Lady Arbuthnott’s for your return.”
“If I had realized there was a lady waiting for me, I would have made it a point to return much sooner.”
Augusta wrinkled her nose. “Oh, dear. You are angry, aren’t you?”
“Whatever gave you that notion?” Harry reached down, grasped her arms through the fabric of the cloak, and hauled her bodily in through the window. It was then he saw the other figure crouching in the bushes. “Who the devil is that?”
“That is Scruggs, my lord. Lady Arbuthnott’s butler,” Augusta said breathlessly. She righted herself as he released her and straightened her cloak. “Lady Arbuthnott insisted he accompany me.”
“Scruggs. I see. Wait here, Augusta.” Harry swung one leg over the windowsill and then the other. He dropped down onto the moist earth and beckoned to the stooped figure in the bushes. “Come here, my good man.”
“Yes, your lordship?” Scruggs came forward with an awkward, limping gait. His eyes glinted with laughter in the shadows. “May I be of service, sir?”
“I think you have already done quite enough for one night, Scruggs,” Harry said through his teeth. Aware of Augusta hovering in the open window, he lowered his voice as he confronted Peter Sheldrake. “And if you ever assist the lady in another adventure of this sort, I shall personally straighten out that extremely poor posture of yours. Permanently. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir. Most definitely, your lordship. Quite clear, sir.” Scruggs bobbed his head in a servile bow and edged backward, cowering pathetically. “I’ll just wait out here in the cold for Miss Ballinger, sir. Never mind that the night air brings out the rheumatism in these old bones. Don’t concern yourself with my joints, my lord.”
“I do not intend to concern myself with your joints unless I find it necessary to take them apart one by one. Go on back to Sally’s. I’ll take care of Miss Ballinger.”
“Sally is planning to send her home in her carriage with a couple of other members of Pompeia’s,” Peter said softly in his own voice. “Do not fret, Harry. No one except Sallyand myself knows what is going on here. I’ll wait for Augusta in Sally’s garden. She’ll be safe enough once you get her back there.”
“You cannot know how that knowledge relieves my mind, Sheldrake.”
Peter grinned through his false whiskers. “This was not my idea, you know. Miss Ballinger came up with it all on her own.”
“Unfortunately, I can believe that.”
“There was no stopping her. She asked Sally to let her sneak through the gardens and down the lane to your house and Sally very wisely insisted I come along. Wasn’t much else we could do except make certain she did not come to harm in the process of getting to you.”
“Be off, Sheldrake. Your excuses are too lame to interest me.”
Peter grinned again and faded into the shadows. Harry went back to the open window where Augusta stood peering down into the darkness.
“Where is Scruggs going?” she demanded.
“Back to his employer’s house.” Harry climbed back into the library and closed the window.
“Oh, good. That was very kind of you to send him back.” Augusta smiled. “It is very cold out there and I would not want him standing around in the damp air. He suffers from rheumatism, you know.”
“That is not all he will be suffering from if he tries anything like this again,” Harry muttered as he relit the lamp.
“Please, you must not blame Scruggs for my appearance here tonight. It was all my idea.”
“So I understand. Allow me to tell you it was a distinctly unsound notion, Miss Ballinger. An addlepated, idiotic, entirely reprehensible idea. But as you are here now, perhaps you will explain exactly why you felt it necessary to risk your neck and your reputation to see me in such a fashion?”
Augusta gave a small, frustrated exclamation. “This is going to be extremely difficult to explain, my lord.”
“No doubt.”
She
“If I had realized there was a lady waiting for me, I would have made it a point to return much sooner.”
Augusta wrinkled her nose. “Oh, dear. You are angry, aren’t you?”
“Whatever gave you that notion?” Harry reached down, grasped her arms through the fabric of the cloak, and hauled her bodily in through the window. It was then he saw the other figure crouching in the bushes. “Who the devil is that?”
“That is Scruggs, my lord. Lady Arbuthnott’s butler,” Augusta said breathlessly. She righted herself as he released her and straightened her cloak. “Lady Arbuthnott insisted he accompany me.”
“Scruggs. I see. Wait here, Augusta.” Harry swung one leg over the windowsill and then the other. He dropped down onto the moist earth and beckoned to the stooped figure in the bushes. “Come here, my good man.”
“Yes, your lordship?” Scruggs came forward with an awkward, limping gait. His eyes glinted with laughter in the shadows. “May I be of service, sir?”
“I think you have already done quite enough for one night, Scruggs,” Harry said through his teeth. Aware of Augusta hovering in the open window, he lowered his voice as he confronted Peter Sheldrake. “And if you ever assist the lady in another adventure of this sort, I shall personally straighten out that extremely poor posture of yours. Permanently. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir. Most definitely, your lordship. Quite clear, sir.” Scruggs bobbed his head in a servile bow and edged backward, cowering pathetically. “I’ll just wait out here in the cold for Miss Ballinger, sir. Never mind that the night air brings out the rheumatism in these old bones. Don’t concern yourself with my joints, my lord.”
“I do not intend to concern myself with your joints unless I find it necessary to take them apart one by one. Go on back to Sally’s. I’ll take care of Miss Ballinger.”
“Sally is planning to send her home in her carriage with a couple of other members of Pompeia’s,” Peter said softly in his own voice. “Do not fret, Harry. No one except Sallyand myself knows what is going on here. I’ll wait for Augusta in Sally’s garden. She’ll be safe enough once you get her back there.”
“You cannot know how that knowledge relieves my mind, Sheldrake.”
Peter grinned through his false whiskers. “This was not my idea, you know. Miss Ballinger came up with it all on her own.”
“Unfortunately, I can believe that.”
“There was no stopping her. She asked Sally to let her sneak through the gardens and down the lane to your house and Sally very wisely insisted I come along. Wasn’t much else we could do except make certain she did not come to harm in the process of getting to you.”
“Be off, Sheldrake. Your excuses are too lame to interest me.”
Peter grinned again and faded into the shadows. Harry went back to the open window where Augusta stood peering down into the darkness.
“Where is Scruggs going?” she demanded.
“Back to his employer’s house.” Harry climbed back into the library and closed the window.
“Oh, good. That was very kind of you to send him back.” Augusta smiled. “It is very cold out there and I would not want him standing around in the damp air. He suffers from rheumatism, you know.”
“That is not all he will be suffering from if he tries anything like this again,” Harry muttered as he relit the lamp.
“Please, you must not blame Scruggs for my appearance here tonight. It was all my idea.”
“So I understand. Allow me to tell you it was a distinctly unsound notion, Miss Ballinger. An addlepated, idiotic, entirely reprehensible idea. But as you are here now, perhaps you will explain exactly why you felt it necessary to risk your neck and your reputation to see me in such a fashion?”
Augusta gave a small, frustrated exclamation. “This is going to be extremely difficult to explain, my lord.”
“No doubt.”
She
Similar Books
