Page 5

Behind him, Mrs. Blackthorn bustled into the room. “Fainting lady, Chiddick said. Oh my, poor lamb. She’s as white as a sheet. I’ve brought my smelling bottle; that will bring her around.” She moved forward, and wafted the little bottle under Miss Bromwich’s nose. The young lady stirred with a grimace and opened her eyes. Hazel-green, he noted with satisfaction. His previous image of Miss Bromwich shifted into the form before him. The dark goddess with grey eyes was forgotten.

“There, my poor love. Are you better?” crooned Mrs. Blackthorn.

Miss Bromwich blinked at her and nodded. “I think so. I—.” She looked around and found him staring at her. She struggled to sit up, “I’m so sorry. I haven’t had much to eat today.”

“Well, that shall be remedied immediately!” said Mrs. Blackthorn, bustling away.

He bent forward to prevent her sitting up. “I think you should stay horizontal for a little longer. You’re still alarmingly pale. Why the devil haven’t you eaten?”

She subsided back onto the couch and said softly, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to be late.” She closed her eyes, but the tears seeped out from under her lids and rolled out the corners.

Alarmed at this sign of feminine weakness, he said roughly, “Don’t worry about it. It was my fault for not giving you enough time to get here.” He searched his pockets and produced a handkerchief, which he handed to her. She took it gratefully and wiped her eyes.

“Thank you. If you will just allow me enough time to take some refreshment and recover a little, I will be on my way. I—there has clearly been some kind of misunderstanding.”

“No!” He spoke rather more loudly than he should, judging from her startled expression. Moderating his tone with difficulty, he said, “There is no misunderstanding on my part.”

She stared up at him bewildered. “But you could not have possibly advertised for a female assistant.”

“I did,” he said doggedly.

“But you’re a man!”

“Well, yes.”

“But you said all proprieties would be observed!”

He flushed. “They will be. If you’ll just let me explain?”

At this moment, Mrs. Blackthorn bustled back in with a tray, which she set down on the low table by the settee. She then proceeded to pour tea and arrange a selection of cakes, biscuits, fruit, and cheeses on a plate.

Miss Bromwich sat up, and this time he let her, even propping a pillow behind her head and accepting a cup of tea from Mrs. Blackthorn. Kester, who had been observing all these proceedings from beside the doorway, inched forward and sat hopefully. Kes knew about tea. But he was too polite to help himself.

Mrs. Blackthorn stood back. “There then, you eat up, Miss Bromwich, and you’ll soon have roses back in your cheeks.”

“Thank you so much,” said Miss Bromwich softly. She had a lovely voice, melodious and restful. She was clearly a lady of respectable birth.

“Thank you, Mrs. Blackthorn,” he said, dismissing her. She left with a bobbed curtsy, and he watched in silence as Miss Bromwich devoured a whole plate of goodies. Sipping the tea, she sank back against the cushion with her eyes closed and sighed.

“That is so much better, thank you.”

He sat in the Holland-covered chair to her left and sipped his tea. “Would you care to tell me why you are starving, Miss Bromwich?” he asked quietly.

“I haven’t eaten for more than a week,” she said wearily. “That isn’t entirely true,” she corrected conscientiously. “I’ve had some food, but not enough.”

“Why?”

“My mother was trying to force me to accept a proposal of marriage,” she admitted reluctantly, looking at her fingers clasped in her lap.

“Good God, that’s medieval!”

She gave a short smile. “Yes, it is rather. Fortunately, your reply to my application arrived in time before I was forced to capitulate. Of course I didn’t realize it was from you. I thought it must be from a lady, because you specified that you wanted a young, single female.” She swallowed, her cheeks flushing. “If I’d known—”

“You wouldn’t have come,” he said flatly.

“I can’t imagine what you were thinking—”

“I was thinking, Miss Bromwich, that I wanted a wife.”