“Mr. Egeus, how do you come to help us today?” She guessed that one of their regular footmen had become ill and sent his brother or cousin or something to fill in. That sometimes happened as servants tried to gain employment for their family members. But in this, she was completely wrong as he ticked his head to the hallway.
“Mr. Lucifer hired me on, my lady.”
“Lucifer!” she gasped. “What a name!”
“I believe it’s meant to frighten those who displease him.”
It was ridiculous, and so she meant to tell him. She would not have anyone with such a name in her household. But before she could say such a thing, her husband began to laugh. It was a wheezy sound, but she recognized the fuller notes beneath it. Since being bedridden, Oscar had developed a macabre sense of humor.
“That must be him, then,” Oscar said as he waved at the doorway. “Come on in, man. Tell us how you came to be the devil himself.”
Diana had been looking at the new footman, so when Oscar gestured behind them, she spun around with a nervous kind of speed. She did not like people sneaking up behind her. And when she saw the man standing in the doorway, she liked it even less. For a brief moment, she considered the truth that it was Lucifer himself come to destroy her life.
The man had dark hair, dark eyes, and dressed to match the sinister name. Though his clothes were worn, they were dark as sin, and he made no attempt to hide the scar that cut through his hair as if a heavenly warrior had cleaved his head a few inches above his right ear. She didn’t recognize him, and yet she felt a jolt inside. A shock that cut off her breath and made her heart squeeze tight.
She must have made a sound because his gaze cut to hers. Such weight there in his simple regard. As if living shadows loomed behind his eyes to reach out and grab the unaware. But then she remembered other eyes. A boy tumbling at her feet through her bedroom window and promising to return in the morning with enough money so they could wed.
Lucas.
The memory was so strong that her jaw went slack in shock. But then she blinked and refocused. This man was hard. He stood lightly on his feet, and his eyes caught every movement in the room. And though he bowed to Oscar, she felt as if he tracked her movements as an owl did a mouse. And if she had to imagine him as a boy, he would be nothing like the earnest young Lucas she remembered.
“Do you come to spirit me away to hell?” her husband asked with good cheer.
“Oscar, please!” she gasped. “Don’t say such things.”
“Oh, come here, my dear.” He held out his hand, and she crossed the room to grasp it. His thin skin cool, and the knuckles thick, but it was also familiar, and she found reassurance in his feeble grip. “A man dressed in black cannot scare me,” he said. “Tell me your tale.”
It sounded as if he were ordering a bard to play for him. And as she expected, Mr. Lucifer did not oblige beyond the most cursory response. “I fought against Napoleon and learned that names had power against the superstitious.” He waggled his brows. “And the Frogs were a superstitious lot.”
Oscar chortled. “I wager they are. Did they run like babies crying for their mamas?”
“And wet themselves along the way.”
Oscar laughed so hard that he began to choke, his breath coming in frightening wheezes. And when he regained some of his strength, he waved Mr. Lucifer closer. “Tell me more,” he rasped.
“No, Oscar,” Diana interrupted. “You need to finish your tea first. And give Reynolds time to finish your toilette.”
Oscar dropped back against his cushions, his breath finally easing. “She likes me smooth,” he said as he scratched at his chin, and Diana felt her cheeks heat. That was not something to discuss with strangers, let alone this dark man.
Mr. Lucifer executed a perfect bow, but when he rose, his gaze was serious. “My lord,” he said in a tone that felt like a whisper but was nonetheless heard by all in the room. “I have been sent by the lady’s brother to assist for a short time while you are indisposed.”
Diana’s head snapped up. “Elliot? Why would he send…” Her voice trailed away. She knew damned well why he would send someone to her household. With Oscar in his bed, she had been forced to confront Oscar’s greedy heir alone. Geoffrey was a blighter through and through. He gambled, he caroused, and he came often to steal the silver to pay off his debts. And when she confronted him with his crimes, he threatened her.
She shook her head. She was the older sister, Elliot, the younger heir. He might be old enough to manage his own affairs now, but she’d be damned if he insinuated himself into hers. She’d had precious little say in her life. She would not cede control of it to anyone.
Unfortunately, while she was sorting all that out in her mind, Mr. Lucifer took advantage of her silence. “You see,” he said as he gestured to her. “She knows, my lord. There are dangers in London, and sometimes they invade a man’s home. Especially one who is temporarily weakened by an illness.”
“Temporarily, huh?” Oscar scoffed. “Yes, yes,” he agreed. “I still have hopes to walk again.”
“Of course, you will,” Diana soothed, but she was quieted by a wave of Oscar’s hand.
“Elliott sent you?” he asked.
“Yes, my lord.”
“And does he pay you as well?”
“Yes, my lord.”
