Page 21 of Be Daring, Duke
But then, maybe they all would have forgotten about him by now. Maybe they had their hands full with other things. He could just stay quiet and not go out unless he was forced to run an errand.
Portland Place had a small back garden for Oyster and that seemed secure enough. He patted the inside of his coat. A paper was sewn in there that his mother said nobody in the workhouse must ever see. He did not know what it was, himself, nor could he read it even if he dared to look at it, but he liked to think it was a lovely message from her. It was like he carried her in his pocket everywhere he went.
When he got nervous, he patted his pocket and it calmed him.
Whatever was to happen, he and Oyster were going to London. He just must be careful. This life was too good to let slip away. He would not go back to that dark and cold room near the Seven Dials.
He looked at Oyster, sitting at his feet in the carriage. The dog looked back at him and his underbite chattered. He did not want to go either.
Chapter Five
With the earl’spermission, the barouche had been ordered to take them all to the park. Though its seating was meant for just four people, Rosalind and her sisters had no trouble squeezing in. They had even squeezed in six when Beatrice had been with them. Though, that had been arealsqueeze, as Miss Mayton was very comfortably padded.
Now, Rosalind, Viola, and Cordelia were in the forward-facing seat and Miss Mayton and Juliet opposite them. They had entered the park proper and their coachman, Sandren, steered them expertly along the carriage road.
They all kept their eyes sharp for Conbatten or the Earl of Baderston, Miss Mayton and Juliet having to lean forward to see around the hood.
“We should not have any trouble spotting either of the gentlemen,” Rosalind said. “Conbatten is wonderfully tall and Lord Baderston has copper hair.”
“I imagine Lord Baderston’s hair glints in the sunlight,” Viola said.
“I expect so,” Rosalind said. “It was wonderfully shiny under candlelight.”
“Rosalind,” Juliet said, “what do you call Conbatten? Do you call him Conbatten, or Duke, or Your Grace?”
Rosalind bit her lip. “I have only called him Your Grace so far, but I think of him as Conbatten. I suppose I ought to begin calling him Duke to be going in the right direction.”
“Very sensible,” Miss Mayton said, nodding.
“Do you suppose,” Cordelia said, “that if we saw him today, there would be anything you could do to help him along to rescuing you from something?”
Rosalind considered it, then leaned forward and said to the coachman, “Sandren, would it be possible to make the horses bolt so a gentleman could catch them and save us all?”
Sandren, a portly and taciturn fellow of middle-age, turned on his box. “Absolutely not, Lady Rosalind.”
Rosalind sat back. She’d been afraid he would not be game to try it. Sandren was very careful of them all and had even once put his foot down on taking them to Taunton when the skies began to darken. He’d said, “The earl believes I am not an idiot and I have no intention of proving him wrong.”
Of course, Sandren had been right. It had stormed terribly and the mud on the roads had made them impassable for a full two days.
Miss Mayton suddenly grabbed Rosalind’s hand. “It is Lord Baderston. He comes from behind.”
Miss Mayton waved to him. Viola was facing the wrong way, but her eyes were wide.
She and Viola listened to the hoofbeats approach while Juliet whispered, “Look at that. Hair the color of new pennies.”
“Miss Mayton,” Lord Baderston said, reining his horse in. “Lady Rosalind.”
Rosalind smiled and said, “Lord Baderston.” She liked the look of him just now. His complexion was going rather in the direction of his hair, which she took to be a very good sign.
“These are my sisters, Lord Baderston.Viola, Cordelia, and Juliet.”
She made it a point to allow her eyes to make clear who was who.
“Lady Viola. Lady Cordelia. Lady Juliet,” he said. He then cleared his throat very loudly. “Lady Viola, I understand from Lady Rosalind that you are fond of ham.”
“Prodigiously fond, Lord Baderston,” Viola said prettily.
“I am devilishly fond of it myself,” the lord declared.
