think of for a moment was that
now she knew where Julian got his incredible green eyes. That and the fact that she had just been kissing the son this poor woman thought dead. Shaking
free of her wild thoughts, Chloe curtsied to the woman.
“M’lady,” she said. “I am Chloe Wherlocke, Lord Wherlocke’s cousin. I am afraid he is out and may not return for some while. Mayhap I can be of
help?”
“Mayhap you can,” Lady Evelyn said. “Please, join me. I have but a few questions concerning my son Nigel.”
“I fear I have never met the man, m’lady,” Chloe said as she sat down, pushing down the fear that something had happened to Julian’s brother.
“I wondered, but my questions concern the person who has become his aide-de-camp. Do you know him? Bened Vaughn?”
“Ah, aye, I do. He is a cousin of ours. I am not sure what you wish me to tel you about him, though. He is a good soldier.”
“So Nigel has told me in the few letters we have received from him. Nigel also implied that, when he sold out, he wished to bring the man back with
him. Now that Nigel is to become the earl”—for a moment Lady Evelyn’s voice wavered and grief twisted her features—“he wil be returning to England
soon and bringing the man with him.”
Chloe clutched her hands tightly together. She desperately wanted to comfort the woman, wanted to ease the terrible grief she had just glimpsed
in Lady Evelyn’s face. Worse, she wanted to tel her the truth immediately. In al of their planning, she had never real y considered what Julian’s mother
would suffer. It was not wrong to keep al of their attention fixed firmly upon keeping Julian and Anthony alive, but that did not ease Chloe’s sudden guilt over the pain that plan had caused this woman.
“Bened is a good man, m’lady,” she said quietly. “I know him, although I confess that I do not know him that wel , as I was but a child when he joined
the army. However, about al I can think of that may be considered a fault in the man is that he is very somber.”
Lady Evelyn smiled. “That is probably a very good thing, for Nigel can be very high-spirited and, I fear, a little reckless.”
“Wel , no one would ever accuse Bened of being reckless.”
Before Chloe could say anything else, Wynn peered into the room and signaled that he needed to speak to her. Assuring Lady Evelyn that she
would return in a few moments, Chloe hurried out of the room. The look of worry on Wynn’s broad face caused Chloe’s stomach to drop into her slippers.
She should have known that such a pleasant, successful morning at the shops would carry a price. It was turning into a very high one, however.
“What is wrong now?” she asked the man.
“We cannot find the wee lad.”
“Dilys?”
“She thought the boy was settled down in his bed, but he slipped away right fast. She has been looking everywhere.”
Chloe bit back a curse. “He has to be round here somewhere. He was in with his father only moments ago.”
“The boy is quick.”
And it might have been a lot longer than she realized, for there was no denying that kissing Julian had scattered her wits. “Stil , how far could he
have gone? I wil look upstairs and the rest of you can search down here and in the garden.”
Knowing that she could not leave Lady Evelyn alone for long, Chloe raced up the stairs. Even as she searched the rooms, she cursed herself for
ever having played hide-and-seek with the child. She knew that was what Anthony was doing right now, and there were far too many ways for a child to
slip from room to room in Leo’s passage-ridden house. When she found him, she would do her best to make him understand that such games could not
be played unless everyone was told first.
It did not take long for Chloe to grow concerned. She had no sense that Anthony was in any real danger, but she had to acknowledge that her gift
had been far too quiet of late. Anthony had not even slipped back into his
now she knew where Julian got his incredible green eyes. That and the fact that she had just been kissing the son this poor woman thought dead. Shaking
free of her wild thoughts, Chloe curtsied to the woman.
“M’lady,” she said. “I am Chloe Wherlocke, Lord Wherlocke’s cousin. I am afraid he is out and may not return for some while. Mayhap I can be of
help?”
“Mayhap you can,” Lady Evelyn said. “Please, join me. I have but a few questions concerning my son Nigel.”
“I fear I have never met the man, m’lady,” Chloe said as she sat down, pushing down the fear that something had happened to Julian’s brother.
“I wondered, but my questions concern the person who has become his aide-de-camp. Do you know him? Bened Vaughn?”
“Ah, aye, I do. He is a cousin of ours. I am not sure what you wish me to tel you about him, though. He is a good soldier.”
“So Nigel has told me in the few letters we have received from him. Nigel also implied that, when he sold out, he wished to bring the man back with
him. Now that Nigel is to become the earl”—for a moment Lady Evelyn’s voice wavered and grief twisted her features—“he wil be returning to England
soon and bringing the man with him.”
Chloe clutched her hands tightly together. She desperately wanted to comfort the woman, wanted to ease the terrible grief she had just glimpsed
in Lady Evelyn’s face. Worse, she wanted to tel her the truth immediately. In al of their planning, she had never real y considered what Julian’s mother
would suffer. It was not wrong to keep al of their attention fixed firmly upon keeping Julian and Anthony alive, but that did not ease Chloe’s sudden guilt over the pain that plan had caused this woman.
“Bened is a good man, m’lady,” she said quietly. “I know him, although I confess that I do not know him that wel , as I was but a child when he joined
the army. However, about al I can think of that may be considered a fault in the man is that he is very somber.”
Lady Evelyn smiled. “That is probably a very good thing, for Nigel can be very high-spirited and, I fear, a little reckless.”
“Wel , no one would ever accuse Bened of being reckless.”
Before Chloe could say anything else, Wynn peered into the room and signaled that he needed to speak to her. Assuring Lady Evelyn that she
would return in a few moments, Chloe hurried out of the room. The look of worry on Wynn’s broad face caused Chloe’s stomach to drop into her slippers.
She should have known that such a pleasant, successful morning at the shops would carry a price. It was turning into a very high one, however.
“What is wrong now?” she asked the man.
“We cannot find the wee lad.”
“Dilys?”
“She thought the boy was settled down in his bed, but he slipped away right fast. She has been looking everywhere.”
Chloe bit back a curse. “He has to be round here somewhere. He was in with his father only moments ago.”
“The boy is quick.”
And it might have been a lot longer than she realized, for there was no denying that kissing Julian had scattered her wits. “Stil , how far could he
have gone? I wil look upstairs and the rest of you can search down here and in the garden.”
Knowing that she could not leave Lady Evelyn alone for long, Chloe raced up the stairs. Even as she searched the rooms, she cursed herself for
ever having played hide-and-seek with the child. She knew that was what Anthony was doing right now, and there were far too many ways for a child to
slip from room to room in Leo’s passage-ridden house. When she found him, she would do her best to make him understand that such games could not
be played unless everyone was told first.
It did not take long for Chloe to grow concerned. She had no sense that Anthony was in any real danger, but she had to acknowledge that her gift
had been far too quiet of late. Anthony had not even slipped back into his
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