“I’ll only be an hour,” she said. “You can wait for me in the nearest inn.”
“Yes, my lady.”
She made sure to keep out of the way of the turning carriage and went into Mrs. Mountjoy’s garden. Just as she reached the back door, someone else came through the gate. She looked over her shoulder and went still as Miss Cartwright stared at her with equal surprise.
“What … are you doing here?” Miss Cartwright asked.
As Carenza tried to think of a response, Mrs. Mountjoy appeared at the back door.
Carenza felt somewhat relieved when Mrs. Mountjoy greeted them both and said, “She’s here for the same reason you are, Miss Cartwright. To help my girls. Won’t you both come into my parlor and have a cup of tea?”
Five minutes later, they were sitting opposite each other in the cozy parlor. “I should’ve realized you knew of Mrs. Mountjoy’s good works,” Miss Cartwright said after sipping her tea. “Did Mr. Laurent tell you?”
“Yes, he did,” Carenza said. “If I’d known you were coming here …”
“You wouldn’t have dropped me off in Grosvenor Square.” Miss Cartwright put down her cup. “It’s quite all right, Lady Carenza. I just thought it would be easier for your coachman if he didn’t have to navigate these smaller streets.” She paused. “It wasn’t an attempt to disguise my intended purpose. I have no shame in supporting and visiting Mrs. Mountjoy.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Mrs. Mountjoy said. “Mr. Laurent did mention that he’d taken you to visit the Cartwrights, Lady Carenza. So I’m not surprised you both turned up on the same day.” She looked over at Miss Cartwright. “Lady Carenza is thinking of taking one of my girls into her household.”
“That’s correct.” Carenza nodded. “We were supposed to be considering who would be the best candidate today.”
“I’d highly recommend Bridget,” Miss Cartwright said. “She’s as bright as a button and very keen to learn.”
“I’d agree,” Mrs. Mountjoy said.
The door opened again, and Julian came in. His startled gaze flew from Miss Cartwright to Carenza and back again.
“Ladies.” He bowed. “What an unexpected pleasure.”
“Mr. Laurent.” Mrs. Mountjoy rose to greet him, her expression far calmer than Carenza’s would’ve been if she’d had to deal with such a scenario. “I am blessed to have so many visitors in one morning. How may I assist you?”
“I was just passing by, ma’am,” Julian replied with remarkable aplomb. “I will not stay if you are busy.”
“Oh, please join us,” Carenza said, and patted the seat beside her. “We were just discussing whether Bridget would be a good choice for my new kitchen maid.”
“I think she would be an admirable choice,” Julian said. “What do you think, Miss Cartwright?”
“I suspect my opinion is irrelevant, sir. Mrs. Mountjoy knows her best.”
Carenza was pleased to see the younger woman betrayed no agitation at Julian’s appearance. In truth, she appeared as disinterested as ever. Was that what made her appealing to Julian? Her lack of interest in a man who was normally surrounded by women who doted on him? To her surprise, the idea of his marrying Miss Cartwright did not appeal.
“Perhaps I might interview Bridget, ma’am?” Carenza suggested. “And then you could bring her to Tavistock Square to see how she likes it.”
“That’s an excellent suggestion,” Mrs. Mountjoy said.
“And, in the meantime, if Miss Cartwright doesn’t object, I could take her home in my carriage,” Julian said. “It is starting to rain quite heavily.”
Miss Cartwright took a letter out of her reticule and handed it to Mrs. Mountjoy. “I only came to deliver this, ma’am. If Mr. Laurent is willing to drive me home, I will gratefully accept.”
She stood up to leave. Before Julian escorted her to the door, he looked over at Carenza, his eyebrows raised in an intimidating manner. Obviously, he expected her to remain at Mrs. Mountjoy’s until he returned, but her frustration at the way matters had turned out left her reluctant to offer him that reassurance, so she ignored him.
Mrs. Mountjoy waited until the door closed behind two of her guests before sitting down quite heavily on the couch. “That was worthy of a Drury Lane farce. The look on Mr. Laurent’s face when he first came in …”
“I quite agree,” Carenza said. “You handled it very well, ma’am.”
“As the wife of a physician, I am used to dealing with difficult moments, Lady Carenza.” Mrs. Mountjoy poured Carenza a second cup of tea. “You don’t have to interview Bridget. She has no idea that I’m looking for a position for her.”
“We do have a vacancy in the summer,” Carenza said. “If you truly think she would suit, I’d be more than willing to speak to her about the position.”
