Courting Miss Vallois. Gail Whitiker

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СКАЧАТЬ words fell into a strained silence and Sophie wondered at the look that passed between the two Englishmen. But, more concerned with her own plight, she turned to her brother and said, ‘It seems we must look for alternate accommodations, Antoine. Rooms have not been reserved for us and the inn is full.’

      His surprise was as great as her own. ‘Did you not show the man the letter?’

      ‘There wasn’t any point. He said there were no rooms available.’

      ‘Then you will take mine,’ Mr Silverton said at once. ‘It is not large, but it has two beds and is relatively quiet. I shall make myself comfortable in the bar.’

      ‘Oh, no,’ Sophie said quickly. ‘We couldn’t possibly—’

      ‘Thank you, Mr Silverton,’ Antoine cut in. ‘My sister has had a long day and is anxious to look her best on the morrow. We are most grateful for your offer.’

      Sophie’s mouth dropped open. They were grateful for his offer? Since when had they resorted to accepting help from strangers? Especially from a man who hadn’t even wanted to shake her brother’s hand!

      ‘Ce n’est pas une bonne idée, Antoine,’ she whispered urgently. ‘Nous serons mieux lotis dans la grange avec les chevaux!’

      It was an indication of how distraught Sophie was that she allowed herself to fall back into French. Before leaving Paris, she and Antoine had agreed to speak English whenever they found themselves in the company of others. And while sleeping in the barn with the horses was not what she wished to do, it was far preferable to putting herself in a position of debt to this man. She had learned that offers of kindness always came with terms—and that payment was never negotiable.

      Unfortunately, Mr Silverton obviously thought it a fait accompli. ‘The room is at the top of the stairs, second on the left. If you will give me a moment, I shall remove my things and then return to give you the key. Oberon, may I store my valise in your room?’

      ‘If you must, but don’t think to spend the night. I have only the one bed and I certainly don’t intend sharing it with you.’

      Mr Silverton’s voice was heavy with sarcasm. ‘Rest assured, the thought never entered my mind. I’ll see you at dinner.’

      ‘Fine. All this high drama has left me with an appetite. In fact …’ Mr Oberon glanced at Sophie, his gaze skimming over her with a thoroughness she found insulting. ‘Perhaps you would care to join us, mademoiselle? The innkeeper has assured us of a decent meal in his private dining room and I can assure you, it will be far preferable to sitting cheek to jowl with the riff-raff out here.’

      Resisting the urge to tell him the riff-raff would be in the private dining room, Sophie said, ‘Thank you, but, no. My brother and I will be fine out here.’

      ‘Very well. Then I bid you a good evening. And may I say that it has been … a pleasure.’

      His eyes said everything his words did not and as he turned and walked away Sophie felt her face burn with humiliation. If such was a display of upper-crust English manners—

      ‘You must forgive Oberon’s lack of tact,’ Mr Silverton said drily. ‘He tends to speak before he thinks.’

      ‘You owe us no apology, sir,’ Antoine replied stiffly. ‘Your conduct more than made up for his.’

      Mr Silverton bowed. ‘I would not wish you to think English chivalry dead.’ His glance rested on Sophie for the briefest of moments before he touched the brim of his beaver and walked towards the narrow staircase.

      Sophie followed him with her eyes, not at all pleased with the events of the past half-hour. ‘You should not have accepted his offer, Antoine. We know nothing about him.’

      ‘Nevertheless, I wasn’t about to see you spend your first night in England sleeping in a barn.’

      ‘Better that than finding ourselves beholden to a man who clearly doesn’t like us.’

      ‘I don’t care if he likes us,’ Antoine said. ‘All that matters is that you have a proper bed in which to sleep and hot water in which to bathe. Lord Longworth wasn’t able to provide that for you so I wasn’t about to turn Mr Silverton down when he did. Besides, I doubt the loss of one night’s sleep is going to trouble him unduly.’

      Of course it wasn’t. Mr Silverton was clearly a man of means, Sophie told herself. If he slept poorly in the bar tonight, he would simply go home and sleep it off tomorrow, no doubt in the comfort of a very fine house with his wife and servants to attend him. He certainly wouldn’t be thinking about her. She was just one more person he’d met along the way.

      And that’s all he was to her. One more anonymous face in the crowd. She knew nothing about his life, so what did it matter if he thought her ill mannered for having refused his offer of help? Thanks to him, she would be clean and well rested when she arrived in London for her reunion with Nicholas tomorrow. Surely that was more important than worrying about what kind of impression she’d made on a man she was never going to see again.

       Chapter Two

      ‘So, who do you think she was?’ Montague Oberon enquired between bites of underdone potato and overcooked beef.

      Robert Silverton didn’t look up from his plate of steak-and-kidney pie, hoping his apparent preoccupation with his meal would discourage Oberon from continuing to talk about her. ‘Why would you not think she was his sister?’

      ‘Because you heard what he said about it being important she look her best tomorrow.’

      ‘Perhaps she is meeting with a prospective employer. Or a long-lost relation.’

      ‘Or her new protector. You know what they say about French women.’

      ‘I know what you say about French women,” Robert said, reaching for the salt cellar. “But I fear they are not all whores, strumpets or ballet dancers.’

      ‘Pity.’ Oberon took a piece of bread, his brow furrowing. ‘I suppose she could have been his mistress. There seemed to be a deal of affection between them, and God knows, I’ve never looked at my sister that way.’

      ‘Why would you? You’ve told me countless times that you despise Elaine.’

      ‘Of course. You would too if she were your sister. But I’ve never seen you look at Jane that way and the two of you are very close.’

      ‘You’re imagining things.’ Finishing his meal, Robert picked up his glass. ‘There were marked similarities in their appearance. The slenderness of the nose, the firm line of the jaw, the shape of the eyes.’ The seductive curve of the lady’s mouth. Oh, yes, he’d noticed that. And he’d stared at it far too many times during their brief conversation … ‘I have no doubt they were related. But I could ask the gentleman on your behalf and leave you to the consequences.’

      The viscount’s son nearly choked. ‘And find myself on the other end of a Frenchie’s blade? No, thank you. I haven’t your skill with the foil.’

      ‘You СКАЧАТЬ