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Incorrigible minx.
Before she could retort, a carriage bore down upon them.
The driver barely spared them a glance as he continued onward, his vehicle’s lamps bouncing erratically and casting grotesque shadows along the roadway.
“Was that a conveyance?” Roxina whispered from beneath the cloak.
“Indeed. And they did not give us a second glance.”
Atherstone shifted beside Dash, looped an arm around the dog’s sturdy shoulders, and murmured in a low, affectionate voice.
“My dear… You are soft…warm…magnificent,” he slurred, pressing his nose into Dash’s fur. “What silken tresses you have…”
Shelby bit his cheek to keep from laughing, but Roxina’s muffled snort from under the cloak nearly undid him.
Dash, ever patient, let out a long-suffering sigh but tolerated the misplaced affections.
Ten minutes later, Shelby steered the curricle into the mews behind Fernleigh House.
A sleepy, confused stable boy stumbled forth, rubbing his eyes, his cap askew. “’Ere now, who—?”
Before he could finish, Robyn appeared, an open letter in hand, his expression equal parts irritation and curiosity.
Shelby would wager he had a pistol concealed beneath his jacket.
“Who are you, and why are you skulking about my household at this hour?” Robyn demanded.
Tugging off his hat, Shelby leaned forward, allowing the merest hint of a smirk.
“What? Not happy to see me, cousin?”
“Shelby?” Robyn tripped down the stairs, two at a time. “What in God’s name brings you here this time of night?”
Robyn pinned his sharp gaze on Atherstone, who remained slumped in his seat, one arm draped heavily over Dash. The drunken lord nuzzled into the dog’s thick fur and murmured, “Soft as an angel, my darling…”
“He’ll be heartbroken when he sobers up and realizes his ‘angel’ has four paws and a tail.” Shelby grinned.
Robyn lifted his hawkish eyebrows above skeptical brown eyes. “You brought me a soused nobleman?”
“Not intentionally, I assure you. It is more of an accidental convenience.” Shelby shifted, his muscles stiff from being crammed into the cramped space. “Can I impose upon your driver to see him home? I don’t wish Atherstone to wake up here. Too many questions I’d rather not answer.”
“I’ll bet.” Eyes narrowed, Robyn pointed. “Atherstone, you say? Peregrine Atherstone? Didn’t know the chap liked his spirits so much.”
“He’s getting married tomorrow—today.” Shelby shrugged. “He’s not altogether keen on the notion.”
Grunting, Robyn narrowed his gaze, finally spying the lump on the floor of the curricle. He pointed. “And who, pray tell, is that?”
Before Shelby could respond, Roxina flipped the cloak off her head, meeting Robyn’s gaze with a weary but steady expression. “It’s good to see you, Robyn. I wish the circumstances were less dire.”
Arms crossed, Robyn eyed the drunken nobleman, the bedraggled dog, and Roxina’s rumpled appearance. “I cannot wait to hear the explanation for this.”
FIFTEEN
Fernleigh House
London, England
The next day—nearly half-past eleven
