Page 7 of The Highwayman's Bite

Chapter Three

Aldric Cadell, Viscountof Thornton, and Lord Vampire of Blackpool, surveyed his great-great-great grand-niece with annoyance. When he’d been asked to take her in for a year to quell some inane scandal, he’d expected an awkward young miss who’d likely been launched too soon and didn’t have a grasp on the rules yet. Or perhaps a vulnerable maid who’d fallen prey to a rake.

He’d not expected a steely-eyed vixen accompanied by a Molly for a companion. Did her father know that this Madame Renarde he’d written of was not what “she” seemed? Somehow, Aldric doubted it. Humans were easily fooled and had a poor sense of smell. Besides, the more significant question was whether Vivian was aware of her companion’s secret.

After asking Vivian to see him about the matter in his study, Aldric looked to Vivian’s father’s carriage driver and the companion. Aldric addressed the driver first. “I will have my stable boy rub down the horses and Jeffries, my footman, can provide you with victuals, a bath, and a room for the night before you depart.” He then turned to Madame Renarde. “As for you, Madame, my butler, Ames, will escort you to the drawing room and provide refreshment while you await my niece.”

Renarde bobbed a curtsy, unable to see discern any suspicion. “Yes, my lord.”

Aldric blinked. Though the companion’s voice was indeed on the deep side, it still managed to sound womanly. Like the voice of a sweet grandmother. He also noted the protective glint in the companion’s eyes as Aldric took Vivian’s arm and led her away. Whatever this person’s purpose, Renarde at least definitely cared for his niece’s well-being.

Once Vivian was seated in front of the desk in his study, Aldric poured them some wine from his cabinet.

Placing a glass before his niece, he sat and took a drink of his own. “How was your journey?”

She took a ladylike sip and set her glass on the desk. “Quite dull, until we were stopped by a highwayman.”

Aldric choked on his wine. “I beg your pardon?” he managed between coughs.

“We were stopped by a highwayman. He stole my comb and all the driver’s money, but otherwise left us unharmed.” A blush crept up her cheeks and down her slim neck. A neck that was still adorned with a gold chain and a locket. Something a thief would have had off her throat in a thrice.

She wasn’t telling him everything about the encounter. Aldric studied her closer and saw that indeed, without the comb, her dark hair tumbled about her shoulders. But it was in such disarray, like she’d been out in the wind. And she smelled of dry sweat. On a cool autumn evening such as this, the carriage could not have been that warm.

“I will want to know more of your encounter with this blackguard. Where you were, and what happened to make him depart so suddenly before report the incident to the constable.” Aldric eyed her sternly. “But for now, there are other things I am curious about. Your father tells me you had a bit of a scandal in London, yes?”

Vivian nodded. “I challenged Lord Summerly to a duel.”

Aldric was thankful that he hadn’t taken another sip of wine, else he would have spewed it across his desk. “You did what? Why in the name of heaven would you think to engage a man in pistols at dawn?”

His niece calmly sipped her wine. “Not pistols. Rapiers. And I had perfectly good reason for doing so. Summerly propositioned that I should be his mistress and put his hands upon my person. That impugned my honor, so I thought I was well in my rights to defend myself.”

She had a point. Reluctant admiration welled in his chest. However... “While I agree that this cad did indeed besmirch you with his proposal, it is not proper for a woman to duel, much less defend herself. That is a gentleman’s duty.”

“If I had told any gentleman that Summerland had absconded with me and held me alone in the Cavendish’s conservatory, I would have been blamed and still been ruined. At least this way, I was able to assure everyone that I was the virtuous party.” Vivian lifted her chin, daring him to challenge her.

Once more, her logic was sound. She would have been saddled with blame and scandal no matter which way the dice fell. Still, what kind of woman would even think of fighting a gentleman with a rapier. “Do you even know how to fence?”

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