To Tame a Highland Earl (13 page)

“
No offence, my lord, but
why would anyone believe I was more predisposed to marry you than
Lord Rushton? They will simply believe I had an affair."

"An affair?"

A shiver snaked down her spine at the purr in
his voice.

"You may be right," he said.

"Good," she replied. "Then we can stop at the
nearest inn and—"

"Stop at the nearest inn? Why, Miss Crenshaw,
had I known you were so willing, I would have kidnapped you long
ago."

Eve frowned. "I beg your pardon."

"You will have to be patient, my dear. I
cannot chance anyone catching up with us before gossip has
circulated through the ton."

"Gossip?" Eve repeated.

A slow smile spread across his face. "Never
fear. I will give you as much of my cock as your sweet body can
take before we are discovered."

*****

Erroll heard enough of the story to grow
concerned. According to Oscar, a maid had almost caught him and
Miss Crenshaw in the act of lugging Erroll, unconscious, from the
gardens, which meant, the gardens was the last place anyone had
seen her.

He sent Somerset to nose around for anyone
who might have seen Miss Crenshaw, then headed for the balcony
where he could slip around to the kitchen entrance and speak with
the maid who had last seen her. Finding that maid without drawing
attention to himself was going to be a magical feat worthy of
Merlin’s talent. Over two hours had passed since she’d gone
missing, so it would appear doubly odd that Erroll was searching
for his future bride. But there was no help for it. As he neared
the doors he caught sight of Paisley. The earl hurried to catch up
with him and motioned him onto the balcony.

“
Where the devil did you
disappear to with Miss Crenshaw?” Montgomery demanded as they
stopped several paces from the door. “I saw you with her earlier,
then overheard Lady Crenshaw asking about her, and grew
concerned.”

“
You haven’t seen her?”
Erroll asked.

Montgomery shook his head. “No. Is something
wrong?”

“
I’m not yet
sure.”

“
I wonder if Lady Quincy
and Lady Consworth know of her whereabouts?” the earl
said.

“
Why would they know
anything?” Erroll demanded.

“
They were baiting her with
some rather nasty gossip earlier.”

“
When was this?”

Montgomery thought for a moment. “Nearly
three hours ago, when she first arrived.”

“
What was the
gossip?”

“
You won’t like it,” he
replied. “Lady Quincy has a malicious streak.”

“
That she does.”

“
They said that perhaps you
did not find the younger Miss Crenshaw to your liking, but you
certainly wouldn’t settle for the elder. To her credit, Miss
Crenshaw didn’t turn on them until Annabelle implied that you and
the two sisters would share a bed after you married one of
them.”

“
Good God,” Erroll growled.
“That goes too far even for Annabelle. I will deal with her after I
find Miss Crenshaw.”

“
Is it possible she simply
went home?”

“
Unlikely. She was in the
middle of a not-so-well laid plan that required she be seen
tonight.”

Montgomery’s brows shot up. “That sounds
interesting.”

A thought struck and a sense of apprehension
rose. “What do you mean she turned on them?”

Montgomery laughed. “She gave them both a
well-deserved set-down, that included calling Annabelle
stupid—well, dense, I believe was the word she used, but she meant
stupid. I intervened before she could do any real damage.”

“
How fortunate for me,”
Erroll muttered.

“
The ladies deserved what
they got, but I decided it was best to save them from her wrath. I
feel certain she was about to will them to ashes on the
spot.”

“
I have been on the
receiving end of that wrath. She is quite capable of the
deed.”

“
Would that be when you
were with her in her bedchambers at a certain inn?” Montgomery
asked.

“
That would be the
time.”

“
Exactly what happened?
Rumor is, she shot you.”

“
She did.”

His friend’s eyes glittered. “When you find
the lady and set things to rights, I want to hear every
detail.”

“
We shall see,” Erroll
said. “But now I must find her.”

Paisley lifted a brow. “In the gardens?”

“
I pray not.” Erroll took a
deep breath and left his friend behind as he went down the
stairs.

He made his way through the gardens in the
direction Oscar had said he should find the servants’ entrance to
the kitchen. Moments later, he found the door and, without
knocking, entered. The clatter of work came to a deathly-quiet halt
and everyone stared. So much for not drawing attention to himself.
His mother once told him he was incapable of being inconspicuous.
As usual, she was right.

“
Forgive the intrusion,” he
said to the woman he took to be the cook.

She wiped her hands of the ham she’d been
slicing and hurried around the table toward him. Erroll closed the
door behind him as she stopped in front of him and bobbed a
curtsy.

“
Are you lost, m’lord? I
can have someone take you back to the ballroom.”

“
No, Mrs.—” he lifted a
brow in question.

“
Childs,” she said, “Mrs.
Childs.”

“
Mrs. Childs,” Erroll
replied. “I—” he paused and motioned her a few feet to the right,
away from the servants who stood still as mice. “I am looking for a
young maid.”

The cook’s eyes widened.

“
For information,” he
quickly added. He was no good at this. “My fiancé encountered her
earlier in the gardens. I am embarrassed to admit my lady eluded
me. A lovers’ quarrel,” he added. “I hope to make
amends.”

The cook’s mouth twitched. “Happens to the
best of gentlemen, my lord.”

“
Indeed,” he replied, and
silently added, and the worst.

“
That would have been Sally
in the gardens,” Mrs. Childs said. “I sent her for apples.” She
nodded to the tray of turnovers on the table.

“
Ah,” Erroll said. “So you
are the master baker that makes the famous apple
turnovers.”

She blushed. “I wouldn’t say famous,
m’lord.”

“
On the contrary, they are
the best in all of London.”

Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. “I
couldn’t say, your lordship.”

Erroll laughed. “I have had them. They are
nothing short of extraordinary. Now, where might I find Miss
Sally?”

Surprise shone in Mrs. Childs’ eyes, along
with a hint of admiration—yes, Erroll knew full well the affect he
had on women, as well as the added effect of addressing the maid as
a gentle born lady.

As hoped, the cook offered with enthusiasm,
“I’ll fetch her.”

She disappeared into the scullery to his
right and Erroll nodded to the on-looking servants. They jerked
into motion as one, but he wasn’t fooled. They busied themselves,
each with one eye on him. It was bad enough they’d been privy to
his asking after Miss Crenshaw. He didn’t want them overhearing his
conversation with Sally. One maid he might be able to talk into
keeping quiet, but even an edict from on high couldn’t silence a
full staff of servants. Erroll headed through the door, down the
short hallway and turned into the scullery, coming chest to nose
with Mrs. Childs.

“
My lord,” she cried, and
fell back a step.

Her ample rump crashed into Sally and Erroll
seized each woman by the arm to keep them from falling.

“
Are you all right?” he
asked.

“
Fine,” the cook replied,
while Sally nodded, eyes wide.

Erroll released them. “I am a nuisance, I
know.”

“
Oh, no, m’lord,” Mrs.
Childs said. “I just didn’t expect you here.”

He said with a laugh, “Most men shun the
kitchen,” then added in a low voice as if he would get into trouble
if discovered in the female domain, “especially the scullery. I’m
just rather anxious. A groom to be.” He winked. “You
understand.”

“
Yes, sir,” Mrs. Childs
said, then faced the maid. “Sally, his lordship is asking about the
lady you met in the gardens.” The girl’s eyes widened and she cast
an anxious look at Mrs. Childs, who said in a no nonsense voice,
“Answer his questions.”

“
I heard something in the
bushes,” Sally blurted.

His kidnapping no doubt.

“
I called out,” the maid
went on, “and the lady came out of the bushes. She said—” Sally
broke off again, and cast her eyes downward.

“
What did she say, lass?”
Erroll urged.

“
She said she was under the
weather and her future husband wanted her to stay at the party.”
Sally jerked her head up, eyes wide. “She wanted to sneak out the
back. I swear, my lord, I told her it was a bad idea, but she
insisted.”

“
Of that I have no doubt.
What then?”

“
I tried to take her to the
rear exit, but she wouldn’t let me. Said it was just as dangerous
for me to return to the house alone as it was for her to leave
alone.”

More so, in fact. The maid was fair game for
any unscrupulous bastard she might have the misfortune to
encounter.

“
So I came back to the
kitchen.” Sally began ringing a corner of her apron.

“
Miss Crenshaw was angry
with me?” he asked.

Sally’s eyes widened and she gave a tiny
nod.

“
And rightfully so,” Erroll
said. “I was a cad.” Though Miss Crenshaw had yet to discover just
how much of a cad he could be. “Nothing else happened?” he
asked.

Sally began to cry, but before Erroll could
say anything, Mrs. Childs said, “Sally, girl, I will beat you
myself. Now speak up.”

Sally took a step backwards, then swung her
gaze onto Erroll and said, “Just gossip, m’lord, nothing more. You
know how people talk.”

He knew well enough. “Go on.”

“
Rumor is, she left with
Lord Halifax.”

Minutes later, Erroll halted on the sidewalk
outside the mansion, Somerset alongside him. Erroll scanned the
crowded side street for Tolland’s coach. Only thirty minutes had
passed since Oscar and David had dropped him back at the mansion,
and the street was so clogged with vehicles trying to maneuver
along the street that he felt certain they couldn’t have gotten
far. Erroll sighted the carriage at the end of the street as it
inched its way through the intersection with David and Oscar in the
driver's seat.

“
Come along, Somerset."
Erroll started at a brisk walk down the sidewalk.

Moments later, they reached the carriage,
which had halted behind a hired cab, waiting in a long line of
vehicles trying to escape the congestion.

"Gentlemen," Erroll called to Oscar and
David. Their heads turned. "Oscar, if you would join us." Erroll
pulled open the door and stepped inside with Somerset close
behind.

The viscount settled on the seat beside
Erroll as the carriage listed to one side. A second later, the
brute jumped inside and pulled the door shut behind him.

"We have a bit of a dilemma," Erroll
said.

"Dilemma?" Oscar repeated in a low voice that
told Erroll he would plunge his knife into Erroll's heart with the
same ease in which he'd spoken the words if anything had happened
to his mistress. The coachman was unusually attached to the
lady.

"Indeed. Miss Crenshaw is missing."

"What do you mean missing?” Oscar said.

"I mean her mamma has not seen her since our,
er, meeting in the gardens. I spoke with the maid you said happened
upon you two. She directed Miss Crenshaw to the rear gate and that
is the last she saw of her.”

“
We would have been only a
minute or two apart,” Oscar said. “There was no one else in the
gardens. I wouldn’t have left her if there had been.”

“
I am sure,” Erroll said.
“But despite your chivalry, rumor has it, she left with Lord
Halifax.”

"Halifax?" Somerset burst out. “Eve would
never willingly leave with that reprobate.”

Erroll had to agree. And didn’t like it one
bit.

The last five hours in the saddle had been no
better than the five-hour ride Erroll made three days ago, and this
time he developed a headache—and the damned revolver he’d stuffed
into his waistband was digging into his belly. He shifted the
weapon and urged his horse into a gallop as he and his companions
had done as often as possible in the darkness. The compelling need
to paddle Miss Crenshaw’s bare arse rose with ferocity for the
hundredth time since they’d set out after her. The vision only
frustrated him all the more—for more reasons than one. This time,
however, he would satiate his
need
. After he shot
Halifax.

Erroll wasn’t naïve enough to believe the
earl intended to marry her. He intended to ruin Miss Crenshaw once
and for all and embarrass his enemy in the bargain, in recompense
for the set down Erroll had given him in the garden. The fact she
hadn’t consented to go with Halifax—and Erroll knew she
hadn’t—wouldn’t be believed by the ton. The race toward Gretna
Green in the privacy of Halifax’s covered carriage would leave no
doubt that she wasn’t a lady, but Erroll doubted that Halifax had
any intention of going all the way to Scotland.