Trondelaine Castle (17 page)

Silently, the two men left the room. When they were
gone, Tony commented, “I’m not surprised you prefer
the Earl.”

“Now look here-”

“Not that Mr. Lisle is unattractive,” Tony continued
calmly. “But somehow he lacks the elan of an Earl, I
should think. And the wealth.”

“You really enjoy being obnoxious, don’t you?” she
demanded. “If I’m so set on the Earl, why was I
planning to leave today?”

“How should I know what your schemes entail?” he
asked. Then, abruptly, he was serious. “No, frankly, I
don’t enjoy being obnoxious. I would much rather hold
pleasant conversations. And I very much wish we had met under conditions where I could hold such
conversations with you. But, unfortunately, I can’t
forget what has happened. Mind you, I’ve tried telling
myself I misjudged you. But every time I almost have
myself convinced, something occurs to set me straight
again.”

He fell silent, looking as unhappy as Wendy felt. She
bit her lip, regretting the impulse that had made her
bait him every so often. But it hadn’t seemed to matter
then. Now somehow it did. Instinctively, softly, she
said, “Tony, I-”

Lord Richard’s voice cut her off. “Well, I have good
news. Kevin has agreed to spend the week with us.”

As the two men entered the room, both Wendy and
Tony looked at them in astonishment. Kevin was
smiling and the Earl had a devilish grin. To Kevin he
added, “I’ll have Charles deliver your bags to your
room. Wendy is on this floor. You will be on the one
above. One must observe the proprieties, you understand.”

The last was said with an ironic glance at Wendy.
She sank lower into the couch. Kevin then said, “One
of the bags is Wendy’s. I thought you might need a few
more things, luv.”

“Thanks, Kevin,” she quavered.

“A drink?” the Earl asked him jovially.

Kevin accepted, and then the Earl excused himself
and left the room. Kevin happily plopped down on the
couch beside Wendy, saying, “The old boy is quite
decent, isn’t he?”

“One might say that,” Tony replied coolly.

Kevin shot him a quick glance, but only said to
Wendy, “He told me that your foot was worse and you
couldn’t leave yet and invited me to be his guest here. I
bloody well never thought I’d be staying in a castle!”

Tony stood. “Please excuse me. I’ve something to
arrange.”

When he was gone, Kevin turned to Wendy, serious
now. “All right, ducks, what’s up? I gather his nibs is
keeping you here with some threat. What is it? I
promise I’ll help you deal with him. And who is this
other chap? He certainly doesn’t like me. Has he been
bothering you? Level with me, luv. Nothing can be so
bad we can’t manage it.”

Wendy felt herself very close to tears. She leaned
against the welcome shoulder Kevin was offering. “Oh,
Kevin, it’s such a mess! And I don’t understand what’s
going on, or why Lord Richard is acting like this. I
think he thinks you and I are a pair of crooks!”

“What, luv?” Kevin asked, startled.

Wendy gave him a rather incoherent summary of the
events since she arrived at the castle. He listened
quietly. When she had finished, he said, “I know. He
told me all that.” At Wendy’s look of surprise, Kevin
added, “Oh, not quite the same way, but the same idea.
Except he didn’t say he suspected me, or that he
believed you were guilty of stealing the bracelet. Said
there’d been some accusations and he felt it best to
resolve the question before you left here, ducks. I
agreed and he insisted I stay, as his guest. What a
bloody mess! Luv, did you have to offend an earl?”

Before she could answer, Wendy heard footsteps in
the hall. It was Gwen. Speaking to Kevin, she said, “If
you will come with me, I’ll show you to your room.
Lord Richard felt you might like to freshen up a bit
before lunch.”

“Thank you, I would,” he replied, his smile warm.

Wendy told herself she was not jealous at Kevin’s
reaction to Gwen. She knew it was an automatic part of
the charm he inevitably used with women. It made life much easier for him, as the women were always
flattered and inclined to be courteous and helpful.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said of most of
the men he encountered.

Kevin followed Gwen out of the room and when they
were gone, Wendy rose to seek the privacy of her room
until lunch. But before she could leave, Lord Richard
returned to the James Room. He greeted her in a
friendly manner that seemed to belie his suspicions of
that morning. “Hello, Wendy, I see Mr. Lisle has
deserted you. I find him quite-interesting. Is he very
angry at the change in your plans?”

Disconcerted, she replied, “Uh, no, I don’t think so.
And yes-yes, he is rather special.”

Lord Richard raised an eyebrow. “I said interesting,
not special, but we won’t quarrel over that. No doubt I
seem an ogre to you at the moment, but truly I’m not. If
you didn’t steal the bracelet, it’s in your interest to stay
until the matter is resolved. I’ve already begun
investigating, you know. And if you are guilty, then
you can’t really blame me for treating you this way.”

More confused than ever, Wendy was unable to
meet his gaze squarely. He sat on the couch next to her,
amused by some secret joke. “Poor Tony!” he said. “He
hasn’t the faintest notion how to deal with you. And
I’m afraid he took your friend Kevin at face value.”

“You enjoy watching people squirm, don’t you?” she
demanded, growing angry.

He hesitated a moment, as though unsure of how to
continue. “Yes, I do. People fascinate me. And I enjoy
being able to manipulate them, even if only in small
ways. But I also enjoy people such as Mr. Lisle, who
refuse to allow me to manipulate them.” His gaze was
steady and Wendy felt herself flushing. The Earl’s voice was kindly as he said, “Perhaps you would like to rest a
bit before luncheon? Come, I’ll escort you to your
room.”

Gently, he helped Wendy to her feet. As they walked
down the hall, she trying to control her seething
emotions, he said unexpectedly, “You might like to
show Kevin the rose garden after lunch. Or the
orchard.” At the door of her room, he halted. “I shall
have Gwen call you when lunch is served… if I can find
her.”

With that cryptic remark, he inclined his head
slightly, then turned and left Wendy alone. Her head
beginning to spin, she closed the door and lay down. It
seemed only a moment later that Gwen was knocking
at the door.

Wendy was the last to reach the dining hall. Kevin
met her eyes with some amusement and she realized he
was probably enjoying himself. Even the threat the
Earl held over her would not dim Kevin’s naturally
buoyant personality-or his pleasure at finding himself
the guest of an Earl. Nor did he seem to consider Tony
dangerous for, as soon as they were seated, he began to
bait the fellow. “It must be lovely, living a life of ease,”
Kevin said.

Tony answered coolly, “Oh, I’m not sure. I always
rather thought it would be a bore.”

Skeptically, Kevin retorted, “Ali, now I’ve got it!
You’re one of the bloody working peers who puts in
one month a year at some sort of office work.”

Lord Richard started to speak, but Tony cut him off
sharply. “Actually, I’m not a peer. As for working, I’m
an accountant. Full-time.”

Kevin looked him over. “You’re not going to tell me
you’re his nibs’s employee!”

“You happen to see me on my yearly vacation.
Richard and I are old friends. However, I do
occasionally advise him professionally.”

For a moment, Kevin was silent, obviously thwarted
in his planned line of attack. Wendy, wanting
desperately to change the subject, asked him about
various people at work. Once more at ease, Kevin
repeated the latest office gossip, as he studied the other
two men. Lord Richard seemed amused by all this, but
Tony was puzzled and irritated. Rather soon, with a
superior smile, the Earl suggested that perhaps the
topic of conversation ought to be switched to
something more general. Such as the prime minister’s
latest speech, that is, if anyone had heard it.

Kevin was surprised. “Of course I heard it. Couldn’t
you get it here?”

The Earl waved a hand airily. “Oh, the radio is on the
blink at the moment.”

“Haven’t you got a telly?” Kevin’s voice was frankly
shocked.

“No, actually we haven’t,” Richard replied with a
smile. “We’re rather primitive here.”

“What do you do in the evenings?” Kevin demanded,
feeling as though he were being laughed at.

By now Richard’s smile was a broad grin. “Oh, well,
there are books to read, you know. And I’ve some very
good classical records for my stereo. But I admit life is
rather dull compared to London.”

Kevin was about to comment further, then glanced
at Wendy. Altering his tone, he said, “Oh, if you’ve a
stereo and records, that makes all the difference. I
enjoy listening to music in the evenings myself.”

“Do you?” the Earl asked in a friendly fashion.
“Classical?”

Kevin hesitated only a moment. “Rather. At least since Wendy began educating me.”

“Then I must let you hear my Daphne by
Monteverdi,” Lord Richard continued in the same
manner. “It’s quite a good production and one of
Wendy’s favorites.”

Wendy was rather surprised at this comment, but
she kept silent, wondering what Lord Richard was
aiming at. She had never heard the opera at
Trondelaine, nor had she ever mentioned it to the Earl.
Certainly not as a favorite piece of music. Tony
commented, “Then you might just as well play Orfeo
for him also!”

Kevin looked at Tony warily, but relaxed as Lord
Richard replied, “Perhaps, although certainly not the
same evening.” He glanced at Kevin again. “You were
about to tell us of the prime minister’s speech, I
believe?”

Gratefully, Kevin seized on the topic.

Sometime later, they rose from the table. Lord
Richard turned to Kevin. “I know Wendy usually
works every afternoon. Perhaps I could persuade you
to join Tony and myself riding?”

“I’d love to!” Kevin said enthusiastically. Then,
remembering Wendy, he asked her, “You don’t mind,
do you, luv?”

“Of course not,” she replied lightly. “As Lord
Richard said, I usually work in the afternoons.”

The men went to their rooms to change, and Wendy
to hers to gather her papers. Useless to wish Kevin had
stayed with her; useless to wish he had tried to talk her
out of working that afternoon. It wouldn’t have been
difficult. She mustn’t think that it meant he’d rather go
riding than be with her; he just assumed her work
would come first.

Sighing, she balanced the papers on her free arm and went to the library. As she worked, she began to relax.
The passage she had reached was a particularly
beautiful one and she tried to convey a sense of its
elegance in her English translation. This was one of
those times when she knew she had chosen the right
career.

When Gwen came to announce tea, Wendy said, “I
shan’t be wanting any today, thank you. If I stop now,
I’ll be unable to finish this off properly.”

“Yes, Miss Pratt,” Gwen said with an odd look.

But a few minutes later, apparently by Lord
Richard’s orders, a small tray was brought to Wendy.
Embarrassed, she thanked Gwen, who gave her a warm
smile.

No one came to interrupt her again that afternoon,
not even to remove the tea tray. Reluctantly, an hour
before dinner, Wendy set aside her work and rose to go
to her room. Once there, she pulled open the wardrobe,
wondering what to do about a dress. She could just
imagine the scene if she wore one of Lady Pellen’s
dresses! Kevin just would not understand. As her eyes
focused on the clothes rack, Wendy gave a deep sigh of
relief. Darling Kevin had thought to bring her two long
dresses, as well as a few other things. Quickly, she drew
out the green, full-skirted chiffon. It was by far her
favorite of the two. Her hair was soon pinned up and
she headed for the James Room, eager to see Kevin
again.

Tony was the only one there, however. He glanced
up in surprise as she entered. “A new dress from
Richard?” he queried.

She smiled and shook her head. “Not this time.
Kevin brought up some of my clothes with him. It feels
good to be wearing my own things again.”

He raised an eyebrow, but had no chance to comment, as Lord Richard entered the room just then.
The Earl strode over to Wendy, took her shoulders,
turned her completely around, then released her and
stepped back. The unspoken question was obvious.
She repeated what she had told Tony.

Richard drew his eyebrows together. “What is
wrong with the dresses I gave you?”

Rather taken aback, she answered, “Nothing! But it
seemed preferable to wear my own. And less likely to
lead to misunderstandings.”

“Do you think I care about misunderstandings?”
Richard demanded.

Too stunned to reply, Wendy stood still, her mouth
open. The Earl turned his back on her and poured
himself a glass of sherry. At the same time, Tony
quietly placed a glass in her hand, concern and
confusion evident on his face. Just then, Kevin entered
the room. “You look gorgeous, luv,” he told Wendy.

There was an awkward silence, and Lord Richard
offered him a drink. Kevin walked over to pour it
himself. By the time they were all seated, it was as if the
conversation between Wendy and the Earl had never
taken place. Kevin was enthusiastically discussing the
Earl’s stable and the latter was responding with
apparent good humor.

From time to time, Tony would add a comment
about the origin or parentage of a particular horse. All
three men were obviously in their element. Wendy,
leaning back, was content to just listen. Her emotions
needed time to recover from the shock of the encounter
with Lord Richard. Never would she understand the
man! He had almost acted jealous.