The Reluctant Countess (19 page)

“Oooh, my lord,” she cooed.

“Don’t recognize you,” the man said, looking at Sophie. “Not one of the regulars.”

What did she do now? Sophie wondered, looking at the man. He had obviously seen and heard everything, so it would not take him long to detect that she was a fraud. She felt Patrick stiffen behind her, his body suddenly taut.

“Tell you what, love.” Sophie stood on her toes and leaned forward, pushing her breasts on top of the bar. “I’m new ’round here,” she added, doing a little shimmy that drew the man’s eyes downward, “but I’ll give you a tumble for free now and then if you give me a good rate.”

Where the hell had she learned to talk like that? Patrick wondered. Her voice was a husky purr and the feel of her bottom wriggling against his groin was torture. He’d reach across the bar in a minute and plant his fist in the barman’s face if he didn’t lift his eyes from Sophie’s breasts.

“All right, but you clean after you,” the man said, reaching behind him for a set of keys that he handed to Sophie. She beckoned him closer and planted a smacking kiss on his lips.

They walked up the stairs playing their part, Sophie draped around Patrick, and Patrick with one hand on her bottom. Stephen followed behind at a more sedate pace. At the top they veered right and down a hallway that had four doors. Two were on the left, two on the right. Patrick indicated he and Sophie would take the ones on the right.

“Be careful, Stephen,” Sophie whispered as he made to move past them. He squeezed her hand briefly before heading to the first door.

“You stay behind me, Sophie,” Patrick said, reaching for another door.

Sophie pressed into his back.

He only opened it an inch, then closed it quickly.

“Is it empty?”

“Hmmm,” Patrick murmured, trying to push the vision of a spotty backside pumping up and down with vigor from his head.

“Here!”

Stephen’s whisper had Sophie and Patrick running down the hall to where he stood.

“There is a child in this room, I just heard him cry out.”

Sophie tried to push forward, but Patrick simply picked her up and placed her behind him.

“Don’t be foolish!”

“It could be Timmy!” Sophie said, trying to get past Patrick.

“And if you rush in you may get a bullet through your head and be no use to anyone,” he said, giving her a shake.

“I … I’m sorry.”

Patrick’s words had been harsh, but they needed to be said. She trapped her lower lip between two teeth and he knew she was fighting back the tears.

“Now,” Stephen whispered as he pulled a pistol from inside his coat and held it aloft.

Patrick pushed Sophie to the side and turned the handle, but the door did not yield.

Sophie watched him take something from his pocket and fiddle around in the lock before she heard it click.

Nodding to Stephen, Patrick eased the door open slowly. Creeping forward, he looked into the room. Weak light from a candle showed him a woman tied to a chair, mouth gagged. A small child sat at her feet in a heap of blankets. No one else appeared to be inside.

“Is it them?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” Patrick said, taking her hand and leading her inside.

* * *

“You should have woken me, Sophie, I could have helped.”

Yawning, Sophie looked at Letty. They’d arrived home a short while ago, with both Mary and Timmy no worse for their adventures. The trip out of the Black Swan had been uneventful. Stephen had collected both drivers, made sure they were armed, and the group had then walked out through the tavern without a protest. Both of the kidnap victims were now tucked in their beds, while Sophie, Patrick, and Stephen faced a barrage of questions from Letty.

“I’m sorry, Letty, I thought only to protect you.”

The elderly woman waved her hand about as she struggled to contain her emotions.

“Yes, well, you will not do so again!”

“I promise,” Sophie said around another yawn.

“Dear lord, you look like a courtesan in that outfit,” Letty added, looking at Sophie and shuddering.

“I could hardly go about dressed as a lady,” Sophie said, quickly doing up her top two buttons.

“That was the idea,” Patrick said, climbing to his feet. He wasn’t sure if he was happy or sad to see the last of Sophie the courtesan.

“I will arrange some men to guard the house, both front and back, until we catch Jack Spode,” Patrick added. “He will be angry when he realizes we have foiled his plans and I do not want him attempting to enter your home again.”

“Thank you, Lord Coulter, that should make us all sleep better,” Letty said. “Please allow me to thank you both again with all my heart for finding Mary and Timmy. I fear we owe you much,” Letty said as she got to her feet. Crossing the room, she kissed Stephen and Patrick, then Sophie, and quietly left the room.

“I will see you in the carriage, Patrick,” Stephen said, giving Sophie a quick hug and taking his leave.

“I can never repay you for tonight, Patrick, no matter how long I live,” Sophie whispered.

“You owe me nothing,” he said, looking at her.

“I owe you everything and so much more.”

The distance between them was not great, yet Patrick did not breach it. Now that the danger had passed, all he could see was her, the way her hair looked tumbled around her shoulders, that ridiculous lavender ribbon still tied around her neck.

“Let me say thank you, Patrick, and let me add that if ever you need anything from me you have only to ask.”

“A boon,” he said, trying to keep his tone light as she walked a few steps closer. He could see the exhaustion in every line of her pale face.

“When I ran to you tonight, I was desperate, and after hearing my story you could have turned your back on me, but I knew you would not, and for that I also thank you.”

“No more thank-yous, Sophie.” Patrick took the last steps toward her. “You have thanked me enough.” Lowering his head, he gave in to the inevitable.

It was a kiss that stirred his soul, and while he wanted it to last forever, Patrick reluctantly eased back.

“Go to bed, sweetheart, and I will see you tomorrow.”

Sophie followed him to the front door and watched as he climbed into the carriage.

* * *

“Amelia is due to arrive shortly, Letty. Should I send a message to cancel our outing to the museum?” Sophie said, running her fingers through Timmy’s soft curls.

“Of course you should not cancel it, Sophie. You have carried Timmy around on your hip for three days now. You must get back out into society or the gossips will start rumors as to the reason for your absence,” Letty said.

On the first morning following Timmy’s abduction, Sophie had woken early and rushed into his room, lifted him into her arms, and promised him, between kisses, that she would never let him out of her sight again.

Breaking off a piece of toast, she handed it to him before speaking. Timmy grabbed it and pushed it into his mouth. “I promised my mother that I would protect and care for him until he was old enough to do so for himself.” Sophie pulled his soft little body close.

“Yes, and surely you are doing that, Sophie. Today, however, you and Amelia will take him to the museum as you planned, and then tonight you will leave him with Mary and the staff. Ginny is here now, too, and I must add has fitted in remarkably well and seems very fond of Timmy also. They will watch his every breath,” Letty said, removing her glasses and looking at Sophie. “All of them are feeling ashamed that they let someone slip into the house that night,” she added, knowing Sophie would be horrified at the prospect of the staff feeling any guilt over what happened. Letty was not above using any underhanded tactics she could think of to get her sister-in-law back into society.

“I do not blame them!” Sophie cried. “Surely they know that?”

Underneath that sweet façade lay a girl who, when required, had a very stiff backbone. If Letty did not do something to get Sophie out of the house soon, she would retire from society and return to Monmouth indefinitely, and that would never do. Not when Letty was so close to achieving her goal of seeing Sophie settled with a strong, handsome, and rich earl.

“Yet seeing you holding Timmy close day and night and not allowing them to look after him, merely confirms their belief that you no longer trust them.” Letty schooled her features into one of sadness.

“Oh dear, that was never my intention; I merely needed to be close to him, Letty.”

“Of course you did, my dear, and who would blame you,” Letty said, signaling the maid to refill their teapot. “But now it is time for you to reenter society and for the staff to once again feel useful.”

“Of course, and I shall this evening, I promise,” Sophie said, lowering Timmy to the floor. Instantly, he walked to Letty.

“You shall have both Robbie and Jenny with you today,” Letty told her as she lifted the little boy onto her lap. “Plus I believe another man has been sent to us from Lord Coulter to watch over you.”

Sophie’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of Patrick, as she had not seen or heard from him in three days. The day after Timmy’s abduction, a note had arrived saying only that he was detained on business and would call upon her on his return.
Was he now ashamed of her?
His reaction to her confessions the other night had not suggested he was, but his absence said otherwise. Yet the kiss they had shared before he had left her that night had been so tender and sweet and she had hoped … Dear lord, what had she hoped for? That perhaps he would want to spend the rest of his life with her. A maid masquerading as a countess.

“What has put that sad look on your face, Sophie?”

“Nothing, Letty, just thinking,” Sophie said. Changing the subject, she asked, “Does Robbie know what took place the other night?”

“But, of course.”

“I will be hounded, he will dog my every step. Have mercy, Letty,” Sophie begged.

“Sorry, my dear, but on this I must insist.” Letty’s face was suddenly serious. “I will not allow a repeat of that night’s events, Sophie. Not ever,” she added, shutting her eyes and placing a kiss on the soft downy head of her nephew.

“Then of course I will allow Robbie to make my life miserable,” Sophie said, with a wry smile on her face.

Amelia arrived, and shortly thereafter the two women and Timmy, accompanied by Sophie’s maid and the two men driving the carriage, started out for the museum.

“You look tired today, Sophie,” Amelia said, as she pulled a funny face at Timmy.

“I did not sleep well last night.” Sophie wrapped her hands around Timmy as he lunged for Amelia.

Timmy had grown to love Amelia and Sophie thought it was because she was just quite simply Amelia; sweet, loud, impetuous, and everything her mother was not. Remarkable really, that such a feisty spirit had not been extinguished by so much misery.

“I cannot believe Mama actually let me come out with you today,” Amelia said, then tugged on the neckline of her dress as if trying to ease the stiff fabric off her body.

Today’s dress was a horrid fashion in some heavy fabric of indiscriminate origin, muddy brown in color, and it concealed every one of Amelia’s curves, allowing her to blend into the carriage’s upholstery. Her hair was pulled back in a severe bun that was tucked beneath an equally ugly bonnet.

“Amelia?”

“Yes, Sophie?”

“Have you ever thought of changing your style of dress? I know Letty is always urging me to keep up with the latest fashions,” Sophie said quickly before she lost her courage. “Wouldn’t it be fun to go shopping and then have Jenny style your hair differently one evening before you go out?” she added, hoping she had not just destroyed the only friendship she had ever had.

The silence in the carriage was deafening. The maid turned quickly to look out the window, but Sophie looked at Amelia and Amelia looked right back at her with her mouth hanging open.

“I did not mean to offend you, Amelia, please forgive me,” Sophie said, horrified that her friend had yet to speak. Amelia always spoke; she was never at a loss for words. What had she been thinking, talking to her in such a way?

“Oh, Sophie! I would love that above all things,” Amelia said, then burst into noisy tears.

“Mellie!” Sophie cried, lifting Timmy into her arms. She exchanged seats with Jenny, taking the one next to her friend. “I am sorry; please forgive me I had no right to speak to you like that.”

“But I so desperately want to change my clothes!” Amelia wailed. “Mama is forever saying that the clothes worn by the young ladies are not suitable, and will lure a man into a state where his passions are aroused and then …”

Sophie had known that Mrs. Pette was behind Amelia’s appearance, but she had not understood why until now. She made an instant decision to help her friend, and that help would start at this very moment. They would deal with Amelia’s mother when the time came.

“Jenny, signal Robbie that we have changed our plans and wish to go shopping.”

They must do something about Amelia’s clothing now, before the season finished and she was placed well and truly on the shelf. Mrs. Pette’s past experiences could not be allowed to affect Amelia’s chances of a suitable match just because she feared for her daughter’s well-being.

It did not take long to reach their new destination and by the time they alighted Amelia’s eyes were sparkling with nervous excitement.

“I’ll have Harry walk the horses, my lady,” Robbie said, holding the door to the carriage for the small party to alight. “Then I’ll stand guard outside the shop to make sure no one suspicious enters,” he added in a loud whisper.

“I do not think that will be necessary with Jenny accompanying us,” Sophie said quickly, before Amelia heard. She had a terrible vision of big burly Robbie charging inside the dress shop, stomping over all the silks and lace to find her.

“I will not let them take him again, or you for that matter,” Robbie vowed, although a little less loudly this time, so thankfully only Sophie heard his words.

Sophie looked at him. She had seen that closed expression before; he would not be swayed and it was really rather sweet that he cared so much for them. “All right, but I am sure nothing will happen,” she said, hoping he would keep to his word and stay outside the shop until she returned.