Chapter Nine
From sheer instinct, Piers threw himself in front of her and a chamber pot glanced off his chin with enough force to make him stagger.God knew what it would have done to April.
“Piers!”she gasped, as the chamber pot crashed onto the floor and broke in two.
Fortunately, it appeared to have been empty.
From a bed directly opposite them, an old woman demanded, “Where’s my damned breakfast?”
They appeared to be in her bedchamber.Though the bed hangings were open, they were of velvet, and she wore a cap of fine lace.Whoever she was, she appeared to be a lady—in name, at least.
“I have no idea,” Piers replied, feeling the trickle of blood at the edge of his chin.He took out his handkerchief and dabbed it.“Your behaviour, madam, is not acceptable.”
“Neither is yours,” she retorted.“Walking into a lady’s chamber without so much as a knock and breaking my best chamber pot.Who the devil are you?”
“Petteril,” he said, “And in this contest, I believe the chamber pot and I acknowledge a draw.”
She cackled.“Your head’s still in one piece, isn’t it?”Her beady eyes, sharp in her wrinkled old face, glared at Piers and then at April, who was examining Piers’s bleeding chin with some consternation.“You’ll be Susan’s paying guests.”
“And you will be...?”Piers said.
“Lady Temperley, Dowager.Dominic’s my son, Susan my useless daughter-in-law, and Miranda their spoiled doll of a...Petteril, you say?I thought they all died out.Hortensia was furious.”
She was.“Apart from me.”
“Knew your uncle, selfish old bugger.And there was another showy young feller in the Guards.”
“Bertie,” Piers said.“He’s with the Peninsular army now.Forgive me, Lady Temperley, but we were not informed you were here.And before you throw anything else, my wife is with child and I will not tolerate—”
“Don’t you threaten me, whippersnapper.I’ve eaten stronger men than you for breakfast.Spat ’em out too.”The old eyes glared at April.“Thought you were the maid.Who’s got no business being with child.”
It wasn’t much of an apology or even a justification, but Piers stopped feeling quite so nervous about April standing in the old woman’s line of vision.Though there was still a jug of water on her bedside table and a walking stick beside her on the bed.
“Which maid did you think I was?”April asked.
“Don’t matter to me.Waste of space the pair of them.Prefer the handsome young feller.”
“Edward?”Piers said cautiously.“So the three of them have been looking after you too?That’s why they were left behind.”
“Susan had no business renting the place out,” the old lady snapped.“As if we’re damned tradesmen.Stupid idea, but Dominic would let her get on with it.I told her to leave the servants too, since she’d promised them to you, but she wouldn’t have that either.Insisted a viscount and his friends would travel with coaches full of their own people.Did you?”
“No,” said Piers.“Um...what made her take the servants?”
