Corey McFadden (13 page)

With a sigh, she followed Martin through the door into the lion’s den.

* * * *

“It appears the boy has sustained no serious injury, my lord. He’s up and about and says he feels all right.”

Mrs. Formby stood erect and at attention before the earl’s desk in his small, but ornate, office at the rear of the house. It was well past noon, and the earl was feeling the ill effects of his late hours with the beautiful Bella.

“Thank heavens. We were certainly driving too fast for the weather, and I blame myself for that. Has he told you where he belongs? He should be returned as soon as possible.”

“Well, that’s a bother, my lord. He refuses to tell us where he comes from. He claims to have been a stablehand in the country—he will not say where, precisely—and he maintains that his mistress beat him badly. He says he was coming on foot to London to find a position as a stablehand. But he has no references and he cannot be more than thirteen or fourteen. He’s gangly but not a stubble of beard about him. He says he plans to make the rounds of the houses in the neighborhood and appears most anxious to be away. He claims to have no family who will worry about him. I have detained him until I could speak with you on the matter.”

“He could be running away for less worthy reasons, of course, Mrs. Formby. Thieving, for example.”

“Absolutely, my lord. We know nothing about him.”

“Still, he was so poorly dressed,” the earl went on thoughtfully, “obviously from a household which does not take pride in its servants’ appearances. And while I cannot say that I went through his pockets, he cannot have been carrying anything much on him. Certainly not his mistress’s candelabra.”

Mrs. Formby gave the required smile at his lordship’s little joke.

“We have no need of a stablehand at present do we, Mrs. Formby?”

“No, my lord. Although those two young rapscallions we have now will be the death of old Frederick. Far too high-spirited and inattentive they are, my lord.”

“Yes, well, I suppose I shall have to consider pensioning Frederick off to the country one of these days. But he shows no sign of wanting to retire. And he’s the best man I’ve ever seen with horses. I think the boys will learn a great deal from him if they will sit still to listen.”

“Hmmph,” said Mrs. Formby, her final opinion on the subject.

“I do feel guilty about the boy, however. If he has no other prospects and no references, do you suppose we could make room for him in the household—for a trial period, of course, to assess his character? I would naturally leave the decision up to you, Mrs. Formby. You know I try never to interfere with your household arrangements. Never found any need to, actually.”

“My lord,” Mrs. Formby gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head to acknowledge the compliment, no more than her due, of course. “I can arrange to keep the lad for a few days, on a trial basis. He’s a winning thing, in his way. He offered on his own to help in the kitchen this morning. He seems quite neat, that is most unusual for a boy, you know....”

There was just the slightest pause, while the earl willed himself not to flinch. Mrs. Formby had been with his family since before he was born. She remembered things. He was sure of it.

“And he does not appear to be a gossip, my lord. I had to pry the facts out of him on his personal circumstances. Not a tale-teller, I think. We could not abide that.”

Mrs. Formby occasionally lapsed into the royal “we,” and the earl thought she was perfectly entitled to do so.

“Well, that’s settled then, thank you, Mrs. Formby. I do not believe I’ve any need to speak with the lad. I’m sure you will make suitable arrangements. Do let me know, though if there is trouble. If he is a liar or a thief, we may need to investigate further as to why he left his former employment. We are taking his word for it that he had good reason to run away. I hope we have not been taken in.”

“Certainly, my lord. Good afternoon.”

Mrs. Formby sailed majestically from the room, leaving the earl somewhat relieved. After all these years, he could still hear the echo of her voice saying “Master Edward, you must be more careful of your things. Having a valet is no excuse to be careless with fine boots such as these.” He was quite sure Mrs. Formby could still hear it, too.

He sighed as he turned to the paperwork on his desk, but the receipts and bills could not capture his attention. Last night’s game had been most unexceptional. He had deliberately placed himself at Sommesby’s table, but the evening had passed unremarkably. The duke had played his usual inattentive, foppish game, with negligible losses at the end of the evening.

Radford had detected no cheating certainly, nothing at all out of the ordinary. But there had been no inexperienced, newly-wealthy pups there; nor was there any sign at all of young Brompton. Rumor had it he had returned this morning to his estate in the country, not ruined, but certainly deeply wounded financially. Radford did not like that at all. Not after that bad business with Atherley. He, too, had disappeared immediately after his great losses. Then he’d been found dead by his own hand of a bullet through his head.

Chapter Seven

If she were not blissfully safe and happy a week after her arrival in London, at least Maude seemed to have landed in an acceptable situation for now. She had seen virtually nothing of his lordship. So much the better as she still could not be sure he would not recognize her, now that her face was clean. Her disguise, however, was apparently a great success. Maude supposed that some girls would take it as an insult to pass so easily for a boy, but she was too relieved to feel the sting. Besides, she had continued to bind her breasts, and she could detect no trace of a female form through her shirt. She had been issued two very clean sets of clothing, not livery, for she would not be serving the earl or his guests directly, but well-made and well-fitted breeches, shirts, and stockings. She slept alone in the small attic room, and so far there had been no intrusion on her privacy, even though she was uncomfortable about the fact that her door had no lock. But then the lower servants’ doors never had locks, at least not on the inside.

She was functioning as a johnny-of-all trades. Whatever odd job needed doing, she was their boy. Mrs. Formby rarely addressed her directly, but Maude had the feeling that the woman was pleased with her. Certainly Maude had taken great pains to be attentive, helpful, and careful in her tasks. She’d been surprised how easily she’d been accepted into the household. She’d expected some resistance, or at least the natural snobbery the city-bred seem to have for the country-bred, but the staff had been kind enough as a whole. The more senior members, such as Martin and Brooks, ignored her completely, as befitted servants of their station, but the younger ones were friendly and helpful in teaching her the household routines. Maude supposed it did not hurt that she did everything she could to be an extra pair of hands wherever she might be needed, and never complained or shirked or tattled.

The stables, of course, were her favorite assignment. There she felt completely at home, with horses who didn’t care whether she was a boy or a girl, servant or gentry. She had spent much of her childhood with the manor’s horses; it had been far preferable to staying indoors with Claire and Amelia. Horses had proved no challenge to Maude as far back as her memory could stretch. She was a born horsewoman who sat a saddle as if she’d been born in it. And as for the care of the horses, Maude had learned to muck out stables side by side with Joe, having contests to see who could pitch the dung the farthest.

She understood without explanation the needs of the beautiful beasts and there was no task beneath her dignity. Maude had an inborn affinity for the graceful, powerful creatures. She showed not one whit of fear, but a great deal of respect and love.

There had been no one to tell the old Romney groom and Joe that such activity was grossly inappropriate for the young lady of the manor. Indeed, the old groom well remembered Maude’s father, his late master, and was saddened by the neglect and decay he saw all around him under the regime of the new mistress as he so often said to Maude and Joe. The old man had welcomed her in his stables, social conventions be damned, and she had learned, without knowing at the time that she was being taught.

But old Frederick himself was a font of information and lore about the care and breeding of fine horses, and Maude listened with great care when he chose to explain something to her. She wished the two young stablehands were more attentive. They were mischievous and full of energy, and they had a slapdash way of performing their less favorite tasks, but they liked the horses and never mistreated them. They liked Maude, too, as far as she could tell, although it would have been odd had they not, since more often than not she filled in on tasks they had done too lightly.

She found herself spending more and more time in the stables. Old Frederick and she got along tolerably well, considering he was a crusty old sort, and it may have been that he and Mrs. Formby had come to an agreement on her chief duties. She still helped out in the kitchen in the late afternoon, when dinner preparations were underway, and she ran the occasional errand.

But her position in the earl’s household was temporary in her eyes. It was far too risky in the long run. She did not fear being sent to his country estate since he had a full staff there, and was known never to shut up his London house, even out of season. Still, she was bound to cross his path eventually, and she dreaded the moment when their eyes should meet.

* * * *

Luck stayed with her. The earl departed for a few days’ shooting in the country and a weight she hadn’t know she was carrying lifted from her. On the morning that he left, Mrs. Formby sent for her and handed her a small packet. “This must be delivered to Lady Acton’s home this morning. It is a few blocks’ walk to Russell Square. Frederick will explain the way to you. Now hurry along with you. It does not do for the earl to appear tardy in his responses.”

Maude lit out for the stables and got the directions from Frederick. She ran back through the mews, as she had done on her first morning there, and headed for the street. She had gone a block or two when she realized she was close to the small alley that led to the back of the duke of what’s-his-name’s townhouse, where Eddie lived. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. Slipping into the small drive, she turned into the mews which she recognized as Eddie’s.

She supposed she could just knock on the back door and ask for him. Still, if his lordship was such a horror, perhaps she shouldn’t risk getting Eddie into any trouble.

Luck was with her, however. Near the stables she saw Rob. She stopped at the edge of the drive and beckoned to him.

“Hey, Mike! ’Ow you be? We didn’t think to see the likes of you again. Eddie told me you got pinched by those as you was trying to get away from. He figured you got took back to the country.”

“No, I got left here, thank heaven. But I want to see Eddie. Is he around? Mind, I don’t want to get him in any trouble.”

“I’ll get ’im for you. He’ll be right inside. There’s no one to care if ’e talks with you a moment. ’Is Grace’ll still be sleepin’. I’ll be right back.”

Maude waited and in less than a minute she saw Eddie hurrying to her.

“Well, I’ll be! I figured you’d been swallowed up by that she-dragon of yours and we’d never be seein’ you again. ’Ow’d you get back?”

“I never went. My mistress let me go to the staff of Lord Radford, where we were staying, a couple of blocks over.”

“Aye, I know about ’im. Me master ’ates ’im, but then ’e ’ates everybody. Wot’s it like in ’is ’ousehold?”

“Well, all right, I suppose. I never see the earl directly—”

“Just as well,” Eddie interrupted. “Those sorts’ll plant a boot in yer backside for just bein’ in a room if they don’t want you there.”

“Well, I don’t know that he’s the violent sort,” fairness compelled her to say; indeed, Maude had been surprised to learn that the earl’s staff seemed genuinely fond of him and very content with the household. “Still, I may be on the lookout soon for a new place. I can probably get a reference now, and I’d like to get away from there in case my old mistress comes back. Out of sight, out of mind, they always say.” Maude grinned at the boys. “Will you watch out for a place for me?”

“Sure we will. You’d best not come ’ere though. ’E’s particularly rough on the new ones, the younger, the better.”

“Aye, I’ll not be takin’ a position here, then. But somewhere else, if you hear of anythin’.”

“Would you be wantin’ a little game of cards one evenin’? We get up a little game every Wednesday over the stables.” Eddie grinned a challenge. “We’ll be glad to take yer first weeks’ wages outta yer pocket.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, my man. I’m not bad at cards. I learned all the tricks from my...my last place.” She had almost said ‘uncle’ then thought the better of it. “I can’t get away though. I’m not free evenin’s.”

“None of us are free, exactly, country boy. We just cover for each other, like. Yer people do it, too. They all do. You just slip away when yer not wanted anymore, and if you come back real late, you sleep in the stables. Real simple, see. Everyone does it that way.”

“I don’t know that I might not come one of these weeks. I’d enjoy takin’ your money off you. Let me get a feel for the place first. I don’t want to make a bad move now, when I’m so new.”

“That’s smart. But you’ll find yer pals’ll cover for you there, if they like you, that is, and they’re not natural-born rats. We got one’r two of them. Real lickspittles to ’is lordship, they are. You got to watch out for that type.”

“Aye, but so far, I’ve seen none of that. Look, I’m on an errand so I’ve got to move on, but I’ll be around again sometime, maybe for a game. And you be on the lookout for a post for me, will you?” Maude turned to go and lifted her hand in farewell.

“Sure, come around some Wednesday, late-like. We’ll be waitin’ for you.” Eddie waved back, and he and Rob turned back toward the mews.