Page 80 of His Improper Lady

“Did you work for my mother long?” Desiree matched the housekeeper’s businesslike manner.

“A year and a half, two years. I think she’d just taken up with his lordship. Before that she was some sort of entertainer,” Mrs. McGee said dismissively. “There was me and another maid and a pot-boy.”

“You were there when my brother and I were born?”

She nodded. “Aye. The other boy was already with her. He was a quiet lad, that one. Always watching.”

That was Brock, all right. But Desiree wasn’t going to wander away from her goal. “Do you remember who came to visit? Besides Lord Moreland?”

“There was that other one that was mad for her,” Mrs. McGee replied. “Don’t remember his name.”

“Lloyd Paxton?” Tom inserted.

“Aye, that was it. They called him Pack or Pax, some such thing. There was that other woman. Miss Malone used to work with her.”

“Bruna Upton.”

The housekeeper shrugged. “I guess. I don’t remember much, except she was French or something.”

“Italian?” Desiree said.

“I suppose,” the other woman agreed.

“What about Falk?” Tom asked.

“Falk!” Mrs. McGee scowled. “That kidsman—yes, he was there. Too often for my liking. The man was a scoundrel.”

“He still is,” Tom commented, and the housekeeper let out a short laugh.

“Was Falk in love with Stella also?” Given what the housekeeper had just said, Desiree couldn’t believe Mr. Paxton’s supposition that Falk was dallying with Mrs. McGee.

“Him?” Mrs. McGee’s laugh was a hoot of derision. “That man never loved anyone but himself. No. He came to get the money. That’s all.”

“Money? From my mother? Why was she paying him?”

“No, not from her. It was Lord Moreland that was paying him. Blackmail, you understand. Falk knew about the affair, and his lordship paid Falk to keep him from telling Lady Moreland. Lord Moreland would leave it with your mother, and Falk would come by and pick it up every so often.”

“Did you know what my mother and Lord Moreland were planning to do? Did she tell you?”

“No, not a word.” The woman’s tone turned indignant. “She didn’t know she was going until that morning. He sent her a note, didn’t he? Told her they were going to hare off to his cottage by the sea for a few days. She was that excited, went running around, packing and all. Then that carriage of his pulled up and she went running out to it, like she was going to heaven. That was the last I saw of her. Left me here to take care of you lot. Didn’t leave me any money, never sent me a note. Nothing. I didn’t know if she was alive or dead till that Paxton fellow came over, claiming he’d got a letter from Moreland saying they were gone.”

“He came over here before that, though, didn’t he?” Tom asked. “Mr. Paxton? He came over the night they left, didn’t he?”

“No, it was the day after they left. They went on a Monday afternoon, and then this Paxton showed up at the door the next day, saying they’d invited him for the evening. Typical. Not a lick of sense among the lot of them.”

“Paxton came over the next day?” Tom asked. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.” She scowled at him. “She went running out one afternoon, and then the next day, in the evening, Mr. Paxton comes calling. Seemed put out, I thought, that they hadn’t told him.”

“Do you think they had planned to run away? Or did they decide to go to the United States on the spur of the moment?”

The housekeeper made a wordless noise of disgust. “I don’t think she went anywhere at all.”

Desiree blinked. “What? Why do you say that?”

“And leave you three behind?” Mrs. McGee shook her head firmly. “She was a flighty thing and mad as could be about that man, but she was a good mum. She loved you three to death. Why, she was still feeding you herself. I’m not saying she wouldn’t have gone with him to the States or anywhere he wanted, for that matter. But not without her children. And what woman goes off to a foreign country with only one piece of luggage? Without taking all her jewelry? She left her jewelry box behind, and it was full. The only things missing were a few of the fancy pieces Moreland gave her.” She looked at Desiree. “Wouldn’t you take all your usual jewelry?”

“Yes.” Desiree nodded.