A Fine Caprice - A Regency Romance (32 page)

‘His ankle is hurt. I must bind it and he should rest.’

‘There isn’t any time for rest. Merridew will not be best pleased to find out that we’ve smuggled in a Frenchman.’

‘I am a refugee!’ the Comte piped up indignantly.

‘Yes, yes… that’s all very well,’ Mr. Ravener said irritably, ‘but it isn’t going
to stop a great many questions from being asked, now is it?’

‘Go away!’ the Grand Duchess snapped. ‘You are not being helpful.’

‘Be damned to that. What about my money? I’ve t
aken a great many risks
.
’

‘Do not be absurd! What risks?’

‘
I do believe my cousin suspects I’m working for Bonaparte!’

Caprice edged closer. This was getting interesting.

‘
As you are not, you have nothing to worry about. And y
ou will get your money. All I needed from you was to get me into this house and this you have done.’ Maria was sounding decidedly irritable. ‘A small service for which you will receive a great deal of money.’

‘
It would have been easier
to bring him into Cornwell,’ Mr. Ravener muttered, sounding sulky.

‘It was not possib
le. I could not go to Cornwell, m
y
…
situation prevented it
, as well you know
. Besides, you would not have been necessary if I had, now would you?’ she demanded coldly. ‘Go away Hadley and ask Anna to pack my things. We will leave as soon as poor Louie can manage it.’

This was Caprice’s queue and she walked forward, holding the sheet out to the Grand Duchess while ignoring Mr. Ravener’s narrow look as she passed
him
.
Her head was racing. Clearly the Grand Duchess, now that she h
ad achieved her objective (the deliciously handsome
Comte)
she
was planning on leaving.
Once again,
Caprice wondered where his lordship had gotten to. What was taking so long? She was practically
bursting
with news and he wasn’t around to hear it.

Fortunately for her poor nerves, he returned shortly afterwards. Intent on avoiding Mrs. Flannel and her demands to know what Caprice might be doing with that glass of Madeira and the hunk of bread and cheese she had wrapped in a cloth (for poor Louie now need some nourishment), Caprice wasn’t watching where she was going and collided w
ith Lord Merridew just as he came
striding into the kitchen. He caught the tray that threatened to topple with one hand and steadied her
with the other
,
seizing hold of
her shoulder.

His touch did nothing to steady her
suddenly fluctuating heart
and she looked up at him, wide eyed. ‘Oh! You’re back at last.’

For a moment the fingers on her shoulder tightened, before he released her. He still looked grim, she noticed a little sadly. She had been hoping that whatever had plagued him earlier would have worn off. ‘What are you doing?’ he demanded, a little abruptly.

‘I have so much to tell you! I found the French spy in the attic only he is
not
a
spy,
it seems but a rather silly French nobleman. But the Grand
Duchess loves him and has brought him here although I still cannot grasp why she could not simply say so for he is allowed to be here, so she could have just -’

‘Stop! Just… slow down. What are you talking about?’

‘There’s a French nobleman in the attic.’

He looked startled.
‘Not a spy, you say? How do you know?’

Pleased that her information
had had such an impact, she jiggled the tray in her hands
. ‘Really, you have to meet him
to understand
. He couldn’t possibly
be a spy
. I do believe that the Grand Duchess smuggled him out so that they could be together. And she arranged to pay your cousin a great deal of money to get her into this house.’

Comprehension was beginning to dawn on his face.
‘So Hadley’s not a traitor?’ he said slowly, rubbing a hand over his face as if to clear it of any of his former misconceptions.

‘No. Just in financial trouble. Or so I think. He’s rather a coward. I doubt he’d be brave enough to be a spy. They’re planning on leaving, incidentally. I never thought you’d get back.’

‘I’ve been busy,’ he said, rather shortly.

His to
ne of voice was singularly hurtful
. Here she was, doing some excellent work while he was gone and he continued
to speak to her as if… as if… well, she
didn’t know what
but it certain
ly
was
n’t the way he had been speaking to
her the night before. And she was tired of it. She
set the tray down on a sideboard and, hands on hips,
frowned at him.

‘Have I done something to offend you? You seem very short with me but I cannot imagine what I have done wrong.’

His frown slid into a scowl. ‘Can’t you?’

‘No. That is to say…’ her heart flip flopped a little.
Could
he possibly have found out? But how could he have?
She met his look resolutely. If he had found out her secret, then there was no point in prevaricating. ‘What is wrong?’

‘You lied to me!’ The words seemed to explode out of him, taking them both by surprise.

She bit her lip. He
might
mean something else. Perhaps it was a
ll a
mis
understanding
.
But really, there was only one really big thing she had lied about, wasn’t there?
One thing that would make him look so grim, an expression that
sat oddly on a face that seemed
more suited to good humor.
‘How do you know?’

‘Just be assured that I do,’ he snapped, half turning away.

Impulsively, Caprice laid a hand on his arm and he grew still. ‘Please. Can I not explain?’

‘No
, you may not
.
I do not wish to discuss it.’ He pulled away from her, putting distance between them. Caprice could almost feel the tension radiating off him.
‘
Now where is
this nobleman?’

‘My lord!’

‘Just… let it be.’ He spoke between his teeth and she fell silent. Picking up the tray once again, she moved past him, leadin
g the way as she blinked away the
sudden tears that threatened. It was ridiculous to cry. Why, she barely knew the man so his opinion shouldn’t mean so much to her. It shouldn’t, she acknowledged silently. But it did.

He’ll want me to leave, now. Without a word of explanation, he’ll want me to be on my way
. But wasn’t he just a little curious about her?
About her situation?
She had thought… well, she hardly knew what she had thought. Once again, she wondered how
he discovered her gender and, like a flash of lightening it hit her and the tray jumped in her hands.

She stopped and turned to
face
him accusingly. ‘You saw me in the lake!’

He stopped and a slow flush spread across his cheeks. His voice was even when he replied, however. ‘I did.’

The knowledge of just how much he
had
seen cause a flush of her own to suffuse her face.
‘I want to explain.’

‘I don’t want an explanation.’

‘Why are you being so unpleasant?’

‘You lied to me. I dislike being lied to.
’

She drew a breath, held i
t for a moment. ‘I can understand that
. But I could hardly tell you that I was a female traveling at night by myself, now could I? It would have seemed most peculiar.’

‘It was most peculiar!’ he retorted. ‘What the devil do you mean by it, anyway? Anything could have happened to you.’

‘That was why I was traveling as a boy. Nobody pays any attention to a stableboy.’

‘You’re a lady, aren’t you?’ he sounded accusing.
‘Gently born.
And don’t give me any nonsense about being a bastard because I won’t believe a word of it.’

‘Very well,’ she said carefully, ‘I am. A lady, that is. Although I think I made a very good stableboy. I was helpful, was I not? You surely don’t have any reason to complain about my service.’

He stared at her. They had reached the first floor corridor and it seemed unnaturally quiet.
‘Complain about your ser
vice?’ he repeated, sounding strained
.

Reaching out, he took her chin in his hand and
tilted her face upwards. He stared at her searchingly for a long, intense moment then, quite deliberately, bent his head and kissed her.

It was a peculiar kiss; awkward, as there was a tray between them, but from the moment his lips touched her own Caprice felt her body catch fire, as if it had been waiting for exactly this moment from the first time she’d seen him. He gave no quarter and his lips were hard… demanding, but she did not shy away from them, leaning up and into it, enjoying the pressure of his mouth
against her own
. Instinctively her lips parted, allowing him ingress and he thrust his tongue into the warmth of her mouth, taking complete possession. It was, she realized hazily as she desperately held on to the tray
and a measure of sanity
, one of the most delicious things she had ever experienced
in all of her one and twenty years
.

After a time that felt paradoxically like forever while at the same time gone too soon, he
released her abruptly. Her mouth was suddenly
free of him and she was
immediately
bereft
at the loss
. She blinked at him, stunned. It was small comfort to see that h
e looked disconcerted, as confused as she felt.

‘I shouldn’t have done that,’ he said slowly. ‘I don’t know why the hell I did.’

‘Don’t you?’ she inquired, bemused.

‘No! Good God…’ he took a hasty step back, widening the distance between them, as if close proximity to her was dangerous. ‘I don’t usually go around kissing strange women. I don’ know why… that is to say, I have never…’ he stopped again, glaring at her. ‘Damn it all, just show me this wretched Frenchman!’

‘I’m not actually a stableboy, you know,’ she said, rather primly.

It took
him a moment to get her meaning and
then he muttered a curse under his breath and strode past her. She followed, wondering what
it was
she should be feeling. Shocked, in all probability
,
for that had been an extraordinary kiss. But the thing was, it
had
been an extraordinary kiss and her entire body continued to tingle from it in the most delightful way. She had no i
dea what had prompted such behaviour on his part
but she could not regret it. Not now. Perhaps later
, when a measure of sanity returned.

I
t was most improper for him to kiss me
like that
.
But
oh, how she had enjoyed it! Improper or not, h
e could kiss her any time and she would find it impossible not to respond in kind. She was prepared to acknowledge that such thoughts
must make her a very bad person indeed. Perhaps her aunt had been right about her all along. She really
was
a hoyden.
But, while she might find his apparent annoyance at her deception regrettable, the fact was that he clearly found her attractive; as a female.
That kiss proved it. The knowledge
gave her a warm glow all the way down to her toes (and every part in between).
So, while it was unfortunate that he was angry, the fact that he knew she was a woman – and was inclined to kiss her – was a far positive outcome that she had believed possible.

Following
him up the stairs, she wondered if he would
be impelled to kiss her again. Perhaps there was a way to inspire him to do so?
Anticipation suffused
another
wave of
warm
th
through her.

He wants me. He can say what he likes, but he wants me!

When they
reached the foot of the stairs that l
ed up to the attic, he paused
.
‘
Why u
p he
re?’

‘I don’t think they realized that I moved. They thought it was deserted.’

‘Idiots!’ he muttered and Caprice pursed he
r lips.

When they waked into the attic she found that
the Comte had regained his feet and was sitting on a chair that the Grand Duchess must have procured for him. He looked at little pale but grew even paler when he caught sight of Lord Merridew.