My Lord Hercules (4 page)

What if Mr. Casemore had kissed her
the previous evening? What would she have done then? All alone with
him in that hack? That particular thought had kept her up half the
night. The other half the night, she’d cursed the strapping man for
tricking her into revealing things she didn’t want to reveal – her
name, her direction. Who knew what else he’d have dragged out of
her if the ride home had taken any longer?

Without so much as a knock, Miranda’s
door was tossed open and her younger sister Penelope barged into
the chamber as though it belonged to her. It didn’t. Penny’s
chamber was across the hall and to the left. Miranda scowled at her
exuberant sister. “I’m busy, Penny.”

Penny launched herself across
Miranda’s nicely made bed and cupped her face with both hands, her
dark curls bouncing about her face. “You have a caller. I told
Louisa I would get you.”

A caller? Miranda shook her head. Her
sister must be mistaken. She hadn’t caught any man’s interest, and
none had caught hers. None would either, not until she could find
Tessie. Who had time for silly courtships when her dearest friend
was missing? “Send whoever it is away. As I said, I’m
busy.”

“
Busy moping in your
chambers or plotting or whatever it is you do these days.” Penny
sighed. “It’s no matter. You need to come down. Louisa is
entertaining the fellow.”

Miranda groaned. “Who is it? Do you
know?”

“
Wherever did you meet Lord
Harrison Casemore? I’m rather—”

Lord Harrison Casemore? He’d come
here? He was more than a mere mister? How had Miranda missed that?
Blasted man had learned all her secrets, but had kept a number of
his own.

“—
certain I would have
remembered a man of his stature, and I’ve attended every event you
have this season.”

Miranda leapt from her chair. “He’s
here?” she croaked. What if he said something to Louisa about last
night? Their sister-in-law would tell Devlin and then Miranda would
be done for.

“
Mmm. Yellow parlor. You
should hurry unless you want Louisa to scare him off.”

Miranda could only be so lucky. The
man she met last night wouldn’t be scared away by her kind
sister-in-law. The man she met last night would, in turn, find a
way to weasel out all sorts of information from Louisa. But to what
end?

She dashed toward her door, but as she
caught a glimpse of herself in the beveled mirror, Miranda stopped
in her tracks. Heavens! She looked awful. Her hair wasn’t pinned
and she’d worn a drab daydress, not for the way it flattered her
figure, but more because of its comfort. She couldn’t see him like
this!

From her bed, Penny laughed. “He must
be something. I don’t recall you ever giving a second thought to
your appearance before.”

“
Oh, hush,” Miranda hissed.
“And help me! Quickly!”

If Harry had to drink another cup of
tea waiting for Miranda Bartlett to show her pretty face, he was
going to float away down the Thames. But what choice did he have?
He was not about to leave Marston House without seeing her once
more. He had to know if she was just as enchanting in the daylight
as she had been in the moonlight. Or he had to know if his
whiskey-soaked mind had created her out of the ether.

Miranda’s sister-in-law, Lady Marston,
seemed pleasant enough, but she wasn’t at all the exotic,
headstrong girl he’d come to visit this afternoon. Not by a long
shot. And even as she’d tried her best to be a charitable hostess,
the viscountess seemed to have run out of things to say to Harry.
So they both sat quietly in their respective seats, smiling at each
other and alternating turns, taking sips from their
cups.

But then, in the doorway, a lovely
vision in green appeared, and Harry nearly choked on his tea. He
sprang to his feet and he could only gape at the beauty who stood
just inside the threshold. There was something to be said about
scooped bodices. Her unbound hair, cravat, and waistcoat from the
night before had well hidden Miranda’s charms from his view. Dear
God, he’d missed so much. What he wouldn’t give to be alone with
her in that hack again right now. He wouldn’t care if she told him
her name or not. In fact, he would do everything in his power to
make her forget her name altogether.

“
Miss Miranda.” His voice
came out, sounding like a croak. Dear God, he sounded like a green
lad of fifteen.

“
My lord,” she returned,
stressing the last for some reason. “What a surprise to see
you.”

Was it? She’d had to know he’d seek
her out. Harry’s gaze swept across her form, drinking her in.
Miranda’s dark tresses were piled high on her head, revealing a
graceful neck. How the devil had Harry let her escape last night
without stealing a kiss first? Without tasting her pretty olive
skin?

Lady Marston cleared her throat.
“Miranda, Lord Harrison tells me we should expect an invitation
from Lord and Lady St. Austell to attend their ball tomorrow
evening. Isn’t that nice?”

“
My sister,” Harry
clarified, glad to have discovered that his voice had returned to
its usual timbre. What in the world was wrong with him? In all of
his years, he’d never been so flummoxed over a mere girl. Not once.
How quite disconcerting it suddenly was not to be in complete
control of his thoughts.

“
The one who isn’t
harebrained?” Miranda’s pretty hazel eyes twinkled as they landed
on him.

Harry smiled back. “I’ve only got the
one.”

Miranda heaved a sigh. “How generous
of her,” she said. “However, I believe we are busy tomorrow night,
aren’t we, Louisa?”

Busy gaining entrance to more gaming
hells? Or getting herself into an even worse predicament? The girl
needed a keeper, and clearly Marston was too busy for the
job.

Before the viscountess could respond,
another dark-haired beauty scrambled into the room as though she’d
been listening in the corridor and was afraid things wouldn’t go
her way. “A ball at St. Austell House?” She nearly danced on her
toes. “Oh, say we can, Louisa.”

Lady Marston glanced from the sister
and then to Harry. She nodded in agreement. “We’ll look forward to
seeing you there, Lord Harrison.”

Thank God for the sister. Whichever
one she was, the chit had become Harry’s favorite Bartlett. Well,
other than Miranda, of course. “I am certain Lady St. Austell will
be thrilled to make everyone’s acquaintance.” Then he flashed his
most charming grin at Lady Marston and said, “I had hoped to
convince Miss Miranda to join me in my phaeton in the park
today.”

The viscountess shot her sister-in-law
a look and replied, “Well, then you should ask her, my
lord.”

But Miranda would most likely say no,
just as she’d tried to get out of Pippa’s ball. Harry’d had to
outwit her at every turn last night to get any information out of
her. Fortunately, his mind had been functioning properly then,
which was quite surprising, all things considered, as he had been
suitably foxed at the time.

Harry returned his attention to the
exotic girl who’d captured his interest the very first moment he’d
seen her. Perhaps a bit of bravado would help his cause. After all,
it had never failed him in the past. “What do you say, Miss
Miranda? We have much to discuss, do we not?”

Panic flashed in her eyes, but it was
gone a moment later. She smiled tightly, then nodded her
acceptance. “A ride in the park sounds lovely.”

Good heavens, a ride in the park with
her Hercules! Miranda couldn’t keep her heart from fluttering,
which was more than disloyal of her. She shouldn’t be batting her
eyes at Harrison Casemore. She should be seeking out ways to get
that nefarious Woodsworth to tell her what he’d done with
Tessie.

“
Smile,” Lord Harrison
ordered as he directed his bays down Curzon Street. “Or you’ll have
all of Mayfair thinking I’ve abducted you.”

Miranda cast him a sidelong glance. He
truly was a magnificent specimen, as far as the male of the species
went. But she couldn’t let herself get distracted by his impressive
build or his clear green eyes. “Haven’t you?”

“
You did agree to come along
with me,” he said, his gaze focused on the traffic before
them.

“
Because you didn’t give me
a choice.” Then she mocked his baritone voice. “We have much to
discuss, do we not?”

Beside her, the Herculean gentleman
chuckled. “You are a spitfire, Miss Miranda.” Then he chanced a
glance in her direction. “Would you like to drive?”

Drive? His question completely unarmed
her. He’d let her drive his bays? Devlin would have an apoplexy if
he knew. “I beg your pardon?”

Lord Harrison slid slightly closer to
her on the bench, until his hard, muscled leg touched Miranda’s.
Tingles raced across her skin at the contact. Good heavens, he
could jumble her mind.

“
For a girl who dons
trousers, I figured you might be adept at driving cattle too,” his
deep voice floated around her like an embrace.

The fluttering in her heart increased
tenfold. No one had ever had such an effect on her. And no one had
ever offered such a thing to her, not even Simeon, God rest his
soul. “I’ve never handled the ribbons before,” she admitted before
she thought the better of it. What if he took back his
offer?

“
There’s nothing to it, my
dear.” He moved the driving reins closer toward her. “Just like
riding. You do know how to ride, do you not?”

Of course she knew how to ride. What a
ridiculous question. “Before I was walking.”

A brilliant smile flashed on his face.
“Why does that not surprise me?” He slightly jiggled the reins
before her. “Here you go, don’t pull too hard, but don’t give the
ribbons too much play either.”

Miranda gulped. Devlin would flay her
alive if he found out, but when might she get another chance like
this? She heaved a steadying sigh then took the reins in her
hands.

“
Perfect,” Lord Harrison
gushed. “Like you’ve been driving all your life.”

“
It’s been all of ten
seconds.”

He laughed once more. “You do make it
quite difficult for a fellow to compliment you. Do you know
that?”

Did she? Miranda glanced up to find
his smoldering green gaze leveled on her.

“
Watch the road, my
dear.”

A bit light-headed, Miranda returned
her attention to the other conveyances and riders in front of them
as they approached Park Lane.

“
Right there—” he pointed to
a grand home “—is St. Austell House. Number Twelve. I’d hate for
you to lose your way tomorrow.”

Miranda snorted. “After Penny’s
performance, I don’t believe there’ll be any way I could possibly
get out of attending that function, my lord.”

“
Then I shall have to thank
Penny profusely.”

Miranda couldn’t help the smile that
escaped her. He really was very charming for all that he had
managed her ever since their paths had first crossed. “And just why
do you want me to attend your sister’s ball?”

“
So I can see you in a
pretty gown. Do save me a waltz.” His hand brushed her elbow. “Lead
them to the right, my dear.”