mattress.
“Where do you think you’re going?” His chest was only inches from her face. She could smell his soap, the same faint scent she’d noticed each night when she entered his room.
“I’m going to bed,” she managed to say past the sudden, overwhelming tightness in her chest. She could not think with him looming over her.
“There is no bed in the attic. You’ll stay here.”
“No!” She had to get to Mrs. Pell. The woman would spill the truth and incriminate herself before Lancaster even finished his first question. “I can’t sleep in your bed!”
“Well, I promise not to be in it with you. This house belongs to me, Cynthia, and I’ll not have you living in the attic.”
“Another room then—”
“There are two new maids in residence, plus young Adam. If we are to keep your presence a secret, we must not raise suspicion.”
Cynthia rubbed a hand over her eyes. Was he saying that he’d keep her hidden from her family?
Lancaster touched her cheek, and she jumped as if a spark had drifted from the fireplace and landed on her skin. “We will work out a plan in the morning. But for now, you’ll stay here. I’ll be back in a few moments.”
She jumped to her feet when he turned away. “Where are you going?”
“I must inform Mrs. Pell of the situation.”
“No! Not like this, not in the middle of the night. She’s old. Her heart…”
“If I don’t tell her this instant, she will likely suffer an apoplexy while she is beating me with a broom in the morning.”
“But…I don’t want her to know! She might…tell…” Oh, she couldn’t even finish her ridiculous claim.
Lancaster, just a foot from the door, turned back to her, frowning. He crossed his arms and Cynthia cringed. If he found out the truth he might very well turn Mrs. Pell out. Not for hiding Cynthia, but for lying to his face. No gentleman would support such insubordination.
If Mrs. Pell lost her position, Cynthia would never, ever forgive herself. “I…” she stammered.
Strangely, Lancaster smiled as if he’d just heard an outrageous joke. His brown eyes twinkled as Cyn shook in her stockings. “Really, Cynthia.” He chuckled. “You are nearly as poor a liar as Mrs. Pell. It’s a wonder you two have managed to pull this off without me.”
“Ah…Pardon?”
He laughed harder. “You look just like you did that time I caught you spying on the village boys swimming in the buff!”
She immediately forgot her nervousness and snapped straight. “I never did!” she gasped before remembering that she, in fact, had. Worse than that, she’d followed them to the beach in anticipation of catching just such a show.
“Ha! I see it’s all coming back to you now. There were five or six very naked young men, if I recall.”
The blood beneath her face was coming to a boil. “Nick,” she scolded, forgetting she’d meant never to call him that again.
That one word broke the tension in the room. Lancaster shook his head, his smile gentling.
She took a deep breath. “Please do not be angry with Mrs. Pell. She wanted to tell you and I begged her not to. Don’t put her out.”
“Put her out? Are you mad? How could I possibly be angry with her when she may very well have saved your life?”
That pulled her out of her worrying. Her own mother had clucked and dismissed Cynthia’s assertions that she would not survive being married to Richmond. But Lancaster seemed to accept it as a point of fact.
“Come now,” he said. “We will discuss all this in the morning. Into bed with you. Are you hungry, thirsty?”
“No.”
He shooed her toward the bed with his hands.
“But where will you sleep?”
“I’ll sneak into the chamber next door.”
As Cynthia watched in weary shock, Lancaster locked the door to the hallway and gestured toward the door to the adjoining room.
“I’ll be right there. The lock should keep the maids from stumbling upon you.”
“This is all unnecessary,” she protested, but
“Where do you think you’re going?” His chest was only inches from her face. She could smell his soap, the same faint scent she’d noticed each night when she entered his room.
“I’m going to bed,” she managed to say past the sudden, overwhelming tightness in her chest. She could not think with him looming over her.
“There is no bed in the attic. You’ll stay here.”
“No!” She had to get to Mrs. Pell. The woman would spill the truth and incriminate herself before Lancaster even finished his first question. “I can’t sleep in your bed!”
“Well, I promise not to be in it with you. This house belongs to me, Cynthia, and I’ll not have you living in the attic.”
“Another room then—”
“There are two new maids in residence, plus young Adam. If we are to keep your presence a secret, we must not raise suspicion.”
Cynthia rubbed a hand over her eyes. Was he saying that he’d keep her hidden from her family?
Lancaster touched her cheek, and she jumped as if a spark had drifted from the fireplace and landed on her skin. “We will work out a plan in the morning. But for now, you’ll stay here. I’ll be back in a few moments.”
She jumped to her feet when he turned away. “Where are you going?”
“I must inform Mrs. Pell of the situation.”
“No! Not like this, not in the middle of the night. She’s old. Her heart…”
“If I don’t tell her this instant, she will likely suffer an apoplexy while she is beating me with a broom in the morning.”
“But…I don’t want her to know! She might…tell…” Oh, she couldn’t even finish her ridiculous claim.
Lancaster, just a foot from the door, turned back to her, frowning. He crossed his arms and Cynthia cringed. If he found out the truth he might very well turn Mrs. Pell out. Not for hiding Cynthia, but for lying to his face. No gentleman would support such insubordination.
If Mrs. Pell lost her position, Cynthia would never, ever forgive herself. “I…” she stammered.
Strangely, Lancaster smiled as if he’d just heard an outrageous joke. His brown eyes twinkled as Cyn shook in her stockings. “Really, Cynthia.” He chuckled. “You are nearly as poor a liar as Mrs. Pell. It’s a wonder you two have managed to pull this off without me.”
“Ah…Pardon?”
He laughed harder. “You look just like you did that time I caught you spying on the village boys swimming in the buff!”
She immediately forgot her nervousness and snapped straight. “I never did!” she gasped before remembering that she, in fact, had. Worse than that, she’d followed them to the beach in anticipation of catching just such a show.
“Ha! I see it’s all coming back to you now. There were five or six very naked young men, if I recall.”
The blood beneath her face was coming to a boil. “Nick,” she scolded, forgetting she’d meant never to call him that again.
That one word broke the tension in the room. Lancaster shook his head, his smile gentling.
She took a deep breath. “Please do not be angry with Mrs. Pell. She wanted to tell you and I begged her not to. Don’t put her out.”
“Put her out? Are you mad? How could I possibly be angry with her when she may very well have saved your life?”
That pulled her out of her worrying. Her own mother had clucked and dismissed Cynthia’s assertions that she would not survive being married to Richmond. But Lancaster seemed to accept it as a point of fact.
“Come now,” he said. “We will discuss all this in the morning. Into bed with you. Are you hungry, thirsty?”
“No.”
He shooed her toward the bed with his hands.
“But where will you sleep?”
“I’ll sneak into the chamber next door.”
As Cynthia watched in weary shock, Lancaster locked the door to the hallway and gestured toward the door to the adjoining room.
“I’ll be right there. The lock should keep the maids from stumbling upon you.”
“This is all unnecessary,” she protested, but
Similar Books
