‘And a dog, evidently,’ Agnes sniffed. Finally realising her hysterics were getting her nowhere, she pushed his hand away and sat up.
‘For protection,’ he deadpanned.
‘Certainly not against fleas,’ she retorted waspishly.
Feeling a sudden surge of guilt asdutyraised its ever-present head, Anthony sighed and got to his feet. Almost since the day he was born, his parents had held on to the hope that he would marry and marry well. And naturally, once Grace had been elevated to an actualduchess, his mother had raised her aspirations accordingly.
He would get no peace until he gave hersomething. ‘There were several debutantes I was taken with,’ he said carefully, ‘but you must know, Mama, that I am not currently in a position to take a wife. Once Bovey Manor has been renovated, I promise I will choose a bride.’
‘But why can’t you ask Nicholas to do it for you?’ Agnes asked petulantly.
‘I think perhaps you have become too accustomed to the Duke of Blackmore’s generosity,’ Anthony retorted. ‘Nicholas has favoured me with a house and land of my own. Something I could never even have dreamed of as a boy. I cannot in all conscience allow him to do the refurbishment as well.’ Agnes opened her mouth to say something more, then catching sight of her son’s mulish features, she subsided sulkily.
‘I have put the years since Eton to good use, Mother,’ he insisted. ‘Iknowhow to do what needs to be done to Bovey Manor. As soon as the house is finished, it will have a mistress.’ He paused and took her hand before adding, ‘and there will always be a place for you and Father.’
‘Thunder an’ turf,’ anybody would think I’d got one foot in the deuced grave.’ Stomping into the parlour, Flossy cradled under one arm, his father had clearly caught the end of the conversation. ‘I’ve told you to leave the boy alone, Agnes. He’ll marry when he’s good and ready.’
‘You’ve changed your tune, Augustus,’ his wife declared sharply. ‘Why the devil did you go to all that trouble to ensure good matches for the girls if not to provide our son with the very best?’
Too late the Reverend saw the trap he’d blundered into. ‘And hewillhave the best, my dove,’ he soothed hastily as Agnes turned an alarming shade of puce. As you say, we’re in a position to provide Anthony with whatever coin he needs to ensure Bovey Manor is a house fit for a gentleman.’ Hurriedly changing the subject, he turned back to Anthony. ‘By the way, are you aware there’s a deuced ugly looking mongrel with one leg missing out by the stable?’
‘His name’s Nelson,’ Anthony declared defiantly.
The Reverend opened his mouth, then shut it again, ‘Of course it is,’ he responded at length with a sigh.
Chapter Four
George woke abruptly at the sound of two crows fighting noisily in the trees above her. For a second she was disorientated, then her memory came flooding back and with it, the sudden knowledge that the sun was too high in the sky for it to be early morning. Swearing, she leapt to her feet, stuffed her knife back into her pack and set off towards the lane at a run.
‘Damn, damn,damn’ she muttered as she sprinted back towards the main Plymouth Road. ‘Please, please,pleasedon’t be gone.’ Her chest was burning, and she could hardly stand up when she finally crested the last hill, only to see the stagecoach disappearing into the far distance in a cloud of dust.
Abruptly, she sat down in the dirt, tears of frustration streaking down her red and sweating face. For long minutes, she simply let the tears flow. It was the first time she’d cried since escaping the Grimms, and deep inside her, she knew the tears were long overdue. When they finally dried up into the odd hiccup, she wiped her face with the back of her hand, unaware that in addition to being red and blotchy, her cheeks were now covered with streaks of dirt.
What the bloody hell was she going to do now?
She had no idea how long it would take her to walk to Plymouth, and being caught alone on such a busy highway was a recipe for disaster. Reflexively she felt for the familiar hard coin shapes nestling in between her breasts. George knew they wouldn’t last long if she was attacked and once her assailant discovered she was a girl, things would only get worse.
Climbing wearily to her feet, she hobbled a little way off the road, far enough that she couldn’t be easily spotted, and sat down next to a large clump of bracken. Drawing up her legs, she rested her head against her knees.
This was all that damned couple’s fault. Of all the bloody sheltered spots to enjoy a flyer in, they had to invade hers. She was well aware that it was the image of their actions imprinted in her mind that had kept her awake, and that made her even more angry. She was tempted to scream out her frustration when all of a sudden she heard the sound of hooves. Hurriedly, she drew her legs up even further and shrank back into the bracken, not moving until the clip clop had faded into the distance. She couldn’t stay here.
Standing up cautiously, George peered over the bracken and was relieved to find the road empty. Then, for want of something better to do, she began to make her way back towards the village, her mind searching for a solution to her problem. Perhaps she could find work in the village. It would be safer than a large town. Easier to preserve her disguise. The large house she saw the night before might be in need of a labourer. Though she was small and wiry, she was strong. Years of chopping wood and other menial tasks had seen to that.
As she walked along, George looked around at the rapidly ripening fields. In a few weeks, it would be harvest time, and she was sure to find plenty of work then. All she needed to do was ensure she didn’t starve to death in the meantime.
∞∞∞
As much as he was determined not to involve his brother-in-law in Bovey Manor’s renovation, Anthony was neither arrogant nor foolish enough to believe he needed no guidance whatsoever, and he knew too that Nicholas would relish being involved in at least a small part of the refurbishment, if only in an advisory role.
Consequently, as soon as he’d finished breakfast, he wrote a long list of things he needed to ask the Duke and sent a note with Maisie to ask if his grace was available after lunch. Until then, he determined to begin Nelson’s training.
As soon as he spied Anthony at the stable door, the rescued dog climbed onto his remaining three legs, tail wagging furiously. ‘Come on, boy we’ll begin with a bit of a walk.’ Patting his side, Anthony walked backwards. ‘Nelson, come,’ he called. After a short hesitation, the dog came after him, perfectly at ease on three legs. Clearly, the limb had been missing for a long time. As soon as Nelson reached him, Anthony bent down and gave him a fuss together with a small piece of cheese.
That set the tone for the next half an hour, though soon Nelson didn’t appear to need any encouragement to stay with his new master.And why would he? Anthony thought,given the place he’d been taken from.
They ambled slowly along the road, away from the village. It was a beautiful day, the only sounds coming from the birds, the occasional distant sheep and Nelson’s snuffling around in the undergrowth. Busy putting another list together in his head, he failed to see the figure limping towards him. It was Nelson who barked a quick warning. Startled, Anthony looked up and frowned. Whoever it was had clearly suffered an injury of some sort and was carefully watching the uneven ground as they walked.
‘Hello,’ he called, quickening his pace. The figure looked up in alarm. ‘Do you need help?’ Anthony continued, holding out his hand in a conciliatory gesture.
