A Matter of Honor (2 page)

Aggie hurried to descend before her charge should say anything unfortunate, but Cecilie stood silent, lost in wonder.

Aggie herself bit back an exclamation of surprise. She had expected a fine house, but nothing quite this magnificent. The house seemed to take up the space of several normal houses and it rose at least four stories into the air.

“Well,” said Cecilie, f
i
nding her tongue at last. “It appears that the Earl is well-larded. I shall have quite a royal come out.”

“
Cecilie
!”
Aggie could not help the annoyance that crept into her voice. If the Earl were to hear such candid remarks, he could hardly be expected to be impressed with them.

“Quiet now,” warned Aggie, and together they went up the walk, leaving the coachman and grooms to follow with their bags and bundles.

The door opened as they approached it and they were greeted by a tall lean butler whose round face looked out of place on his thin angular body. “His lordship left orders to show you to your rooms. He had some business out and, not knowing the time of your arrival
,
thought it best to handle it

now.”

Aggie nodded and, gently pushing Cecilie before her, followed the butler up the great staircase.

“There’ll be a maid along to help you unpack,” said that worthy as he opened the door to a suite of rooms. “When his lordship returns, he’ll be wanting to see you. Until then, perhaps you’d like to freshen up and rest a little.”

Aggie nodded. “Thank you,
...”

“Bates,” he said. Then he was gone.

Aggie gently closed the door and turned to her ward. It was as if the closing of the door had opened Cecilie’s lips and a torrent of words came pouring out. “Oh
,
Aggie, this is capital, just capital! Look at this place! Why, the Earl must be rolling in the ready. I shall have dozens of new gowns, and slippers and gloves, and shawls and fans. Oh! I can hardly wait to get to Bond Street.”

“
Cecilie
,”
Aggie reminded her charge. “Please, be sensible. The Earl’s money is his own. What your papa left for your come out is quite sufficient
,
I am sure. You must not expect the Earl to spend his funds on you.”

Cecilie gave a stubborn shake of her blond curls. “I don’t know why not. Surely he can afford it.”

“That is not the question,” said Aggie patiently. “It was very kind of a man in his lordship’s position to take on your guardianship. It is an imposition on his time.”

Cecilie’s face began to take on an aggrieved expression and Aggie knew she had said too much. “I’m not any trouble, Aggie. You know that!”

Aggie swallowed a sigh. “I did not mean that, my dear. I simply meant that the Earl must have other responsibilities and arranging a come out is time consuming.”

Cecilie smiled. “He needn’t even bother himself about it. You and I can handle it quite nicely.”

Aggie managed to remain calm. “We know nothing at all about the Earl,” she said patiently. “He may leave all to us or he may insist on running things himself.”

Cecilie’s small chin seemed to jut out even further. “Well,” she said with a f
i
nality that ended the conversation, “if he tries to run my life, I shall certainly find him nasty.”

* * * *

It was over an hour later and their boxes and bundles had all been unpacked, when a tap on the door caused Aggie to call out, “Yes, what is it?”

The door opened to show Bates. “His lordship has returned and he wishes to see Miss Trimble in the library.”

“Just me?” said Aggie.

Bates nodded. “Those were his lordship’s orders. He said to tell you that he has some matters that must be discussed with you f
i
rst. He will meet his ward later.”

“Very well
,
Bates.” A glance at Cecilie’s face warned Aggie of a gathering storm and she hurried from the room before the girl’s anger should become a full-fledged tantrum. Though she knew the day was inevitable when her charge’s temper would become apparent to all, Aggie hoped to forestall it, for a little while at least.

She descended the front staircase as calmly as she could and, following Bates’s gesture, made her way to the library. Outside the door she paused momentarily, hoping to steady the trembling of her knees. But they seemed determined to tremble despite all her efforts and, taking a deep breath, she stepped through the door.

Across the room stood a man, his back to her. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders that strained the material of his coat of blue superfine. His dark hair curled down over his cravat and touched his coat collar.

“Milord?” she said softly, and then, because he had not heard her, she repeated a trifle louder. “Milord? You wish to speak to me?”

“Yes, Miss Trimble
,”
the Earl said, his deep voice raising vibrations along her spine. Then he turned, and, staring into those smoky gray eyes, Aggie’s mind told her what her body already knew. This was the man who had deceived and left her!

She reached out blindly for some support, but there was nothing close by and she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.

“Aggie!” She thought she heard him cry her name, but by that time the comforting darkness had closed over her.

When she opened her eyes some moments later, she was lying on a divan and the Earl was looking down at her. She struggled immediately to rise. He had carried her there - the man whose protestations of affection she had once believed. Her only thought was to escape his presence and the scrutiny of those terrible gray eyes. She struggled to sit up, but he pushed her back with a strong hand. “Lie still, Miss Trimble
.
You’ve had a bad shock.”

“You
-”
Aggie formed the word with stiff lips. “What are
you
doing here?”

“In good time,” he said brusquely, drawing a chair closer. “Lie still and I will enlighten you.”

Much as she wanted to run away from him, Aggie knew it was impossible. Her legs simply would not hold her.

After a quick glance at her, his lordship continued. “You came here expecting to see the Earl of Denby?”

Aggie nodded.

He smiled dryly. “You see him before you.”

“But then, then
-”

“Then I was the Viscount Acton. I succeeded to my uncle’s title, you see. And you have before you the Earl of Denby
.”

“Oh,” said Aggie, her tone barely audible. A little of her strength was returning now. She swung her feet to the floor and sat up slowly. The Earl eyed her carefully, but he said nothing. “You knew - that I was Cecilie’s companion,” she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

“Yes,” he agreed. “I knew.”

“Why - why did you let me make this journey - knowing that I could not stay?”

His eyes grew darker and the line of his mouth hardened. “I did not know any such thing,” he said gruffly. “As Cecilie’s guardian I am conversant with the terms of her father’s will.” When she did not reply, he gave her a long searching look. “I know the terms,” he repeated. “I know that if you leave her before she is safely married, you will lose what was left you. That is why I did not tell you before you arrived here.” He rose suddenly and strode across the room.

“I - you must know that I cannot stay here.” She stared at the hard muscles of his back, her heart pounding heavily in her throat.

He swung toward her then. “I know no such thing,” he said curtly. He drew himself up to his fullest height and she felt herself seem to grow smaller. “You not only
may
stay here, you
must.
I will not be responsible for your losing your inheritance. Do you understand me?”

Aggie pushed hopelessly at her tumbled hair. “But - but - you must see. It’s impossible. I cannot.”

A strange look, almost of pain, crossed his handsome features, but before she could look closer, he turned his back again and resumed his pacing. “I am well aware of your antipathy toward me,” he said sharply. “But in this case you must consider yourself. Also, you might give some thought to your charge. It would be rather hard on her, would it not, to lose her companion so soon after losing her father?”

Aggie found herself twisting her hands nervously and was glad that he had his back to her. He was right, of course, she could not very well desert
Cecilie
at this important time. But to stay here, in the same house with
him -
to see him every day. To know how once she had loved him. To remember how he had simply vanished from her life. She didn’t know if she could manage that.

And yet, what was the alternative? As the Earl stood
,
his back still toward her, she considered the possibilities open to her. If she left now, she had no place to go and no money to go with. The inheritance would not ever be hers if she left Cecilie now. And she did have a duty to the girl. Also, to be entirely practical, how could she even go about f
i
nding a new position if she left this one so precipitously? She swallowed hastily. There really seemed nothing to do but stay, painful as that would be.

Almost as though he had divined her decision, he turned again. “You must be sensible, Agg - Miss Trimble
.”

Her heart skipped a beat and leaped high into her throat as he almost spoke her given name. In what tender tones he had once whispered it, tones of love. She felt the color flooding her cheeks at the thought.

The Earl continued to stare at her, his eyes clouded with some indef
i
nable emotion. “Well, you will stay?”

His words echoed curtly in her ears. She forced herself to her feet. She wavered there unsteadily for a moment, his eyes heavy upon her. “I will stay, milord,” she agreed. And then she drew herself proudly erect. “As you are well aware, I have no other recourse. If I had
,
matters would be quite different, I assure you.”

Again that strange look crossed his face and his eyes raked her over. “Good. I suggest we forget our differences from the past and concentrate on getting our charge safely matched. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” replied Aggie
,
forcing her voice into a steadiness she was far from feeling.

“Good. Since I have a dinner engagement, I shall leave you to your settling in. Tomorrow will be soon enough to discuss our plans.” He bowed gracefully and, with another searching look at her, left the room.

Aggie stood trembling for several minutes before she sank back on the divan. She could not go upstairs in her present state of distress. Even Cecilie would notice this unsteadiness that had overtaken her. Oh, why had fate taken such a cruel turning - to force her back into contact with the man who had once broken her heart. Well, she would simply have to go on. She had conquered her partiality for him. It was only the shock of seeing him so unexpectedly that had undone her. They would let the past go and think only of the task of getting Cecilie settled. Dear God, she wished that to be done quickly. Then she would be free of him.

Chapter Two

The next morning began with disaster. Cecilie had insisted on waiting up quite late because she wanted to see her new guardian. However, they did not hear him come in and f
i
nally she had been persuaded into her bed. It was because of this that they both slept very late the next morning. And that’s when it happened.

Aggie had just opened her eyes and was making her plans for the day, considering what was best to do first, when a startling roar of male rage went reverberating through the upper hall. “Bates!” shouted his lordship in obviously irate tones. “Come here! Get this-this thing!”

Aggie, dragging on her robe, hurried into the hall. As she reached it, she heard a wild chattering, punctuated by the Earl’s pungent curses. The sound made her want to cover her ears. The sight that met her eyes was equally appalling. The Earl stood thundering in the hallway. He was only half-clothed. He wore his breeches of ribbed buff cord and his Wellingtons
,
but the upper half of his body was unclad. Aggie stopped in her tracks, the sight of his bare chest making her clutch at her robe and avert her eyes.

His lordship, however, did not seem aware of his state of undress. His dark brows were drawn together fiercely and the shadowy mat of hair on his chest rose and fell with his shouts. “Bates! Exactly how did this - this thing get into my establishment?” And he waved the wretched monkey which he held off by the scruff of its neck.

Without more thought, Aggie moved to rescue the poor thing. “Give me the monkey, milord,” she said softly, gathering the terrified creature into her arms. “You are frightening him.”

He scowled at her, but he released his grip and the monkey came gibbering into her arms. He clung to her in terror, hiding his head in the folds of her robe. She turned her attention to soothing him, making the kind of little crooning noises that Cecilie used.

“Miss Trimble
!”
The Earl’s words boomed like thunderclaps in the hall. “Is that
thing
known to you?”

Aggie nodded. She forced herself to look up into his eyes
,
blazing now with indignation. In those long-ago days she had never seen him angry, but a man’s anger was no novelty to her. Cecilie had often driven her father into paroxysms of rage. The best approach in such a case, Aggie knew, was to remain calm and dignif
i
ed.

“Yes, milord. This is Dillydums
,
Cecilie’s
monkey. He must have slipped out while we slept. I thought we had shut the door tightly.”

Bates coughed discreetly. “If you please, miss, I believe the maid Millie might have opened the door to see if you were awake yet. She might have left it ajar.”

Aggie turned to the servant with a smile. “Yes, Bates. Quite probably that is what happened. We shall have to be more careful from now on.” She began to move toward the bedroom.

“Miss Trimble
!”
The sound was enough to make even a brave man quiver and Aggie had to swallow twice before she could reply. It was diff
i
cult to remain calm under such rage.