A Bright Particular Star (2 page)

“T
hat
’
s right
.
My
widowed aunt,
Eudora Sloane,
”
she replied
, brushing off her skirts
,
“
a
nd having met her, you can hardly blame me for wanting to escape.
”

“S
he seemed
high in the instep, but that
’
s no reason to run away.
”

Miss
Devereux
put up her chin and regarded him frankly.
“
You wouldn
’t
say so
if you had to live with her.
Aunt Eudora is the most appalling person.
She orders everyone around, ex
cept her son
,
Perry
,
who can do no wron
g in her eyes
.
I’m
used to
Eudor
a
’s
overbearing ways in general
a
nd can deal with them, but that i
s not why
I’m
escaping now.
There is another reason, albeit one
connected with my
aunt.
I need you
r help and it must be today
.
I am desperate.
”

“
My
help!
”
Theo tried to collect
his wits
. T
he world
, it seemed,
had begun to revolve in rev
erse and he
was feeling
dazed
,
as if he
’d
rece
ived a useful
left jab
.
“T
his is ridiculous!
You drop into my carriage, startling my horses and risking injury to yourself in the process, and then ask for help to run away from home.
Lo
ok here, you crazy little hellcat
, however difficu
lt your circumstances may be
I can
’t
help you
.
I’m
on my way to Bath!
”

A
mischievous dimple appeared as she flas
hed him a smile.
“
How fortunate!
Bath is where I wish to go too and it
’s
excessively kind of you to take me,
Mr
Cavanagh.
”

Theo
’s
eyes opened wider
.
“Didn’t
you hear what I said?
I can
’t
take y
ou anywhere!
It
’s
impossible. Far better you return to the house and sort out y
our differences with your aunt—
”
H
e stopped
, his brow furrowing.
“
Wait a minute!
How the deuce do you know m
y name?
We
’
ve never met before.
”

“
It
wasn
’t
difficult,
”
she said, now
engaged in pulling twigs out of her hair.
“
I whe
edled it out of
Cousin
Perry w
hen I knew you
were coming
.
Your visit provided the perfect o
pportunity to escape
and
,
from what
I could see through the window
, you looked trustworthy enough.
”

“
H
ow could you make that assumption
just
by
looking at me?
”
said Theo
, taken aback.
“
I might be the most debauched rake this side of Bath!
”

Her eyes twinkled up at him.
“
Oh no,
”
she demurred
,
“
Y
ou had too much elegance of manner to be a rake.
”

Theo hardly knew whether to be flattered or wounded by this observation.
He was relieved not to be considered a rake, but her description suggested he was a dull dog who lacked spirit.
“
Obliged to you
,
”
he sai
d in a dry voice,
“
but you took a risk in assuming I am a man of honour and good character.
”

“
Aren
’t
you?
”
she asked, subjecting him to a careful scrutiny.

“
Aren
’t
I what?
”

“
A man of honour and good character.
”

“
Of course I am—
”

A little sigh escaped her.
“
I
knew
I wa
s not mistaken.
As
soon as I saw you, I knew
you could be relied on and, as Aunt E
udora has boasted
to me and anyone else who will listen, you
are
extremely well-co
nnected
—
the
brother
of an e
arl, no less.
”

“T
hat doesn
’t
make it any safer for you to drop into my carriage!
”

“
No
, but I rea
soned
you were
the sort of ge
ntleman who would help, and that
opinion was reinforced when I saw you.
”
She
leaned closer to add
in a low, urgent voice,
“
Mr
Cavanagh,
all
this
must
seem
odd
to you
, but
these
me
asures have been forced on me
.
I don
’t
undertake them lightly.
I had to
wait in th
at
tree
for almost an hour
because I couldn
’t
risk any o
f the servants
witnessing my departure.
Most of them cannot
be trusted.
And I didn
’t
want to dash out in
front of your carriage
.
T
hat was more likely to result
in an
accident and I wouldn
’t
have wished any harm to befall you.
”

“
Good of you to consider the
poss
ibility!
”
Despite his annoyance, Theo
was relieved Miss
Devereux
was unhurt and, he had to admit, impressed by her courage
.
C
learly she
considered dropping into a fast-moving
curricle
an
insignificant
feat
.

“
You being injured would not have helped my c
ause,
”
she replied
.
“
Besides, there was no real danger.
The wors
t consequences of hiding in a
tree are dirt and a few scratches which don
’t
signify
in the least
, although I expect I look a fright
.
I’m
sorry if I
startled you and
your horses,
but it
was the only way.
I’m
forbidden to go into Bath alone, you see.
Eudora won
’t
let me out of her sigh
t unless I have Cousin
Perry
’s
escort
.
”

”D
o you know the reason for my visit here?
”

She nodded.
“
You came about the wine
…
the wine to be served at my betr
othal party.
”
Ignoring his
start
of surprise, she found the comb she had b
een looking for
in her reticule
and began to tidy her hair.
“
I don
’t
like to press you, but please
can we make a start
?
Your horses are growing restive and I am anxious to be away.
I have arranged to me
et someone
this afternoon.
”

Theo made an inarticulate sound in his throat.
“
My good girl, how many more times must I tell you?
”
he said, exasperated.
“
I can
’t
help you to escape,
al
though why
you should want to when you have a betrothal party planned is beyond me!
Yo
ur
aunt did not explain what
the wine was for but
,
if what you say is true,
i
t
makes it even more
improper
to assist
you.
Y
ou are
also
not prepared for a journey, even one to Bath.
And wher
e do you intend to go
afterward
?
You have no maid to
attend you, no baggage and
,
for all I know, no money either.
”

“
I have money.
”
Sophie held up her reticule, shaking
it until the chinking of coins could be heard.
“
Not a great deal, but enough to pay my way.
I’ve
arranged to collect my luggage when I reach Bath.
”

“
Will your maid be waiting there?
”

“
Well, no,
”
Sop
hie admitted, grimacing
as she dragged
the comb through a tangle of curls
,
“
but I couldn
’t
have brought her alon
g even if I had wanted to.
Amy, like the rest of the servants,
is terrified of Aunt Eu
dora and tells her everything.
I told Amy
I had a headache
a
nd wanted to lie down
.
T
hat should delay any pursuit, but I cannot afford to dawdle in case my absence is discovered sooner.
”

Theo shook his head.
“
It
’s
no good, Miss
Devereux
,
”
he said, with an air of finality.
“
I don
’t
know why
you’re
running away, but a pretty fellow I should be if I helped you in this nonsensical scheme.
”
He gathered up his reins.
“
I’ll
take you back—
”

Dropping the comb into her lap, she clutched at his sleev
e
.
“
Oh
no!
P
lease don
’t
!
” she begged.
“
It would be the s
h
-shabbiest, m
ost treacherous thing
after all my efforts
.
You can have no idea of what life with Eudora and Perry is like
.
I don
’t
have time to explain
now
—
we could be seen at any moment
—
but I beg you will take my
word
it
’s
beyond bearing.
I have to get away.
Please.
”