Love Is Blind (27 page)

"I am sure I will." Clarissa determinedly straightened her shoulders.

Adrian squeezed her again, then added, "There are several servants not present at the moment, but you will get to know them too. In the meantime . .." His gaze swept the small crowd. "Staff, this is my wife, Lady Clarissa Montfort, the new Countess of
Mowbray
."

"Countess?" Clarissa glanced sharply over her shoulder in his direction.

"The wife of an earl is a countess," Adrian pointed out
gendy
, and smiled with amusement at her startle-
ment
. Apparently, his wife hadn't considered the social gain of marrying him.

'Yes, but. . . Oh," Clarissa said with realization, and his smile widened.

No, she really hadn't considered his title before marrying him, Adrian realized. What bliss! What wonder! His wife had married him for himself. If there had been questions before, there were none now. He was truly the luckiest of men.

Unfortunately, his reaction set off his servants.

"Is that a smile?" Kibble asked, his bulldog face showing astonishment. He turned to the housekeeper. "Surely
diat
is not a smile on our lord's face?"

"I do believe it is," Mrs.
Longbottom
replied with a grin.

"What could have caused it, do you think?" Kibble asked.

"Why, I do believe 'tis the little bundle in his arms. That is who has made our lord smile so, Kibble."

"Nay. A
litde
slip of a thing like her? Taming the beast?" the
buder
continued. "Could it be?"

"I'd be smiling if she were
my
lady," Frederick an-

nounced
loudly. He received a swat to the head from Lucy for his trouble.

"I do believe you are right, Mrs.
Longbottom
," Kibble decided, and quite suddenly he dropped to one knee before Clarissa, took one of her hands in both of his, and lifted it gently to his lips. He pressed a reverent kiss to her fingers. "You must be an angel, for only an angel could turn our lord from the grim and gloomy Gus he was, to this laughing example. From this moment forward, my lady angel, you have my undying devotion. My life is yours."

Adrian groaned and rolled his eyes. Kibble had been his tutor as a lad, and was as much a parent in his way as Adrian's own mother and father had been. Unfortunately, it left him in a somewhat elevated position; part family, part staff, wholly annoying and above his station. He was also something of a ham, which just made everything worse.

"All right, Kibble," Adrian said dryly. "Enough. You shall scare Clarissa."

Kibble merely arched an eyebrow. His gaze was kindly as it drifted over Clarissa's grinning face. "You must mean I am scaring you, my lord, for the lady is nowhere near looking frightened."

Adrian smiled and bent to press a kiss to his wife's forehead, then turned her toward the door. "It has been a long journey. I am sure Clarissa would like a bath and then a short rest before dinner. Lucy, would you see her to her room?"

"Of course, my lord." The little blonde smiled widely and turned toward the stairs.

"Take her arm, please, Lucy," Adrian instructed. "I fear Clarissa's spectacles have been broken, and I

would not have her stumble and fall before we can replace them."

"Of course, my lord." The girl moved back to quickly draw her new lady's arm through her own, then led her more slowly to the stairs and up them.

Adrian watched until the two women reached the landing and disappeared up the hall, then turned to find that his staff had crowded around at his back to also watch them leave. He scowled, but they weren't paying any attention, so he cleared his throat irritably.

Kibble glanced at him sideways. "Are you coming down with a cold, my lord?"

Adrian sighed. This was the problem with staff who had been around when you were born, who had seen you running about the yard with your nappies drooping around your knees: No respect. Ignoring the distinct lack of proper deference, Adrian walked toward the salon door. "I would see everyone in here, please."

"Does that include your wife and Lucy? Shall I go fetch them back?" Frederick asked hopefully.

"Just get in here," Adrian snapped, pausing at the door to the salon and scowling until the group trooped past into the room. He then followed the last one in and pushed the door closed.

"One of you will have to pass this information on to Lucy once she returns, but I will not have you mentioning this conversation to Clarissa. In fact, I will fire the first person who speaks of it to anyone after this talk, including one another. I will not have her overhear one of you and worry. Is that understood?"

"Excepting, of course, when one of us tells Lucy," Kibble pointed out.

'Yes, yes, except then," Adrian muttered with a sigh.

Kibble had always made a point of correcting him. It was the man's opinion that communication was most important, and the most important part was getting it right.

"Very well, my lord," the man said, and he took up a relaxed yet attentive pose. "Please proceed."

Adrian's mouth thinned. The phrase
please proceed
was the same one Kibble had used when he wanted him to recite or explain something he'd taught Adrian. It always made him feel about ten years old, facing his tutor—which, of course, he was. At least, Kibble had once been his tutor.

Sighing, he let the matter go and said, "First off—as you heard me tell Lucy—Clarissa's spectacles have been broken and she cannot see well without them. It makes her a tad accident-prone, and she has suffered several calamities in town because of it."

"What kind of calamities?" Frederick asked.

Adrian hesitated, then decided it was better to tell them so that they were aware of what they were up against. "She has set teacups in laps she mistook for tables, tumbled down stairs, set wigs alight with candles, and things of that sort."

"Dear heavens!" Mrs.
Longbottom
murmured, concern creasing her brow. "We shall have to keep an eye on the girl until her new spectacles arrive."

'Yes, exactly," Adrian said. "Her maid is supposed to watch her, but the girl is not always around. Clarissa herself will not always allow it, and grows impatient with having to be
nannied
. So, I want you all to keep an eye on her. That chore takes precedence over everything else until she has her spectacles. I will not see her hurt."

"It shall be done," Kibble said firmly. "How long will it be before new spectacles arrive?"

Adrian shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet the man's gaze. He muttered, "I am working on that."

Kibble's eyes narrowed, and Adrian suspected the butler sensed his prevarication; the man had always been able to see through his lies. Before Kibble could question further, Adrian spoke again.

"This is not the only problem," he said quickly, regaining some of his earlier confidence. "There may be someone trying to harm Clarissa."

This brought expressions of surprise to the faces around him, and he continued, "Some of the accidents she has had may not have been accidents at all."

"How do you mean, my lord?" Mrs.
Longbottom
asked.

Adrian deliberated, but again decided it was better that they knew what they were dealing with. He did not truly believe that Clarissa would be under threat here. He was sure whoever had been attempting to harm her would not try again now that she was married to him and safely ensconced in his country estate. However, since Adrian had no idea why anyone would wish to harm her in the first place, he couldn't be completely sure, so he quickly explained about her fall down the stairs. He then told of her being pushed in front of the moving carriage, as well as the fall into the fountain, and the fire when her bedchamber door had been locked.

There was complete silence as everyone contemplated his information; then Kibble asked, "Just how long has she been without spectacles?"

"A while," Adrian answered evasively, then cleared his throat and said, "So, as you can see, I have some concern for her well-being, and would appreciate all of you keeping watch for strangers on the property, or anything that might do her harm."

"I will watch her night and day, my lord," Frederick vowed, apparently moved to chivalry by the tale of Clarissa's woe.

"I am sure that will not be necessary, Frederick," Adrian said dryly. "But I would appreciate you all being alert when you can."

"Very well, my lord, we shall watch her most carefully," Kibble agreed. "If that is all, perhaps everyone could get back to work?"

"Yes, that is all," Adrian said. As he moved to settle himself in a seat by the fire, he heard the
rusde
of clothing and the shuffling of feet as the salon emptied out, then glanced around with a start at the clink of a glass from the wheeled table that held the brandy. Everyone had left but Kibble, who was now pouring brandy into two snifters. Setting the glass cork back in the decanter, the butler carried the snifters over and handed one to Adrian before settling into the plush cushioned seat beside him.

Adrian wasn't at all surprised. This was a common ritual when Kibble wished to speak to him. His only concern was what the man might want to discuss.

"She has not seen your face," the man said. It was not a question.

Adrian's mouth hardened, and he glared into the cold hearth, refusing to respond.

"You said that her spectacles were broken. Why did you not get her a new pair ere bringing her here to
Mowbray
?"

Adrian shrugged resentfully, and raised his glass to swallow a good portion of brandy.

"You are afraid she will be repulsed by your face." Again, the butler's words weren't a question.

"I plan to get her new spectacles in a week or so," Adrian snarled, guilt making him angry.

Kibble was silent for a moment, his gaze thoughtful. He too peered into the empty hearth; then he asked, "Has she no money of her own?"

"What? Yes, of course." Adrian frowned. He knew Clarissa had money; his mother had mentioned to him that on the way back from one of their fittings she'd purchased a small bottle of perfume. He'd since learned that she'd received a small allowance from her inheritance ever since she'd turned twenty. Of course, all of it had been settled upon her on their wedding day, and some of the papers they'd had to sign that day had been to arrange money in an account she had access to. The rest was to be invested. "Why would you ask that?"

Kibble shrugged. "I just wondered, my lord."

Standing, the butler downed the last of his brandy, then carried the dirty glass with him to place it on the brandy table before leaving the room. 'You cannot keep her blind forever," were his last words as the door closed behind him. It was a comment Adrian was growing heartily sick of.

He glowered at the empty hearth and drank the rest of his brandy, then stood and moved to the table to pour himself another. He didn't need his butler poking at his conscience; it was already making enough noise on its own. It was screaming at him that surely Clarissa would be safer if she could see properly and recognize any approaching danger. It was also claiming that just knowing someone might be out to harm her would put her on alert, perhaps help to keep her safe. But he had arguments for each point. Surely,

upstairs. He would go tell her now that he would take her to the village tomorrow to see if they could arrange spectacles for her. That way he could not play the coward and change his mind again.

He had reached only the third step when he heard the muffled sounds of a commotion in front of the house. Pausing, he turned back and walked down to the door to pull it open, eyebrows rising at the sight of the second coach from the city pulling to a stop in the drive. As he watched, the door opened and a weary
Keighley
stepped down, turning to offer a hand to Clarissa's maid. Joan looked just as exhausted from the journey as Adrian felt.

"That would be Lady Clarissa's maid?" Kibble inquired, reaching his side and peering out at the pair now moving toward the door.

Adrian nodded. "They will be tired after their journey, Kibble. Show Joan to her room and let her eat and relax. Tomorrow is soon enough for her to start back to work. The same for
Keighley
."

"Very good," Kibble murmured, then said, "Lucy saw Lady Clarissa undressed and into the bath, but is below now. Shall I send her back up to help Lady Clarissa out of the bath and to dress for dinner?"

"No. I shall help her," Adrian said, and he turned to head to the stairs. "But have our meal sent up to my wife's room on trays. We will dine there and have an early night."

Eyes wide behind her spectacles, Clarissa turned the page of the book she was reading and continued to devour the tale of an unfaithful wife and the punishment her husband was exacting. It had looked to be the sort

several eyes were better than just her own. And he had put his entire staff on orders to watch out for her, which should keep her safe enough.

As for her being more alert were she to know about the dangers possibly stalking her, this was true, but it would also make her anxious, and Adrian really didn't want her anxious or afraid. Clarissa was blossoming now that she was out from under her stepmother's thumb. He didn't want anything to change that and make her grow timid and afraid.