Joseph and now I can leave,’ said Fiona, showing every evidence of relief. ‘Thank you for your hospitality, my lord, and for your gallant attempt to catch the malefactor. Good day to you.’
Never before had the earl felt so furious or had he been so put down. Although he had persuaded himself any feminine interest in him was motivated solely by a desire to gain his title and his fortune, it was maddening to have this belief underlined by the beautiful Miss Sinclair, who did not seem to notice him either as a man or as a desirable fortune.
He gave her a stiff bow and pointedly turned away before she had even reached the door of the library. Fiona sailed out into Hanover Square with Joseph walking behind her, carrying the basket.
‘That should fetch him,’ she said.
‘Beg parding, miss?’ demanded Joseph.
‘Nothing, Joseph,’ said Fiona. ‘I was merely speaking to myself.’
Which all went to show, thought Joseph nastily, just what an addle-pated, hen-witted female she was. He almost forgot about the pain in his feet as they approached Number 67. He was already rehearsing the drama of the attack to tell the other servants. To his annoyance, Fiona walked with him across the hall and started down the steps leading to the basement.
The servants had just finished their evening meal when Fiona and Joseph walked in. All got to their feet and stood looking at Fiona with sullen eyes, wondering whether she was going to irritate them again by prattling on about money.
‘Joseph has a basket of cakes and sandwiches for you all,’ said Fiona.
She put her reticule on the table, opened the draw-string and shook out the money. ‘Now, let me see,’ she said, while the servants stared and gasped. ‘Ah, Mr Rainbird. Here is about two hundred pounds to buy food and coals and livery. I will take the rest to my father.’
She smiled sunnily on them all and swept out.
Rainbird was the first to spring from the stricken trance that had frozen them all. He ran to the door of the servants’ hall, wrenched it open, and stumbled up the stairs after Fiona.
‘Thank you, miss,’ he babbled. ‘Oh,
thank
you.’
‘Do not sound so surprised, Mr Rainbird,’ said Fiona severely. ‘I told you I would find you the money.’ She opened the door to the hall and disappeared through it.
Rainbird went slowly down the stairs. He hardly heard anything Joseph said, Joseph who was holding forth about the attack. As he spoke, Seamus became larger and stronger until he was quite seven feet high.
‘Well, Lizzie,’ said Rainbird when Joseph had finally talked himself dry. ‘It seems miracles do happen. There’ll be a new gown for you after this.’
‘Oh, thank you,’ cried Lizzie, but she looked at Joseph as she spoke and not at Rainbird.
Alice raised her well-rounded arms to pat the buttery curls under her lace cap. ‘It do seem to me,’ she said slowly, ‘as how Miss Fiona is a most unusual lady.’
‘After this, I would do anything for her,’ said dark and intense Jenny fiercely. ‘
Anything
’.
‘Oh, the dishes I will prepare for them,’ sang MacGregor. ‘The sauces, the jellies, the cakes.’
Mrs Middleton opened the basket and carefully began to arrange the cakes and sandwiches on plates. ‘Of course, I knew she was a real lady as soon as I set eyes on her,’ she said.
Dave stretched out a little hand and took a pink fondant cake ornamented with an iced cherub. ‘Coo’er,’ he said. ‘Don’t it look too pretty to eat!’
‘That’s enough of that,’ said Rainbird, slapping his hand. ‘You wait until your betters have had first choice, young man.’
They slowly resumed their places at table but this time in the correct order. They were real servants again and not an odd sort of family, bound together by poverty.
Lizzie sat at the end of the table next to Jim. She hoped the others would leave her at least one of the cherub cakes.
Upstairs Mr Sinclair was still goggling and exclaiming over the money and
Never before had the earl felt so furious or had he been so put down. Although he had persuaded himself any feminine interest in him was motivated solely by a desire to gain his title and his fortune, it was maddening to have this belief underlined by the beautiful Miss Sinclair, who did not seem to notice him either as a man or as a desirable fortune.
He gave her a stiff bow and pointedly turned away before she had even reached the door of the library. Fiona sailed out into Hanover Square with Joseph walking behind her, carrying the basket.
‘That should fetch him,’ she said.
‘Beg parding, miss?’ demanded Joseph.
‘Nothing, Joseph,’ said Fiona. ‘I was merely speaking to myself.’
Which all went to show, thought Joseph nastily, just what an addle-pated, hen-witted female she was. He almost forgot about the pain in his feet as they approached Number 67. He was already rehearsing the drama of the attack to tell the other servants. To his annoyance, Fiona walked with him across the hall and started down the steps leading to the basement.
The servants had just finished their evening meal when Fiona and Joseph walked in. All got to their feet and stood looking at Fiona with sullen eyes, wondering whether she was going to irritate them again by prattling on about money.
‘Joseph has a basket of cakes and sandwiches for you all,’ said Fiona.
She put her reticule on the table, opened the draw-string and shook out the money. ‘Now, let me see,’ she said, while the servants stared and gasped. ‘Ah, Mr Rainbird. Here is about two hundred pounds to buy food and coals and livery. I will take the rest to my father.’
She smiled sunnily on them all and swept out.
Rainbird was the first to spring from the stricken trance that had frozen them all. He ran to the door of the servants’ hall, wrenched it open, and stumbled up the stairs after Fiona.
‘Thank you, miss,’ he babbled. ‘Oh,
thank
you.’
‘Do not sound so surprised, Mr Rainbird,’ said Fiona severely. ‘I told you I would find you the money.’ She opened the door to the hall and disappeared through it.
Rainbird went slowly down the stairs. He hardly heard anything Joseph said, Joseph who was holding forth about the attack. As he spoke, Seamus became larger and stronger until he was quite seven feet high.
‘Well, Lizzie,’ said Rainbird when Joseph had finally talked himself dry. ‘It seems miracles do happen. There’ll be a new gown for you after this.’
‘Oh, thank you,’ cried Lizzie, but she looked at Joseph as she spoke and not at Rainbird.
Alice raised her well-rounded arms to pat the buttery curls under her lace cap. ‘It do seem to me,’ she said slowly, ‘as how Miss Fiona is a most unusual lady.’
‘After this, I would do anything for her,’ said dark and intense Jenny fiercely. ‘
Anything
’.
‘Oh, the dishes I will prepare for them,’ sang MacGregor. ‘The sauces, the jellies, the cakes.’
Mrs Middleton opened the basket and carefully began to arrange the cakes and sandwiches on plates. ‘Of course, I knew she was a real lady as soon as I set eyes on her,’ she said.
Dave stretched out a little hand and took a pink fondant cake ornamented with an iced cherub. ‘Coo’er,’ he said. ‘Don’t it look too pretty to eat!’
‘That’s enough of that,’ said Rainbird, slapping his hand. ‘You wait until your betters have had first choice, young man.’
They slowly resumed their places at table but this time in the correct order. They were real servants again and not an odd sort of family, bound together by poverty.
Lizzie sat at the end of the table next to Jim. She hoped the others would leave her at least one of the cherub cakes.
Upstairs Mr Sinclair was still goggling and exclaiming over the money and
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