Eoin, who had already fixed his attire, strode over to where the gosling lay still asleep. “I think it is best to leave Méibh here and to latch the door from the outside. It should hold, and she’s safer inside these walls. If she starts honking while we pass by Ursus, we could all die.”
“Agreed,” Hannah said. “And she’ll forgive you for leaving her behind. She is exceedingly tender in her affections for you.”
Eoin sent Hannah a dry look. “I was not concerned about that.”
Hannah didn’t believe him. Eoin might not want to admit it, but he’d clearly developed a fondness for the formerly dubbed “fowl.” Unfortunately, now was no time to discuss the degrees of affection between a bird and a man.
Hannah squared her shoulders and tried to calm the beating of her heart. “We should leave.”
“Wait!” Eoin kept his voice low, but his urgency was palpable.
“Do not even think of commanding me to stay! I am not waiting here with Méibh while you expose yourself to danger.” Hannah jammed her fists against her hips. “We go together.”
“I know you wouldn’t countenance that.” Eoin reached over and began fussing with her hair. “You look… mussed.”
Hannah started to laugh and then stifled her mirth. It wouldn’t do to startle Ursus with her glee. “I am mussed—although not as thoroughly as I would like.”
“But the servants may see you or, worse, my aunts and uncles. All four of them are very prone to gossip, especially Aunt Eliza. She seems to always know every tiny detail about an aristocrat whether in the capital or out in the countryside.”
“Eoin, it is very kind of you to worry about my reputation, but I’m not a fine lady. I own a notorious coffeehouse and descend from pirates. Most significantly, I am posing as your mistress. People are expecting me to look tumbled, and I am already a walking scandal. I’m just adding authenticity to the story.”
Eoin frowned. “I—I suppose you are right, but I feel like… I should protect you or at least champion you. I do not want anyone to think poorly of you because of my actions.”
Hannah softened in a way that only Eoin’s sweet words could inspire. “You needn’t worry. I truly do not care whatothers say, and I feel no shame about what transpired between us.”
A hesitant but beautiful smile touched Eoin’s lips. “Neither do I.”
“Then let us cease this fruitless discussion and escape while we can.” Hannah lifted the metal latch on the door.
Eoin hurried to her side and removed the heavy bar. She slipped outside before he could. This time she wanted to take the most dangerous position. While he latched the door from the outside, Hannah kept a close watch on Ursus. Thankfully, the beast’s chest rose and fell at a steady rhythm while its snores floated through the air.
As soon as Eoin secured the folly, the two of them slowly moved in the direction of the ducal townhouse. Grateful that she wasn’t hampered by her skirts and petticoats, Hannah walked as soundlessly as she could manage. Twigs and stems slapped against her stockinged legs, but the thick plant growth at least served to dampen the tread of her feet. Despite his height, Eoin moved relatively noiselessly behind her.
As they neared the bear, Hannah swore that her heart stopped beating altogether. The whole world seemed ensnared in a preternatural calm—or perhaps Hannah’s senses had become so finely attuned that everything felt slowed down. She could feel each stem brush against her along with the cool touch of the gentle summer breeze. The bees buzzing around the hollyhocks sounded like the roar of a mighty river, while sweet but cloying perfume from the crushed honeysuckle nearly suffocated her. As she crept past Ursus, she swore she could smell his sour breath as he snored out puffs of hot air.
Although her heart beat as loudly as a drum, she could also hear every exhale and inhalation from Eoin. Each bird chirpseemed to rival a gong’s ring, and Hannah kept expecting the bear to shake himself awake. But his grunts remained blessedly steady and deep. At least for several yards.
Thankfully, Hannah and Eoin had already passed the bench that they’d shared last night when the snoring abruptly stopped. Eoin grabbed her hand and tugged her along as they broke into a run. By the time the first roar sounded through the quiet morning air, Hannah could spy the brick of the townhouse.
Even though they hadn’t raced for long, her lungs burned. She’d never moved so fast in her life. Ignoring the stabbing in her side, she didn’t slacken her pace. Over her own huffing breaths, she could hear the crunch of plants being mowed down by Ursus. Another frustrated roar filled the Mayfair street. Hannah didn’t think the bear was precisely hunting them. He was just angry and enraged. Hannah didn’t blame the beast. After all, she’d witnessed his awful treatment at the Horse and Hen. Still, her compassion for the animal didn’t mean that she wanted to be mauled.
In the windows of the townhouse, Hannah could see the shocked faces of the servants. Eoin’s aunts and uncles had crowded around an upstairs window, watching the proceedings with less alarm than the footmen and the maids. Although Hannah couldn’t risk slowing down to study their expressions in detail, she tried her best to observe their reactions. Francis was pointing while Hugh chewed on some sort of pastry fisted in his hand. Lady Joan’s mouth was flapping wildly as she presumably chattered excitedly to her siblings. Only Lady Eliza showed concern as she pounded on her sternum—but Hannah suspected that she was more worried about the bear storming through the house and eating her than she was about the safety of her nephew.
Hannah and Eoin tore up the veranda steps just as Smythe threw open the French doors. A growl, closer than Hannah would have liked, sounded behind her. Digging deep inside, she tried to find a last burst of energy. She hoped that the glass could keep the bear at bay.
Suddenly, a hunk of meat sailed over her and Eoin’s heads. She glanced up to find footmen standing in the upper-floor windows and tossing smoked ham. Smythe stepped back to allow Eoin and Hannah to hurl themselves into the drawing room. Then he quickly shut the door.
Hannah glanced through the glass, praying that the bear would not charge through the panels in its pursuit of them. Thankfully, Ursus was happily chomping on his feast of pork.
“You are both unharmed?” the butler asked in his booming tone. Even though his face remained implacable, Hannah noticed that he was scanning their bodies for any injuries.
“We are unscathed,” Eoin answered.
“Good.” The butler inclined his head. When he lifted his chin again, he added in a dour voice, “I am afraid, though, there will be no meat on the menu tonight.”
Chapter Nineteen
Eoin burst into the dining room with Hannah close behind. Although he doubted that his uncles had the capacity to lead a criminal organization, he could not entirely dismiss Hannah’s warning. If one of them was behind the attack, their reaction during the aftermath might be telling.
