That he couldn’t get her out of his head wasn’t helping a’tall. Logically, the women’s departure was going to nip these unwanted feelings in the bud. He hoped. But what if it didn’t? Ridiculously, he was already missing her when she hadn’t even left yet!
Annoyed with himself, he went downstairs to see if anyone was left in the dining room. Charley must be, because Arlo, looking somewhat bored, was standing at attention outside the door in case he was needed. But then Montgomery paused when he heard the twins squealing in delight inside the room and one of them exclaiming, “A king in our house!”
He stepped into the doorway, noted that only the twins and Charley were in the room, caught the boy’s eye, and directed him out of the room but didn’t wait for compliance. He was already halfway to the front door when Charley complained, “Do wait up.”
“We’re going for a ride. If you don’t know how, too bad, we’re going anyway.”
“Is there a reason we’re going outdoors?”
“I might yell.”
“Oh,” Charley said, apparently guessing why. “Very well, but I have a good reason.”
Montgomery didn’t pause to hear it and his stride was long. He was angry, at Charley, at himself, at Vanessa for getting herself engaged to a rotter like Rathban. It was a bit much, and he didn’t want to take it all out on Charley, so he ignored the boy until they were mounted, along with Arlo, who had insisted on accompanying them and had ridden out of view of anyone in the house, then reined in under a stately oak.
Charley had kept up with him, did indeed know how to ride, sat on the horse almost in a military fashion, which was a bit odd, though who knew what sort of teachers the lad had had growing up.
Montgomery didn’t mince words, said with sharp censure, “Explain to me why you have utterly disregarded everything I warned you about?”
Charley wasn’t cowed, was instead a little loud in his explanation. “They intend to abandon us tomorrow!”
“What happened to next week?”
“A letter was delivered this morning. I was there when the countess made the announcement that it changes their schedule. That won’t do! These ladies are delightful. And I am in love with Vanessa. She cannot be removed from my entourage. I won’t allow it.”
“Boy, wake up. You’re too young to be in love. You are a target, so having women anywhere around you, other than in that house, puts them in danger as well. And you don’t have a bloody entourage, you haveme.”
Charley sighed. “I had hoped they would remain here if they knew who I really am.”
Montgomery snorted. “Nothing will keep newly turned eighteen-year-old ladies of thetonfrom their first Season in London.”
“Vanessa missed hers.”
So she did, and Montgomery wished he knew why, but the lady was as secretive as he was about certain things. He narrowed his eyes on Charley. “You will tell the sisters you were joking and you will make them believe it.”
Feigned or not, Charley sighed again with unmistakable sadness. “I really am the last surviving king of Feldland, you know. I don’t know why you don’t want to believe it.”
“I’ll tell you why. Because it would scare the hell out of me if I thought for even a moment that I was the only hope for a country I’ve never even heard of, of keeping their monarch alive long enough to get back on the throne. You trying to scare me, boy?”
“Of course not. But I have every confidence in you. And if I must lie to the Blackburn ladies about who I really am, then we shall instead go to London when the ladies do to experience the Season, as they call it.”
“No.”
A full measure of haughtiness reared back up when Charley huffed, “Need I mention I outrank you?”
“Need I remind you we came to Cheshire to hide. You won’t be safe in London.”
“Yes, I will, if I wear a disguise.”
“Who the deuce gave you that idea?”
“Arlo has nagged me from the beginning that I ought to change my appearance.”
“Don’t say I did the same. I don’t nag.”
“You did want me dressed in rags on the way here,” Charley reminded.
“The devil I did. Putting on a cloak and removing your jewels was all I requested—and men in rags don’t hobnob with ladies.”
