Jane Feather - Charade, Unknown [great novels to read TXT] 📗

At that His Lordship's eyebrows rose. "Oh come now, child, that istruly idiotish, if not imbecilic. I am only sorry that you wish to putme to the test, for it will add most considerably to the tedium of ourjourney, I do assure you. However, we must hope between here and Londonthat you will come to your senses, for you are really not stupid atall," he added kindly, taking snuff from a pretty enameled box.

Danielle glowered at him in wordless indignation. She was stronglytempted to launch one of her tirades

of abuse at this insufferablyarrogant individual but that was a lesson she had learned well andwisely decided to keep her own counsel.

"I will not insist you remain abovestairs this evening," Lintoncontinued thoughtfully, "although I do recommend it. You must certainlyseek your bed at an early hour, however. You had little enough sleeplast night and a long ride today. Shall I have your dinner sent up?"

"No, indeed not," Danny declared. "I will take my meal in the kitchenas befits the public role of a mere servant."

"As you wish," the earl said calmly, refusing to rise to the challenge."You will stay out of trouble, though, won't you, brat?" He pinched-her cheek carelessly before leaving the chamber to seek his dinner andhis cousin in the private parlor.

The gesture for some reason infuriated Danielle. She muttered crosslyas she used what water her companion had left to cleanse herself of theworst of her travel dust before making her own way to the kitchen andwhat proved a very convivial evening. Her ready wit andeasygoingfriendliness endeared her rapidly to the large group ofservers, wenches, andstablelads crowding the long kitchen table. Mrs. Jarvis, theinnkeeper's lady, was a motherly soul who instantly decided that thisscrawny lad was much in need of feeding and piled the wooden trencherin front of her with mounds of floury boiled potatoes and thick slicesof mutton. Danny didn't particularly care for the taste of ale but thefoaming pitchers passed back and forth down the table and, in theabsence of anything more palatable, she sipped circumspectly, carefullyhiding the involuntary moue of distaste.

Supper over, the group repaired to the stableyard to enjoy the firstand last half hour of leisure their long working day afforded. Risingbefore the dawn, working without respite until the dinner hour, theywould all seek their pallets by sundown. Thus it was that the Earl ofLin ton, strolling with Lord Julian after an excellent meal and aclaret that was all and more than the landlord had promised, cameacross a sight that filled him with a black rage.

Danielle de St. Varennes, granddaughter of the Due de St. Varennes andthe Earl and Countess of March, was sitting astride a low wallalongside the well-kept stables, a foaming pewter tankard in her hand,regaling a laughing circle of louts in exaggeratedly broken Englishwith some of the riper stories she had picked up in her wanderings.

The earl was beyond careful thought. Striding through the group who,one look at the dark face and blazing eyes, fell back hastily, hereached the startled figure of his ward. The tankard crashed to theground, splashing its contents on all and sundry and the next minuteDanielle was reeling on her perch, hands clapped to a pair of tinglingears.

"How dare you drink that!" her mentor hissed.

"But. . . but all the lads do," she protested in a shocked whisper.

The earl's face came very close to hers. "You, Danielle de St.Varennes, are

not

one of thelads, do you understand, me?"

She shrank away from the naked fury in those black eyesand the hard,narrow line of his lips, managing only a wordless nod as the tearsfilling her eyes threatened to spill in a hot flood down her cheeks.

A pair of large hands caught her under the arms and she was swungthrough the air to land with a jolt on the cobblestones.

"Get to bed!" The earl turned on the curt command and strode back towhere Lord Julian was standing in amazed wonder at the scene he hadjust witnessed. He had never seen his cool, deceptively lazy cousinlose his temper, let alone strike a servant.

"Gad, Justin! What was all that about? The lad was doing no harm, 'ponmy soul."

"He's far too young to be drinking ale and has an insolent tongue toboot," Justin spat, struggling with the extraordinary emotions shakinghim—fury at Danielle for her lack of conduct, but more so at himselfand a deep regret for his violent reaction.

Lord Julian shrugged and suggested peaceably that they sample MineHost's excellent "port over a hand of piquet before retiring. My Lordconcurred. He needed time to calm himself and for Danny to get to bedbefore he attempted to repair the damage. Lord Julian, however, foundhim an abstracted companion and achieved the unheard-of success ofrising from the table a hundred guineas ahead.

"Lud, Justin, but you've windmills in your head tonight. You gave methat last hand, I swear."

"Probably, Julian, probably. I cannot imagine how else you should havesucceeded in taking such a sum from me. You play as abominably as ever."

"That's the outside of enough, Linton. I take every hand from you andyou insult my skill."

The earl laughed softly. "Come out of the boughs, Julian. You find mesomewhat distracted tonight."

A sharp look crossed the heavy-lidded eyes as Julian refilled hisglass. "Nothing to do with that lad of yours, coz, I suppose?"

"I cannot imagine why it should be," Linton murmured dismissively. "No,I must see Pitt tomorrow and the news I have of France will not pleasehim."

The red herring worked as well as he had hoped and all thoughts of thestrange waif his cousin had in tow left Lord Julian as he questionedwith an intelligent eagerness belied by the slightly vacuous look hecultivated.

It was considerably later, when, his cousin's curiosity satisfied, MyLord took his candle and made his