He didn’t know how right he was. Carter would be only too happy to deny her a service. She looked at the envelope dangling from his fingers, then at the morning paper. How she wanted her voice heard, in a paper she respected. She looked out the window, her heart tripping in her chest.
Did she dare? Her excursion last night hadn’t ended well. But if she didn’t have to leave the carriage …
“All right. I’ll do it.”
Julius beamed, looking much too smug with himself by half. Reggie pounced on his boot, and Julius shook him off.
“But Reggie comes, too.” Hearing his name, the dog trotted over to her, and Amanda scooped him up. “He’s someone I trust to protect me.”
Julius gaped in outrage.
Biting back a smile, Amanda jumped to her feet.
“Shall we go?” If she was going to do something so foolish, she wanted it done fast. The sooner done, the sooner ended.
“Fine.” He slid the envelope into his coat pocket. “Go get a wrap and bonnet, and I’ll have the carriage sent around.”
She hurried up the stairs, her body a ball of nervous energy. She pulled her spencer from the armoire and stared into the empty space in the corner. She could crawl in there. Curl up. It was quite comfortable. Snug really. Julius wouldn’t drag her out of there, kicking and screaming. Probably.
But did she want to be the type of woman who hid among her gowns? She smoothed her hands down the spencer and turned for the hall. Reggie bit the hem of her skirts and waddled backwards, halting her progress. She tugged her gown free. “You’re coming, too.” She walked to the top of the steps and stared down at the front door. Reggie rushed past her and tumbled down the stairs. His legs slid out from under him on the last step, and he flipped head over paws into the foyer. He popped up at the bottom and trotted to the door, head held high.
Amanda chuckled, and the laughter eased her way down the steps.
Lady Mary clapped her hands together from the entrance of the sitting room. “Marvelous recovery, Reginald.” She glanced curiously at Amanda’s spencer. “Are you going somewhere, my dear?”
“Julius is driving me toThe Times.” Amanda tugged on a pair of gloves. “If you’d like to accompany us, I’m sure there will be room in the carriage.”
“It’s too cold for me today.” The older woman gave a delicate shiver. “But you two go and enjoy yourselves.”
Amanda stared at the footman waiting to open the front door and back at Lady Mary. The woman was supposed to act as chaperone. Would it harm Julius’s reputation if he were seen accompanying her unattended? She sniffed, and shook her head at her own folly. It was never the man’s reputation that was harmed. And hers couldn’t be sullied any further.
There was nothing for it but to gird her loins and venture outside. “Come, Reggie.” His solid presence at her side gave her some small solace as she walked through the entry and into the bright afternoon sun. Her feet hardly faltered as she took the steps down to the curb.
Julius opened the carriage door for her, earning a minuscule frown from the footman. Reggie leapt up as if riding in the carriage of a duke was his due. Amanda let Julius hand her in more slowly.
She slid across the seat and made sure the curtain completely covered the window. The carriage rocked as Julius settled in beside her. With a crack of a whip, they jolted forward.
Amanda held her breath, waiting for disaster to strike. Any moment now …
“There’s still time to change your signature.” Julius picked Reggie up from the seat between them and plopped him down across the way. He slid closer, his thigh nudging hers. “I can have a man bring us a pen when we arrive—”
“No, thank you.” Amanda rubbed her cheek and longed for the security of her mask. “My decision stands. But I appreciate your attempt to distract me.”
He grumbled. “That wasn’t a diversion tactic. I do think you’re wrong.”
“Yes, we’ve been over that. Just like you think I’m wrong about the coat of arms on the tall man’s coach.”
His features were shadowed in the dim interior of the carriage. “You must admit it seems awfully convenient that the family coat of arms you picked out of Edmondson’sBody of Heraldryjust happens to belong to the man who you take to task in your opinion piece.” Picking up her hand, he brushed his thumb along her wrist. “It isn’t unusual for a strong dislike of someone to cloud one’s memory.”
“There is nothing wrong with my memory.” She was tempted to pull her hand from his grip, but didn’t want to be petty. Besides, it was warm and solid, and she needed something to hold onto. “The coat of arms I saw on the coach last night is the one I picked out of Edmondson’s. Just because it belongs to an ignorant buffoon who has no business voting on English law is pure coincidence.”
“Yes, you don’t sound biased at all.”
Amanda frowned. “Are you going to ask Lord Hanford what his coach was doing at The Black Rose? Or does his title allow him the privilege of blackmail?”
His dropped her hand. “No one gets a free pass when it comes to the security of our nation.”
Amanda hung her head. “Julius, I apologize. I didn’t mean it.”
