and aired, and it was stored away clean, of course.”

Jean fingered the skirt; the cloth was very fine. “Did you work for her as well?”

Mrs. McGinnis nodded. “I came along with Lady Evelina when she married. Several of us did. There wasn’t much staff here at the time. Rather like now. My lord’s father didn’t pay much heed to his household, so long as he had candles to read by and a fire in the library.” The housekeeper paused, then added, “She was the daughter of an earl, you know.”

“Lord Macklin’s sister.”

“Yes, miss.” She sounded proud and fond.

“I don’t know much about her. I’m related to Alice’s side of the family, you know.”

Mrs. McGinnis nodded.

“Did she meet Lord Furness, the previous Lord Furness, in London?”

“No, miss. He wasn’t one for society. They met in Oxford. He was working in a college library, and my lady was visiting her brother. He was a student there.”

“Lord Macklin was a friend of Lord Furness?” Hadn’t he said he didn’t know him well?

“I don’t think so, miss.” Mrs. McGinnis looked uncertain.

“So they met in a library?” Jean prompted, getting back to her chief interest.

This brought a smile. “My lady used to laugh about it. She was looking over the shelves and saw a book she wanted right up at the top. She turned to a gentleman at one of the desks and asked him to reach it down for her. He growled at her—that was the word she always used—and told her to take herself off. That she had no business in such a place.” The housekeeper’s smile broadened. “That was not a thing to say to Lady Evelina.”

“What did she do?” Jean asked.

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