Laurie Brown (8 page)

The carriage pulled to a halt.The door opened, and Mrs. Binns alighted with more spryness than Josie would have suspected.

“Come along then,” she said,waiting for Josie at the bottom of the stairs to the front entrance.

Suddenly the enormity of it all crashed in on Josie. Everything she’d learned fled her brain. She cringed back into the corner.
“I can’t. I’m not ready. I don’t know how to act.”

“Nonsense,” both Deverell and Mrs. Binns said at the same time.“You’ll do fine,” she added.“Now come along.You can’t stay
in the carriage forever.”

Josie could not refute that logic, although a few hours would be welcome.

“Let’s get through the introductions, and then we’ll settle in for a little nap before tea.”

Josie convinced herself she could make it if she could escape to a bit of solitude after the introductions. What choice did
she have? She alighted from the carriage, entered the grand front door, and immediately faced Deverell’s mother.

Honoria Thornton was the epitome of cool elegance. Not too tall—about Josie’s height—and slim, she had medium brown hair highlighted
with attractive streaks of gray and twisted into a chignon at the back of her head.Although friendly, she made Josie feel
clumsy and disheveled by comparison.

She was led through the double doors to the left and into the parlor, which was decorated in navy and cream toile. The dark
wood of the Queen Anne furniture matched the paneling, but the room was saved from being gloomy by the bank of floor-to-ceiling
windows along one wall. As Josie entered, she glanced over her shoulder at Deverell. How could he help her if he stayed outside?

Deverell had not been unduly disturbed when Mrs. Binns had not acknowledged him in the carriage. After all, his reputation
had preceded him and she would not be the first proper lady to ignore his presence. But just now his own mother had given
him the cut direct. Shaking his head, he followed the group into the parlor.

While Mrs. Binns completed the introductions, he cast his mind back on the day he’d chosen for their arrival.What had he done
in the weeks prior that would cause his mother to be so upset with him that she couldn’t spare a greeting? Admittedly his
memory of that time was a bit fuzzy. He’d wanted to get as close as possible to the time of his death so that he didn’t accidentally
reveal something that hadn’t happened yet.

No despicable deed came to mind—at least nothing out of the ordinary.

Josie had taken the indicated seat next to Lady Honoria, but she had a difficult time concentrating on the conversation as
the two cousins caught up on mutual acquaintances. As they drank tea and discussed the house party and scheduled ball, Mrs.

Binns seemed especially interested in the men who were invited.

Deverell lounged with one elbow on the mantel. Whenever Josie looked to her right at Lady Honoria he was directly in her line
of sight, yet both of the other women ignored Deverell and his comments.

“Hargrave is still grieving his lost fortune. He’ll be jolly company,” he said. “Wingate? Gad, you’d better hope he keeps
a rein on his wife.”

No response to his comments.

“You can always count on Barstow to show up for a free meal. I’m surprised at Caster. He must be more desperate to marry a
large dowry than I’d thought.”

“Hardly the caliber of prospects I’d hoped for,” Mrs. Binns said.“However, it will allow my charge to dip her toes in society
before the season starts.” Learning that a number of responses for the ball had not yet been received appeared to placate
her.

Then she made a comment about Deverell as if he wasn’t standing right behind her.“I assume Lord Waite will come up to snuff
this weekend and do his duty as host,” Mrs. Binns said, her tone indicating the futility of such lofty expectations. “Miss
Drummond is quite anxious to meet him,” she added much to Josie’s surprise.

“No...I...”

Honoria touched Josie on the arm as she leaned forward and spoke toward the door to their left. “There he is now. Dev, dear,
come meet Miss Josephine Drummond from America.”

Josie turned. He stood in the doorway, dressed for riding in a dark brown coat, tan buckskins, and knee-high boots.Yet something
more than his outfit was different. She automatically looked back to where he’d stood a moment before. How had he done that?

He stepped into the room. “Pleased to meet you, Miss Drummond.”

His voice, full and rich, sent shivers down her spine. Mrs. Binns hissed at her and motioned for her to stand. Josie jumped
up and managed a creditable curtsy despite her unsteady legs.

“I hope you enjoy your visit.” He took her hand. His fingers were warm.

But Deverell—

He grazed his lips across the back of her hand, setting up a vibration inside her like the lowest note on a cello.

Something was wrong.

She jerked her hand away and took a quick step back. Too quick. Her heel snagged on the thick carpet and she lost her footing.
He caught her before she landed on the floor.

A person happening upon them at just that moment would have thought he held her bent backward in a lover’s embrace, his arms
around her, his lips inches from hers.Without conscious decision, her hands slipped up his arms to his shoulders. The vibrations
inside her kicked up a notch, adding bass fiddles and maybe a violin or twelve.

“How very nice to meet you,” he whispered.

His scent surrounded her, bay rum and faint aromatic tobacco and something else that seemed to shout male animal, something
distinctly his own. His warmth created an answering inferno inside her—a feeling she’d never felt before. But it was his eyes
that made her certain. They were the same deep blue color, but this Deverell’s eyes sparked with vivacity, excitement, and...passion.
This was not the ghost of Lord Waite.This was the real man. Familiar and yet...not.

“For goodness sake, Dev. Give the girl room to breathe,” his mother said.

As if Josie remembered what breathing was.

Dev set her on her feet and stepped back. She expected him to make some smart comment on her clumsiness, but he looked as
stunned as she felt.

He shook his head as if to remove unwanted thoughts. “I...I just stopped by to let you know I have an engagement for the evening.
I won’t be home for dinner.”

“But I’ve already made plans.Tonight is the”— Honoria paused to look at Mrs. Binns—“the you-know-what.”

“I’ll be home by midnight.” Dev kissed his mother on the forehead and left. He paused at the door for a glance back in Josie’s
direction before he continued on his way with another shake of his head.

“Just as well,” Mrs. Binns said.“We’re exhausted from our journey and would not be fit company. We’ll take dinner in our rooms
and won’t disturb whatever plans you’ve made.”

Josie figured Honoria must have referred to a séance scheduled for that very night.The fact that Mrs. Binns spoke for her
rankled Josie just a bit, but she decided it was best to go along with the program. Once Mrs. Binns was tucked in for the
night Josie could sneak downstairs and hopefully wangle an invitation to participate.

Maybe Deverell could help with that. Where was that pesky ghost anyway? He wouldn’t have abandoned her in this time, would
he?

She looked in every nook and alcove as she followed Mrs. Binns and the housekeeper up a grand staircase and down a long carpeted
hall lined with artwork to a lovely suite of rooms. The two bedrooms were connected by a sitting room decorated in sage green
and soft gold.

No ghost.

After Mrs. Binns expressed her satisfaction with the accommodations, they were introduced to Dora, their assigned maid, and
Nellie, another maid who was helping unpack the trunks that had been delivered while the ladies had tea.

Still, no Deverell. “Materialize, damn you,” she whispered under her breath. Nothing. Not an ethereal image. Not even an intangible
presence.

As Mrs. Binns dozed in the chair, Nellie worked in the other bedroom and Dora finished unpacking for Josie.

The maid oohed and aahed as she took dress after dress from the trunks designated as Josie’s. She was just as awed as the
maid because she’d never seen any of the beautiful gowns before.

“I had them made to order and shipped to Mrs. Binn’s residence to include with her own luggage,” Deverell said as he appeared
lounging against the windowsill.

“Don’t do that!”

Although Josie had spoken to Deverell, it was the maid who reacted with dismay.

“What? Don’t do what?” Dora asked, her eyes wide.

“Don’t put that dress in the wardrobe,”Josie said to cover her outburst.“I’ll wear that one this evening.”

“But this is a day dress.”

“Well, it doesn’t make sense to get all dressed up to have dinner in my room, now does it?”

“I suppose not,” Dora said, laying the dress on the bed and brushing it smooth. “It could use a good pressing.”

“Fabulous idea.Why don’t you do that now and I’ll finish the unpacking myself.”

“Oh, no. I couldn’t...”

“Go on.” Josie scooped up the dress and shoved it into the maid’s arms. “Take your time. I’ll be...resting—that’s it. I’ll
take a nap in the meantime, so don’t rush back.” She shooed Dora out the door and then spun around to face Deverell.

“Where have you been, Mister I’ll-be-there-to-help-you-with-any-difficulties?”

“This isn’t working out as I’d planned.”

“What was your first clue? Is that why you disappeared when I needed you most?”

“I had no choice.”

“Oh really?”

“I—meaning the flesh and blood me—am already here.”

“Yes. I met him, I mean you.” She didn’t want to elaborate on that, still didn’t understand her visceral reaction. Nothing
of the sort had ever happened to her before.“And you didn’t know he, I mean you, would be here at this particular time.”

“My memory is a bit foggy where my final weeks alive are concerned. And it was a very long time ago. It’s not as if I called
on my mother in the country all that often. I much preferred my townhouse in London. Most of my visits were short and unremarkable.
It’s no wonder I didn’t remember this particular date.”

“Great, so you’re both here. What does that mean to your plan?”

“Well, I, meaning the ghost me, apparently cannot be in the same room as myself.”

“I’m getting a headache. You can’t be in the same room as you?”

“That’s about the gist of it.”

Josie paced and rubbed her temples. “If you are both in the same room, it would create an anomaly.” She looked at him. “What
happened to you when he, the other you, walked into the parlor?”

“I was...pushed by...something into another room. Right through the wall as if I had no substance at all. And that’s another
thing. I can’t fully materialize. No matter what I try.”

“You look pretty solid right now.”

“Only to you.That maid didn’t see me at all.My own mother can’t see me.”

His voice broke a little on that last statement. She hadn’t thought about how he would be affected by revisiting his youthful
reality. She sat beside him on the windowsill.

“We’ll think of something,” she promised. She wasn’t sure what, but something. “Maybe we should leave and come back later,
or earlier?”

“I’m afraid we only have this one chance.”

“Why? Can’t you remember how you did it? You do know how to get us back, don’t you?”

“I can get us back, but the trip will use a great amount of energy. Even if we left right now, I most likely will be out of
contact for a number of years, ten or twenty, maybe more.”

“That’s not so bad,” she lied. She could be forty the next time she saw him.

“That will be too late to help Amelia save the castle,” he continued.

“No it won’t. I’ll help her all I can. The Regency-themed inn is actually a great idea.We can invite visiting professors and
get certified for guests to earn college credits.We’ll have special events for Jane Austen fans.We’ll...”

“It won’t be enough to save the south wing. I’m afraid even Amelia is unaware of the extent of the damage years of neglect
have caused.”

“Then when you come back I’ll...”

“Stop,” he said gently. He hadn’t wanted to tell her the rest of the consequences. But she was making plans that would deprive
her of the life she was meant to have. A life he couldn’t give her.“When Amelia dies without a direct heir, the property will
go to a distant cousin. I’ve never met him, but if he has a lick of sense, he’ll tear down the decrepit south wing.”

“And you won’t be there to stop him.”

“More than likely I won’t be there to ask him to preserve it. I’ve always returned to my suite of rooms in the south wing,
and when it’s gone...”

“Limbo forever?” Josie blinked back tears.

“I’m not sure what will happen.”

Josie jumped up. “Then we will have to make this chance successful.”

“Without my help, you can’t...”

“I’ve managed so far.”

“Two whole hours.”

She resumed her pacing.“This might even work out better than having you here...in the flesh, no, in the materialized...oh,
you know what I mean. In the way you’d planned.Think about it.”

“I am trying not to.”

“Stop sulking. Look, since no one else can see you, you can go anywhere.You could snoop out stuff I would never know without
my gadgets.”

“Do you mean eavesdrop?”

“Oh, don’t give me that lemon-sucking face. You’ll be doing it in the name of science, or rather in the name of...oh, never
mind. Just remember you’re doing it for Amelia.”

“And myself. Self-service is hardly noble no matter how you phrase it.”

“When you protect your family, you protect yourself at the same time.You are a Thornton.”

“If I agree,what sort of information do you need?”

Josie grabbed her reticule and pulled out her notebook. Making lists helped her organize her thoughts.“I’ll need to know where
they’ll hold the séance. I can examine the room before it starts to check for hidden wires and trick furniture.Then...”

Six

“T
O WHOM ARE YOU SPEAKING?”MRS. BINNS
asked as she entered Josie’s bedroom. “No one. Just myself. Bad habit.”

The older woman stopped stock-still in the center of the room. She turned slowly around, sniffing the air.“Do you feel a presence?”
she whispered.

“No,” Josie lied. Deverell was very much present.

“Don’t move,” Mrs. Binns said and hurried out. Josie shrugged at him and went back to her list. Before she had time to think
of a step three, Mrs. Binns rushed back in carrying her red velvet box. She set it on the bed, threw open the top, and pulled
out a twisted bunch of weeds, which she proceeded to set on fire with a wooden match. After blowing out the flames, she carried
the smoking remains to every corner of the room.

“What is that crazy woman doing?” Deverell asked.

“What are you doing?” Josie asked, rephrasing his question.

“Burning sage. Spirits hate the smell.”

“It’s not that bad,” he said. “Actually rather pleasant.”

“I don’t think that’s...”

“Don’t you worry, my dear. I’m rather knowledgeable on these matters. I’ve read all the books. Studied them I have. Consulted
with experts. I stay up all night every night keeping vigil, keeping myself and those around me safe.”

No wonder the woman fell asleep during the day.

Mrs. Binns dropped the last of the burning rush into the large bowl on the washstand.“I have the best protection money can
buy,” she said, retuning to the bed. She pulled out a small cloth bundle tied with red string.“Here. Keep this on your person
at all times.”

“What is it?”

“A charm to ward off evil spirits.”

Mrs. Binns put a second bundle tied with a green string under the pillow on Josie’s bed.“Guaranteed effective against demon
incubi.” “Is she speaking about me? I am not the devil incarnate,” Deverell complained.

Then Mrs. Binns stood in the middle of the room, held her arms out at her sides, and, closing her eyes, turned slowly in a
circle. When she stopped, she squinted and stared at a spot near Deverell’s head—not directly at him but near enough to be
uncanny.

“I see this particular spirit is stubborn. I shall have to read up on this. Don’t worry. I’ll get rid of it.”

“We could just change rooms,” Josie suggested. It wouldn’t get rid of Deverell, but maybe Mrs. Binns would feel better.

“Nonsense, my dear. If you let a specter get the upper hand, it will chase you the width of England. Believe me, I know. Before
I joined the Prevention of Interfering Phantoms Society, the ghost of my second husband nearly drove me to distraction. With
the help of the other PIPS, I called on the spirit of my fourth husband, the most recently demised, to intercede on my behalf,
and I’ve been nightmare-free ever since. Not that I’m taking any chances. I have my nightly ritual. And now I shall include
you in my circle.

“Do you hear that, Mister Spirit?” she added loudly.“You are impotent here.”

“Thank you for that reminder,” Deverell answered dryly.

“You’re safe for now,” Mrs. Binns said to Josie as she latched her case. “I’ll not rest until I’ve rid this room of that presence.
I promise.”

“A simple ‘please leave’ would suffice,” Deverell said.

“Thank you for your concern,” Josie said. “I’m sure it’s not...”

“Tut, tut. It’s my job to keep you and your virginity safe until you’re walking down that blessed aisle.”

“But, I’m not...”

“Don’t say it,” Deverell warned. “Your reputation must remain spotless in order for you to be my mother’s houseguest.”

“...in any hurry to get married,” Josie finished lamely.

“Well, you should be.You’re practically on the shelf.” Ah, yes.The Regency version of the “your body clock is ticking” speech.
Josie had thought she was going to avoid that.

“You’ve still got your looks and all your teeth.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“And with your fortune you’ll be getting offers right and left.”

“What fortune?” She had exactly seven hundred and thirty-two dollars in her checking account, and that was before her car
payment was automatically deducted.

“Your letter of introduction was quite clear, as it should be. My job is to find you the best match possible, and ten thousand
pounds per annum makes any woman all that much more attractive. But even an heiress has to stop running if she wants to get
caught. You’re not getting any younger. Think about that long and hard.”

Deverell had led Mrs. Binns to believe that Josie was an heiress looking for a husband?

With a final humph, Mrs. Binns left the room.

Josie turned to confront Deverell.

He had most conveniently disappeared.

“Damn, damn. Double damn,” Deverell muttered as he roamed the house looking for information Josie would find useful.

This was not working out at all the way he’d planned. He couldn’t fully materialize and take his rightful place—a greater
disappointment than he would have thought.

What had he expected? That he could experience life once again if only for a few days? Embrace his mother one last time? Taste,
feel, touch, and be touched? That Josie would...

What was it about that particular woman that caused him to bare his soul despite his best intentions to remain indifferent
and aloof? Yes, he’d promised to answer her questions, but a man had his limits. A man should be in control.

And he was not in control of...anything. Impotent. That was the word. And he didn’t like feeling impotent. Not one iota.

The only thing he did seem to be able to do was keep them in the past, although that was more of a strain than he’d anticipated.
He was beginning to wonder if this had been such a good idea. Maybe he should just zap them back to the future and let the
south wing be damned. Amelia would live out her life in relative comfort, and he would take his deserved punishment.

Redemption was bloody impossible, the unreachable bait with the barbed hook. He was tempted to throw in the towel. Call it
quits.

Except now he’d involved Josie in the matter, and he must consider her welfare. She would take the failure personally.

Already she’d reacted as if she cared for him, just a little.As if she expected to see him again after all this was over.
He should have foreseen this happening. She had a penchant for the underdog. Not a position he relished, but apt considering
the circumstances.

He must see that she completed this job and as quickly as possible. Before she became more attached to him.

Or should he say before he became more attached to her?

“Get dressed. Get dressed,” Mrs. Binns said, rushing into the sitting room she shared with Josie. “Hurry, hurry.”

“I’m dressed,” Josie said. She sat curled in the large wingchair by the window. She closed the book in her lap to cover the
list she was making of possible tests to disprove the seer’s abilities.

“You must dress for dinner. And quickly.”

“Aren’t we...”

“Change of plans. I’ve just learned Lord Waite is expected to return...”

“Not interested,” Josie lied. More like not ready to face him and the tsunami of sensations he’d caused again.

“...with several of his friends.”

Josie faked a yawn.

“You may well turn up your nose at a roomful of handsome, titled men, but I refuse to let that she-devil Estelle and her pet
gypsy...”

Josie sat up.“Who?”

The maid rushed in and curtsied. “Yes, mistress?” she asked in a breathless voice.

“What took you so long?”

“Oh, mistress, everything below is at sixes and sevens. Guests arriving a day early. His lordship with his friends. Six extra
for dinner. Cook and Mrs. Osman are frantic.”

“Exactly why we’re in such a hurry. I’ve a guinea for you if Miss Drummond is dressed before the assembly gong.”

The maid ran to the bedroom, and Josie heard doors and drawers bang open and shut.

“Come, come,” Mrs. Binns said, urging Josie along with sweeping hand motions. “I’ll talk while you dress.”

Josie stood like a mannequin while the maid stripped her down to her corset and chemise.

“Estelle La Foyn,”Mrs. Binns said, taking a seat on the bed.“Daughter of our gullible cousin Mabel who married an émigré French
count without a penny to his name. After she died in childbirth, LaFoyn, who was not a count at all, but a bootmaker, dumped
his infant daughter on Honoria’s stoop and hightailed it back to the hole he crawled out of.”

Josie turned this way and that way, raising her arm and lowering her arm as Dora dressed her from toes to head. She felt like
a...a...what was the name of that doll? It was on the tip of her tongue. How could she forget? Oh yes, Barbie. She felt like
a giant Barbie doll.

“Honoria did her best by the girl,” Mrs. Binns continued,“but bad blood breeds bad blood, I always say. Estelle ran off with
a cavalry lieutenant the day after she turned eighteen, taking the dowry Honoria had given her. Now seven years later she’s
back. Claims she was married and widowed. But she’s using the Countess LaFoyn name again. Bah! Up to no good, she is. Mark
my words. And Honoria is proving to be just as gullible as poor Mabel was.”

“And the gypsy,” Josie prompted. She sat at the dressing table and chose a simple ribbon for Dora to pin in her hair.

“I don’t know much about her. Calls herself Madame X.Allegedly she doesn’t use her real name at her royal father’s request.
But if she’s with Estelle...Birds of a feather is all I have to say about that. In my day we wouldn’t have allowed a gypsy
in the house, much less at the table.”

Josie was ready in record time. Mrs. Binns, who had previously dressed for dinner as a matter of form, handed Dora the gold
coin just as the assembly gong sounded.

Picking up her reticule and fan, Josie was on her way to the parlor without remembering that she’d actually agreed to forgo
dinner in her room.

“Slowly,” Mrs. Binns said. “You don’t want to appear eager.”

Josie hadn’t realized that she’d been rushing to get to the stairs. She couldn’t possibly be impatient to see...the gypsy.
She matched her steps to Mrs. Binns’s tortoise pace, and it seemed to take forever to navigate the long hall, including three
stops for Josie to hear about paintings of absolutely no interest to her.

At the top of the stairs, she spied Lord Waite chatting with three other young men in the wide foyer. The event had been called
a simple evening of casual entertainment, yet each man wore a high starched collar and elaborately tied cravat.Although more
subdued than the others, Dev’s charcoal coat covered a colorfully embroidered vest. He looked up at her.
Déjà vu
. She felt the same thrill at his admiring expression, but this time she took a firm grip on the banister before starting
down the stairs.

“Good evening,Mrs.Binns.Miss Drummond,”Dev said, bowing over first one hand and then the other.

A very formal salute. No actual hand kissing, much to Josie’s relief. Even through both gloves, his and hers, the warmth of
his hand was enough to set up the vibrations within her.

A tall thin blond man moved forward and said, “So this is the American heiress we’ve heard about.”

“Not from me,” Dev muttered.

The young bucks shouldered one another aside in their attempt to present themselves in front of each other.

“You never said she was a beauty,Waite, old sod.”

“You’ve been holding out.Thought we was pals.”

“Introduce us, Waite. You can’t keep her all to yourself.”

“All in good time, gentlemen,” Mrs. Binns said.

“All in good time.”Taking Josie’s arm, she led her charge into the parlor. “An excellent beginning,” she whispered, obviously
pleased.

Josie glanced back over her shoulder.

The men lost their stunned expressions and scrambled after her like puppies tumbling over each other to get to a saucer of
cream. Dev followed with a bemused smile.

In the parlor everything was pleasantly formal. However, Josie detected undercurrents as Honoria introduced her to the other
guests.

Barstow, curate at the local vicarage, stammered and blushed his way through Honoria’s attention and then scooped candied
almonds into his pockets when he thought no one was watching.

Hargrave was as solemn as Deverell had warned, and Caster went into a long tirade regarding horse breeding. It would have
gone on even longer if Honoria had not gently cut him short and moved the conversation on.

Lady Wingate’s trilling laugh followed from one conversation group to another. When she was finally introduced to Josie, the
vivacious woman said, “How very nice you could join us. Had you remained upstairs, the Countess and I would have been simply
swamped with eligible men. Like handsome Galway, here,” Lady Wingate said, turning to the tall blond man in such a way that
her breast grazed his arm, which sent her off into another eruption of giggles.

Josie understood why her husband sulked in the corner,nursing a drink and glaring at the other men.

Estelle had latched onto Dev as soon as he entered, and she hadn’t let him out of arm’s reach since. Madame X flanked his
other side.The gypsy, a head taller than Josie and twice as wide, was dressed in voluminous layers of heavy fabrics woven
with mysterious designs.A golden Egyptian circlet with a rearing cobra topped a large headpiece that covered her forehead,
hair, and shoulders, and her scowl warned off all comers. Mrs. Binns was not deterred.

“I hope you are enjoying the evening,” Dev said to her as she approached, Josie in tow.

“Yes, thank you.” Mrs. Binns performed the necessary introductions.

Estelle looked at Josie as though she was something disgusting stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “How fortunate that you could
come all this way to get some social polish. Sometime you really must tell us about growing up in the wilds of the colonies,”
she said, her tone indicating that the twelfth of never would be too soon.“Just now Dev and I were reliving some memories.
I’m sure such tales would be of no interest to anyone who didn’t grow up here.” She turned her body toward Dev, effectively
cutting off Mrs. Binns and signaling her to move on.