Escaping Notice (33 page)

“Yes.” Unaccountably, her sense of excitement faded abruptly.
She held out her hand and accepted the necklace. The stones felt
cold and hard against her palm. “Thank you.”

“You need not be so glad to get them back,” he said in a gently
mocking tone. “You make me believe you are anxious to leave.”

“No, I ….” She stopped, but when he chuckled, she smiled in
response. “I'm sorry. I suppose I don’t sound properly grateful.
But I am almost disappointed to get it back.”

“That hardly seems reasonable, considering the lengths to which
you have gone to find it.”

“Then you are seeing me as I truly am. May I introduce you to
the silly and terribly impractical Miss Helen Archer?”

His eyebrows rose. “Appearances do seem to be our banes, don’t
they? I am considered too dull to be marriageable, despite my more
notable assets.” He waved his hand indicating Ormsby and the wealth
it represented. “And I came to a series of conclusions, also based
upon appearances. One would think one would learn.” His gaze grew
serious as he searched her face. “And yet you, despite your efforts
to present the face of fashionable beauty, are the one most able to
see past the surface. You knew my aunt was innocent. And in fact,
you were apparently able to see beyond her scathing tongue and
uncertain temper to understand the sadness beneath.”

She blushed and shook her head, “No, you grant me too much
wisdom.”

“And,” he continued relentlessly as if she had never spoken.
“You recognized that Edward needed love and guidance, not a berth
on a naval vessel —
a
t least not at this
stage.”

“Anyone could see that. He is far too young.”

“And I am curious to know what you see beneath this bland,
boring exterior? Just more blandness?”

“I happen to admire blandness,” she replied hurriedly, blood
rushing from her heart to her cheeks.

He groaned and shook his head. “That is not the response I
desired. It appears Miss Peyton was correct. Society can forgive
anyone except a bore.”

“How can you possibly say such a thing? You are not boring. Look
at what you have done over the past few weeks! You have survived a
shipwreck, impersonated an inquiry agent and resolved a mystery.
You are kind and brilliant.” She smiled and gestured at the
floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. “And you obviously love to read. Such
a man cannot be considered a bore, unless one does not have the
mind to appreciate brilliance in others.” She laughed at the
sheepish grin on his face. “If one is quite ignorant, it is always
difficult to admire those who are not.”

“Bravo, Helen. You have managed to find the positive again.”

Helen cast a brief glance at his face, aware that their
conversation was rapidly coming to a close. Her heart sank. Within
a few minutes, matters would turn to her inevitable departure.

“So,” she said, the necklace heavy in her hands. “We now all
have what we sought.”

“Do we?”

“Do we not?”

“I cannot say that I have what I want.”

“And I am truly sorry about your brother. I wish he would come
walking through the front door.”

“We all do, most especially my aunt. But that is not what I want
now.”

“I — I don't understand.”

“I need someone who can help me see beyond mere appearances, see
into the heart of the matter. And into my heart, in particular.”
With that, he reached forward and eased a large hand behind her
neck. He cradled her head and drew her forward until his lips were
mere inches from hers.

Helen held her breath. Then with a sudden, fierce emotion, she
grasped his lapel and pressed her lips against his. He felt warm
against her, the scent of his skin, laced with soap, surrounding
her.

When he finally pulled back, she did not release her grip on his
coat. She stared into his eyes, overwhelmed by a sense of loss.

“Don’t let me go.” The words burst from her. Her hand covered
her mouth.

For one moment, he looked as startled as she felt. She pulled
further back in her seat, searching for any tattered, wispy shreds
of dignity she could find.

“Let you go?” he repeated. “As in terminate your employment
here?”

“Idiot!” His aunt exclaimed quite audibly from a few yards
away.

When Helen and Hugh turned to eye her, she opened the volume in
her hands and pretended to be engrossed in the contents.

“No,” Helen said. If he could kiss her and yet remain so
oblivious to her feelings, then she was not going to enlighten him
further. “Never mind. I spoke without thinking.”

His eyes twinkled. “Very well. May I ask you something before
you leave?”

“For Heaven's sake, just ask her, will you?” Miss Leigh
interjected, slamming her book shut. “You are an earl! There is no
reason for you to ask permission to say anything you wish!”

Helen blushed and shrank further back into her chair, wishing
she were elsewhere. “Perhaps I should go. I'm sure Edward must be
awake. I should go and see how he is feeling.”

“Of course.” Hugh stood and held his hand out to her. “Allow me
to escort you.”

“Coward.” Miss Leigh eyed both of them with grim
disapproval.

Helen cringed with embarrassment.

Pulling her hand through the crook of his arm, Hugh gave his
aunt a smile and firmly guided Helen toward the doorway. Once
outside the library, he chuckled.

“Now, Miss Helen Archer, will you marry me?”

“I ….” She could not catch her breath. “I —” She stopped a
second time as they reached the stairway. She laughed. “You are too
late. Someone else has already asked me to marry him.”

Hugh tripped and caught hold of the railing. His face turned red
and then ashen, before his mouth thinned to a grim line.

Before he could comment, Helen continued, “Of course it will be
a few years, at least until Edward is fourteen. Or perhaps fifteen.
He was not precisely sure when he would gain his captaincy.” She
gazed up at Hugh and batted her eyelashes. “You don’t think it will
be much longer than that, do you? I am not sure I could wait if it
is longer.”

“I believe it will be much longer,” he replied gravely. “In
fact, I don’t recommend waiting, not at your advanced age. If I
were you, I would marry immediately.”

“Edward is too young.”

“Then you will have to make do with me.”

“I don’t know if I can. He will be so disappointed. I could not
bear the thought of doing permanent damage to his spirit.”

They arrived at the door to Edward's room, and Hugh gave a sharp
rap.

“Come in,” a weak voice called.

Pressing Hugh's arm, Helen caught his gaze. He smiled
encouragingly before throwing open the door.

“Well, lad, you've a lot to answer for. Miss Helen said you are
trying to cut me out by stealing her affections, you cad.”

Edward stared at him, face pale. “I — is that you Mr.
Caswell?”

“Mr. Caswell has much to answer for, too,” Helen said, moving to
the bed and placing a hand on Edward's thin shoulder. “He has
fooled both of us, so he can hardly complain if I chose to give my
affection to another who has been much more honest with me.”

“I — I,” Edward stuttered, eyeing Helen.

“He has been pretending to be an inquiry agent.” She paused for
dramatic emphasis. “But he is actually the earl, the Earl of
Monnow!”

“The earl?” Edward stammered.

“And he wants me to marry him! Can you imagine?”

“You — maybe you'd better!” He gulped. His huge, round eyes were
fixed on Hugh's face.

“But Edward, do you not love me anymore?”

“He's cruel!” Edward exclaimed. “The aunts said so! He'll lock
you in your room and beat you until you do what he says!”

Helen almost laughed, until she saw he was perfectly serious and
scared to death. He had believed his aunts, who had clearly used
the earl as a sort of evil troll to scare the boy into
obedience.

If there had ever been any charity in her heart for Miss Elvira
and Miss Esther Leigh, it vanished like a gold piece dropped in the
street.

“I can assure you —” Hugh began before Helen stopped him.

“Edward, after all the time you have spent with Mr. Caswell, the
earl, you cannot honestly believe that! Why, he saved your
life.”

“He was pretending,” Edward replied sullenly.

“I am not that good an actor,” Hugh said. “And I cannot remember
the last time I had to lock someone in his room.”

“So I suppose you're going to send me back to the aunts and
marry Miss Helen,” Edward said. His chin trembled. His fingers
plucked at the heavy bandages covering his broken arm. He looked
lost and hopeless in the vast, icy-white expanse of the large
bed.

“I will make a deal with you, Edward,” Hugh said. “I will let
you stay here on one condition: you let me marry Miss Helen.”

The boy blinked and eyed first Hugh and then Helen with evident
uncertainty. “You — you promise not to lock me in my room?”

Hugh sighed. “You drive a very hard bargain, lad.”

With the amazing resiliency of youth, Edward sat up straighter,
his eyes brightening. “And I want a boat!”

“A boat?” Hugh asked, startled.

“If you're going to marry Miss Helen, I want suitable ….” His
tongue peeped out of the corner of his mouth as he clearly searched
for the appropriate word. “Recompense.”

“I have already agreed to allow you to stay here. And not lock
you in your room.”

Edward nodded. “And a boat.”

“If your intention is to join the navy, I don’t see why you need
a boat —”

“I'm releasing Miss Helen from our agreement,” Edward reminded
him. “And you must let me have a frog.”

“A
frog
?”

Holding Hugh's hand, Helen leaned against him and whispered into
his ear. “Do let him have the boat. And frog, although I should
think a puppy, well …. It is the least you can do. After all, he is
graciously
giving me my freedom. And you did, after all,
make him polish all those shoes.”

Shaking his head, Hugh straightened and threw a heavy arm around
Helen's shoulders. “I can see I have been outmaneuvered.”

Then he held out a hand and gravely shook Edward's hand.

“Agreed,” Edward said. “And I would like a puppy.
And
a
frog.”

The two men looked at Helen.

She smiled, content for the first time in weeks.

As usual, her uncle’s terrible schemes had come to a better
conclusion than anyone could expect and the Peckham necklace seemed
far less cursed than expected.

“Agreed,” Helen said. “Although I am beginning to realize I
should not have let either of you off quite so lightly. If Edward
is to get a boat, then I want —”

The earl, obviously unwilling to entertain more demands, pulled
her into his arms and kissed her.

Edward laughed and unable to clap, snapped his fingers. “Bravo,
my lord! Bravo!”

THE END

The
Archer Family series
are traditional Regency romances spiced with a
mystery, and
The Earl’s Masquerade
is the latest in the series. The books all offer
at least a glimpse of John Archer, the instigator of many a fateful
adventure. He can’t seem to keep from dragging his nieces, nephews,
and other unfortunate relatives, with him on escapades that
invariably uncover a murder or two. Thankfully, Mr. Knighton Gaunt,
of the Second Sons Inquiry Agency is often on hand to help the
Archers out of the worst of their troubles, when he’s allowed to do
so.

While these books do not
need to be read in order, the list below presents them in the most
felicitous, chronological order to gain a true understanding of the
mischief John Archer can create amongst his young, unattached
family members.

The
Necklace
~
A
young woman, a scoundrel, and a family heirloom that might possibly
be cursed.

The Necklace
introduces John Archer and his exasperated niece,
Oriana Archer, who is fed up trying to keep her uncle out of
trouble. When Uncle John drags home yet another disreputable,
wounded associate for her to nurse, she’s at her wit’s end. But
there’s no rest for the weary, and Oriana soon discovers another of
her uncle’s acquaintances, murdered in a way that points suspicion
directly at her!

The Unwanted Heiress
~
An American heiress nobody wants;
a duke every woman desires; and a murder no one expects.

In
The Unwanted Heiress,
Nathaniel
Archer, Oriana’s brother, no sooner inherits a dukedom than he’s
accused of murder. And his Uncle John’s schemes don’t help. Uncle
John is the guardian to an American heiress he’s anxious to unload
on the first, unwary, English peer, and Nathaniel looks as good as
any, despite the shadow of a noose hanging above his
head.

But Nathaniel is made of
sterner stuff, or so he thinks, and he’s got more to worry about
than romancing a singularly unromantic heiress when a dead
debutante is found in his carriage.

The Bricklayer’s Helper
~
A masquerade turns deadly when a
murderer discovers one of his victims survived.

The Bricklayer’s
Helper
features Sarah Sanderson, an
orphaned girl disguised as a man and working as a bricklayer. She’s
the sole surviving member of her family, murdered thirteen years
ago in a terrible fire. She may, or may not, be the niece of John
Archer, and John is determined to bring her back into the family by
hiring one of the newest agents at the
Second
Sons Inquiry Agency.
Unfortunately, when the killer realizes Sarah escaped, her life is
threatened despite the efforts of the attractive inquiry agent and
her matchmaking uncle.