Julian’s realization that perhaps Georgiana had made that request because she did not have the suitable clothing to be able to join him for breakfast was dispelled when his butler informed him that the St.Albans carriage had been found during the night.The horses, thankfully, were unharmed, and both they and the carriage had now been brought to the Moreland stables.
The lady’s trunk had been taken up to her by a footman this morning at the same time as the pot of tea was delivered.
Meaning Georgiana now had access to her own clean clothing.
Which meant the assumption that she would join him for breakfast this morning was perfectly legitimate.
He waited until he had finished his own repast before sending a maid up to the guest bedchamber to check on why Georgiana had not come down for breakfast.
The maid had returned to tell him that the pot of tea had all been drunk, the bed was remade, but that Lady Stapleton was no longer in the bedchamber.A second query from Julian confirmed that the young lady’s trunk was still there, the lid opened, but none of her clothes or other belongings had been unpacked into the wardrobe or chest of drawers.
Not that the presence of the trunk in any way confirmed that Georgiana was still at Moreland Park.She would hardly have been able to drag it down the stairs, let alone carry it with her to the stables, before lifting it into the recovered carriage.
That carriage and horses which a footman had been sent to the stables to ascertain were still in the stables.
And yet Georgiana was nowhere to be found.
The thought that she might have preferred towalkaway from here, fromhim, infuriated Julian.
Yes, he had fully intended to inform her this morning that her remaining here as his secretary was completely unacceptable.But he had not expected Georgiana to take that decision out of his hands and remove herself.
To Julian’s great surprise, he realized that his main emotion, apart from disgruntlement, was not relief but disappointment.
A disappointment that had turned to bad temper by the time he made his way to his study to start another morning of dealing with the never-ending estate and ducal business.
Something he would obviously be doing without the assistance of Georgiana Stapleton.
Was it any wonder he was feeling grumpy and out of sorts at the thought of her having crept away earlier this morning without informing him of such?
Not only was Georgiana beautiful enough to have reawakened Julian’s sexual libido, but her conversation was not the mundane talk of fashions and gossip of the other Society ladies Julian had known in the past.Georgiana was blunt and honest to the point of rudeness.Those qualities endeared Georgiana to Julian even more than the generosity of her curvaceous body.
Well…perhaps those attractive traits were notmoreendearing than her generous curves, he conceded self-derisively.But they were definitely equal in appeal to that physical beauty.Georgiana Stapleton?—
“Good morning, Your Grace.”The subject of his taciturn thoughts greeted him brightly the moment Julian opened the door of his study.“I trust you are suffering no ill effects from last night?”
—had not left Moreland Park after all!
Instead, she appeared to have been working in Julian’s study for some time, considering the neat piles of papers on his previously untidy desk.
She was also wearing…feminine attire, that Julian believed she possibly thought most resembled the clothing of what a male secretary might wear while carrying out his duties.A white blouse buttoned up to her throat, a black velvet bow tied at the front of the collar, with a brown buttoned waistcoat over the top of it.Instead of men’s pantaloons, she wore a brown tweed-mix ankle-length skirt.
It gave this beautiful woman the outward appearance of what a spinster might wear if acting as the companion to an old lady.
Except, Georgiana’s dark hair was secured in a dozen or so curls at her crown, several loose whisps already starting to fall from their confinement about her nape and temples, obviously from her exertions.Nor could she ever succeed in hiding the breathtaking beauty of her porcelain-smooth skin and the appeal of those deep-blue eyes.Her curves were also very much on display in the fitted blouse and skirt.
“I will take your silence as a no,” she dismissed briskly before Julian could gather his scattered wits together enough to answer her.“As you can see, I have put all your papers into the relevant piles.Your correspondence has also now, to the best of my ability, been placed in order of urgency.Plus”—she picked up a large journal Julian was sure he had never seen before—“I have started to compile a diary of your appointments for today and the rest of the week.I will, of course, amend them if you would prefer them to be in some other order of priority.You, after all, are the employer?—”
“I am?”he questioned incredulously.“If that is so, I am sure you must have realized yesterday evening that I have every intention of ensuring you return to London this morning.”
“And my own actions this morning will showyouI am not in agreement with that decision,” she assured with a bright smile before that smile faded.“I have, however, seen and read the letter the Duke of St.Albans sent informing you when to expect my arrival.I saw that he referred to me only as G.Stapleton, no doubt giving you the impression that you were to expect a man.A deliberate and misleading misconception on his part, I believe, although I cannot comprehend why,” she added.
Julian snorted.“Because he knew I would never contemplate welcoming a woman here as my secretary!”
Her eyes narrowed at his vehemence.“I cannot think why, when women are just as capable as any man.Indeed, as I told you, I have already organized your papers into personal and business correspondence, estate bills, and other information referring to the tenants on the estate who are in need of assistance with the repairs to their homes.I was unsure what to do with this particular file.”She put down the journal and picked up a file with the titleAnnabelwritten on the front.“I decided the best thing was to leave it on top of your desk but separate from the other papers.”
Julian glared at her as he snatched the file from her hand.“I do not appreciate having someonesneakingabout my study looking into my private papers.”
“I did not, nor do I ever, sneak anywhere, Your Grace,” she told him evenly.“And for all that he was not completely honest with you, the Duke of St.Albans obviously has faith in my abilities.Indeed, it is clear he believes me more than capable of carrying out the duties of being your secretary,” she added with a challenging tilt of her chin.
