“Providence?” Papa echoed, though he didn’t sound convinced.
“Of course! They might have died if we hadn’t stumbled upon them,” Laurel continued, clearly warming to her story. “Daniel with a broken leg, Captain Galbraith with his head injury. Honestly, we’re heroes, if you think about it. Or, really,Iam as Poppy slept through most of it.”
Poppy squeezed her sister’s hand until Laurel flinched. The little opportunist.
“I have thought about it,” Papa said, not sounding the least bit pleased. “And I can only hope that no one in the village or beyond hears anything about last night’s adventure. Sleepwalking!” he bit out the word as though it was a curse. “You are of marriageable age. This sort of nonsense could ruin both of you. Do you realize that?”
When Poppy’s nightmare had woken her the night before, the last thing on her mind was her martial status in society. Reaching the crossroads had been the only thought she could focus on. If they hadn’t reached the spot in time...Well, Laurel was correct. Daniel and Captain Galbraith could both have perished on that road if Poppy and Laurel hadn’t happened upon them when they did.
“We’re not in London,” Poppy said in her most placating tone. “I hardly think news of last night will reach Town, Papa.”
“You think that cavalry officer will hold his tongue, do you?” Papa narrowed his eyes on Poppy. “And Wilson informs me that Thaddeus Barrow has arrived to call on you.”
“Mr. Barrow?” Poppy frowned. It wasn’t that she didn’t care for the neighboring landowner. He was pleasant enough, she supposed, but she also suspected his valet put too much starch in his cravat. “He has never called on me before.”
The expression Papa cast in her direction said louder than words that he was well aware of that fact. “How strange he should arrive the day after your sleepwalking episode, is it not?”
Thatwasstrange, though Poppy didn’t want to admit that out loud.
“Servants gossip in their circles as readily as society matrons,” Papa added. “I would not be surprised if news of your midnight adventures have reached Summerwynds.” He heaved a beleaguered sigh. “Caroline is entertaining him in the yellow parlor. When you join them, I expect you’ll be your most serene and give no hint away that the rumors of last night might have any validity.”
“Yes, Papa.”
But what of Captain Galbraith? Would he tell anyone what happened? Poppy didn’t think so. Shouldn’t someone who was a self-professed Promethean warlock be trusted to hold his tongue? Perhaps, perhaps not. Poppy knew next to nothing about Promethean warlocks. She didn’t even know they existed until an hour ago.
After Papa dismissed them, Poppy and Laurel quietly left his study. Once in the corridor, Poppy whispered to her sister what Captain Galbraith had said to her that morning.
“Firewitches and warlocks?” Laurel blinked at her in confusion.
“Prometheans, apparently.”
Her sister looked as though she might burst into laugher. “Are you serious?”
“Do you honestly think I could make that up?” Poppy shook her head. “Since I have to go see about Mr. Barrow, will you please see what you can learn from Captain Galbraith? Are we in any danger of him telling anyone our secret?”
Laurel agreed with a nod.
“But be subtle about it,” Poppy added. “We shouldn’t give him any more information than is absolutely necessary.”
“I’m subtle,” Laurel replied which was the furthest thing from the truth.
If Poppy didn’t have to deal with Mr. Barrow, she’d never think of sending Laurel in her place. As it was, she did not have any other choice.
CHAPTER3
After downing morewillow bark tea than he would have liked, the pounding in Alec’s head had finally subsided and he’d ventured out from his borrowed chambers. A timid maid had directed him to Daniel’s bedchamber and he rapped quickly on the door with his cane.
A sound of some sort, a groan or a muffled grumble, came from within the room. Alec took the sound as permission for him to enter. He pushed opened the door to find his old friend looking more than miserable in the middle of a four-poster. Alec leaned his large frame against the doorjamb and heaved a sigh.
“Broken leg, is it?”
Daniel scrubbed a hand down his face. “And I don’t have any sort of clue how it happened.”
“Indeed?”
“I clearly remember dinner at that tavern, the meat pie in particular.”
“Not the barmaid?” Alec teased.
