‘You have not, my lady,’ he answered finally, hoarsely.
Mercy glanced at her stepmother, grateful Chastity was looking discreetly out of the window so missed her sudden blush.
‘Shall we?’ At the Viscount’s invitation, Chastity finally turned and gave him a warm smile.
‘Tempy and Hope are meeting us with the girls at the entrance to Kensington Gardens,’ she said, pulling on her gloves.
Ordinarily Mercy would have been delighted to see her cousins, Roseanna, Francesca and Lilyanna, but that would make their party eight for goodness’ sake. ‘Is Papa coming along too?’ she couldn’t help asking caustically, wondering if she should suggest a partridge in a pear tree.
Chastity grinned at her stepdaughter in complete understanding. Nate on the other thought she was referring to the feeling of safety her father provided. ‘Reinhardt will never show his face if you are surrounded by too many gentlemen,’ he reminded her gently. ‘You have no cause for concern, my lady. I will not leave your side.’ His words brought Mercy back down to earth with a bump. Biting her lip, she took his proffered arm and allowed him to lead her outside to the waiting barouche.
Once there, she immediately spied his horse at the front of the four horses champing at their bits. ‘Duchess,’ she exclaimed happily, pulling off her gloves and going over to stroke the mare.
‘I couldn’t leave her behind,’ Nate explained with a chuckle. ‘Although judging by the bite marks on her three companions, she doesn’t work well in a team.’
Mercy laughed, ‘And where is Ruby?’
‘With my housekeeper, Mrs. Lovell,’ he told her. ‘She’s been collecting admirers since she trotted through the door and was perfectly happy keeping a watchful eye on the slow roasting beef. The greedy madam has never eaten so well, and in truth,threenovices promenading in Hyde Park was simply too much.’
‘Who’s the third one?’ Mercy quipped as he helped her into the barouche.
‘You have to ask?’ he deadpanned. ‘Be grateful your father provided me with a driver. If it was me controlling the horses, we’d undoubtedly end up in the Serpentine.’ With Mercy settled, he assisted Chastity into the carriage, then seated himself opposite. Seconds later, they were clattering out of the square.
***
‘Right then, Percy, I suggest we start with the Eastern Dock. According to this map, it’s the smaller of the two.’
‘Where did you get the map from, Sir?’
The Reverend frowned at his curate. ‘Of all the questions you could have asked, that’s the one you come up with?’
‘We gaun tae see some ships then Revren?’ Finn’s response was clearly more to the clergyman’s liking and he grinned down at the excited boy.
‘That we are lad. Go and fetch your coat and we’ll be off.’
Finn needed no further urging. After hurriedly helping himself to an extra piece of bread which he stuffed into his pocketfor later, he ran off to his bedchamber.
Percy sighed as he watched the boy go. ‘I don’t think he’ll ever get used to the idea that his next meal is assured,’ he murmured before turning to his superior and adding sternly, ‘Sir, you really shouldn’t be stuffing his head full of nonsense. I’m not sure he should even be accompanying us. The docks are no place for an impressionable lad.’
The Reverend regarded Percy with something approaching pity. ‘Well, just you try and tell him he’s got to stay here,’ the clergyman suggested. ‘I predict the boy’ll be following us within five minutes. At least this way we get to keep an eye on him. And don’t forget it was your deuced idea to bring him to London in the first place.’
‘Finn’s too much of a handful for Lizzy on her own,’ Percy sighed, ‘and I thought we’d have the chance to see the sights.’
‘You are – you’re seeing London Docks,’ Augustus Shackleford retorted. ‘It’ll be a damn sight more useful to him than showing him a few dandies mincing down Bond Street.’
Ten minutes later, they were climbing into the Earl of Cottesmore’s second best carriage.
‘Will his lordship object to us using his carriage without permission?’ Percy asked as they headed out onto the busy street.
‘He wasn’t here to ask,’ the Reverend retorted, lifting Flossy onto his lap. ‘But I’m certain that if he knew what we were about, he’d be more than happy to give his blessing.’ The clergymanfinished with a small self-conscious cough. Even Finn had looked doubtful at that bag of moonshine.
It didn’t take long to reach the entrance to the Eastern docks, and after requesting the coach driver return for them in two hours, Reverend Shackleford attached Flossy to her lead and headed into the seething mass surrounding London Docks.
Chapter Seventeen
If Mercy had had any concerns that their barouche would not attract sufficient attention, she was quickly disabused of the notion. Indeed, it took them a whole hour and a half to arrive at the entrance to Kensington Gardens. Initially, most people’s eyes slid on and off her betrothed – clearly, they were macabrely intrigued but entirely discomfited to display such a bourgeois reaction. In the end, Nate himself took to referring directly to his disfigurement, making the inevitableBeauty and the Beastjest and scandalously declaring that not only did he have a good heart and generous spirit, but many other attributes that might fascinate a young woman of discerning taste. In the end, Mercy thought that if she never heard another titter in her life, it would be too soon.
That they’d achieved what they’d set out to do was without question - their betrothal would undoubtedly be society'smain topic for weeks to come - which meant that Reinhardt couldn’t fail to hear about it.
