Laurie Brown (20 page)

“So you are more interested in debunking the séance than in contacting your father? Why? What harm can the gypsy’s little
charade do? If it gives my mother some comfort...”

He’d never believe the whole truth.“Because it’s wrong.” She paraphrased the ghost’s earlier words. “The gypsy is preying
on Honoria’s emotional vulnerability for the sole purpose of monetary gain and deserves to be exposed as a fraud.” Josie realized
she’d moved closer to Dev in her fervor. “Before it’s too late,” she added, stepping back.

Dev raised an eyebrow. “I wonder...” He closed the distance between them and took her cheek in his hand. He rubbed his thumb
over her lips.“Do you bring such passion to everything you do?”

The picnicking guests returned, but neither Dev nor Josie responded to the sounds of revelry filtering through the closed
door as the others entered the foyer and then left to find amusements elsewhere. But the break was enough to bring Josie to
her senses. She stepped away from him.

“If you’re not going to help me, at least promise you won’t give away my intentions. I wouldn’t want the séance canceled because
I...”

“A gentleman never betrays a confidence. Besides which, I have a vested interest in tonight’s event.You have not forgotten
our deal, have you?”

How could she? Not forgotten and not forgiven. However, intuition told her now wasn’t the most advantageous time to confront
him with what he’d done. “Of course, I remember,” she said in a sweet voice.

He gave her a mistrustful look, but his mother’s entrance spoiled any chance for further discussion of that matter. For now.

“Thank goodness. Another disaster averted.”

Honoria stopped short. “Oh, Dev. What are you doing here?”

“I live here. At least occasionally.”

Honoria shook her finger at him. “Don’t be smart with me, young man.”

“Didn’t the footman tell you I awaited you in the library?”

“What footman? Why?”

“Nothing more than that I saw Miss Drummond alone. As host I am responsible for safeguarding her reputation, as are you.”

“I appreciate your concern for our guest,”

Honoria said, taking the slight rebuke with good grace.“I mistakenly assumed everyone else had left the house. In fact, I
thought you went riding.”

“I was just on my way.” He bowed and took his leave, pausing a moment with his back to his mother to wink at Josie and put
his finger over his lips.

Honoria’s thoughtful gaze followed him out the door before she turned to Josie.“My son appears to be very concerned for your
welfare.” She tapped the tip of her index finger on her chin.

Josie wasn’t sure where Honoria was going with that. “He is a considerate host.”

“Yes. Yes, he is.”

Honoria sounded somewhat surprised.

“The other guests have returned,” Josie said to change the subject.

“I suppose that means I should make sure everyone has everything they need in their rooms,” Honoria said. “As much as I love
entertaining, I fear I am getting too old for all this work.” She sighed dramatically. “I would gladly turn the office of
hostess over to a younger woman.” She looked sideways at Josie for a reaction to her statement.

Assuming the other woman was fishing for signs of interest in the position, Josie kept her expression bland.

“Well, my dear,” Honoria continued, her tone disappointed and yet at the same time hopeful.

“Let’s get you safely back to your room so you can rest and then dress.The ball tonight is bound to be most exciting.”

Honoria left Josie at the door to her suite and rushed off to contain another disaster.Apparently a ball gown had been singed
during pressing.

Josie let herself into the suite quietly although it was unlikely Mrs. Binns could have heard the noise of a parade over her
own snoring.The woman sounded like a diesel truck in stop-and-go rush hour traffic.

In her room the drapes had been pulled to block out the late-afternoon sun, but Josie was not tired nor did she think she
could sleep fully clothed. Not being able to undress oneself was inconvenient and aggravating. As she reached to pull open
the heavy velvet window covering, a voice came out of the murky shadows.

“Please leave them closed!”

“Deverell? Why?”

“I have not fully materialized to save energy, and I’m afraid you may find my appearance...disturbing.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, flipping the drapes aside. She had expected a transparent image, but instead his head and
hands seemed to float in midair. She instantly turned away, swallowed, and composed her expression as she busied herself opening
the other half.“There we are.” She turned to face him and crossed her arms. “Well, I can’t exactly say you’re looking well.”

“What happened in the library?” he asked, getting right to the point. “I know Dev was there. It had to be his presence that
knocked me clear to the dining room.”

Josie related the incident with Hargrave.

“Good for Dev,” the ghost said. “Although I would have taken a punch or two at the bounder.”

“Which would have served no purpose.”

“Would have made me feel better.” He grinned.

“Fine.” She changed the subject and told him about the library chair and Dev’s agreement not to rat her out.

“And what did that cost you?”

“Nothing. Why do you have such a negative opinion of Dev? He’s not that bad.”

“Ha! You forget I know him better than anyone.”

But he had not been there when she’d looked deep into Dev’s eyes, or when he’d touched her cheek so tenderly.

“But that’s not important,” Deverell said.

“You’ve set the traps, and by midnight we should know how the gypsy does it.”

A twinge of regret surfaced unbidden.

“We could be home for breakfast,” he said.

She turned away from the sight of his disembodied hands rubbing together. Even though she had no intention of meeting Dev
in the garden, even though she knew they had no future together, the thought of never seeing him again left a gaping emptiness
inside her.

“What’s wrong?”

She didn’t want him to see the tears in her eyes.

“Nothing.” Fortunately her voice did not betray her emotions.

“Then why are you showing me your back?

Thinking fast, she reached behind and untied her ribbon sash. Then she lifted her dress over her head and tossed it on the
nearby chair. She still wore several layers of underclothing.“I need you to undo my stays so I can take a nap.”

“You’re joking.”

The few moments’ respite and his shocked tone restored her equilibrium. She peeked over her shoulder at him. “Surely you remember
how to undo a woman’s corset.”

Deverell raised his chin. “A gentleman does not brag of his amorous experience.”

Josie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Just untie this thing so I don’t have to call Dora.”

He did, although he took longer to complete the task than the maid ever had. Did his hands tremble, or was that simply an
effect caused by the partial materialization?

Josie held the corset in place until she retired behind the screen, where she stripped down to her chemise and donned the
blue brocade dressing gown.When she returned to the main part of the room, the ghost had disappeared.

Knowing it would be a late night, and with nothing else to occupy her for the next couple of hours, she decided she would
try to nap. She closed the drapes and crawled beneath the covers. Unexpectedly, she fell asleep almost immediately.

Deverell sat on the edge of her bed. Even totally dematerialized he still retained a sense of himself.

As if to prove it, he ran his hand through his hair.

Although he leaned back against the headboard, he would not totally relax until he returned Josie to her time.When had watching
over her become as important as his assigned task?

Deverell placed a kiss on her forehead. He denied his feelings for her as anything other than duty. She was his responsibility
and nothing more.

After all, he was old enough to be her father, several times over.

He lifted a lock of her hair, his gut constricting when it curled around his finger, as easily and as unconsciously as she
had curled around his heart.

Although anxious to have this adventure safely done, he knew that once it was completed he would never see her again.The double-edged
sword cut to the bone no matter which way it sliced.

Exhaustion was his persistent companion and constant worry. He stretched out next to her, not touching her, but close enough
to inhale her scent.

Propping his elbow on the edge of her pillow, he rested his head in his hand.And closed his eyes. Just for a moment.

When a scratching on the door woke him, he was astounded to learn that not only was he fully materialized, but he also held
Josie in his arms, her head resting on his chest. Even if the maid couldn’t see him, it would appear very strange for Josie’s
head to be resting several inches above the bed. Horrified at the thought of being caught, he quickly dematerialized and moved
away.

Josie woke with a start from a nightmare of falling.

“Miss Drummond?” Dora called in a soft voice as she lit the lamps with her taper. “Time to get dressed for the ball.”

Josie sat up. “I’m awake. You sound much improved.” She stood and stretched. “Your face looks much better, too.”

Dora brought in a tray with coffee service.“Mrs.

Binns’s poultice really did work wonders. And Sadie lent me a bit of her precious face powder to lighten the bruising.”

“I’m glad you’re better. Is Mrs. Binns awake?”

Josie sipped her coffee, hoping the caffeine would help clear the persistent dream that continued to haunt her. Not the nightmare
of falling that woke her, but the prior one that had both Dev and Deverell in it, together, separate and yet one and the same.

Dora bustled around the room, straightening the bedcovers and laying out fresh undergarments and silk stockings. “Yes, Mrs.
Binns is awake. Nadine is doing her hair. Once you are dressed except for your gown,you’ll have a bit of supper in the sitting
room.”

Josie donned her silk stockings and tied them in place with ribbon garters.The dancing shoes were thin leather slippers so
supple it didn’t matter that there was no right or left. More ribbons fastened them on her feet.

Dora combed Josie’s hair and lightly dusted her face with rice powder. Josie declined the use of the red papers that were
the forerunners of blusher, a cosmetic she had never needed thanks to natural and all-too-frequent blushing of her own. Dora
also offered to darken Josie’s lashes with kohl, but since neither woman knew what it was really made of, she declined that
too.

“Do I hear an orchestra?” she asked the maid.

After days without a radio, her iPod, or even elevator music, the sounds seemed so strange.

“The Countess LaFoyn insisted the band play during dinner.” Dora made a face when she said Estelle’s name. “How’s a body supposed
to listen to music and converse politely and eat all at the same time?”

“I don’t know,” Josie agreed, hiding a smile.

Wouldn’t Dora be shocked to learn that in the future lots of people worked and played with earphones constantly pumping out
their favorite tunes?

With Dora’s efficient help, Josie was quickly ready except for her gown.Wrapped in her dressing gown, she joined Mrs. Binns
for supper.

“Ah, yes, just as I requested,” Mrs. Binns said as they sat down to the makeshift dining table.

“Cream of potato soup, bread, and rice pudding.”

“Yum,” Josie said, but wasn’t able to inject any enthusiasm into her voice.

“Don’t complain.There is nothing here to cause indigestion, gas, or bad breath. You’ll thank me later.”

“If not now,” she mumbled under her breath.

“I’ve also prepared a special tea. Mint Party Brew I call it. A little tonic to start the evening.”

Josie sniffed the cup containing a strong infusion with a slightly green tinge.“What’s in it?”

“In addition to my favorite blend of leaves, I’ve added mint, Saint-John’s-wort, and a pinch or two of several secret ingredients
to put us in a party mood.”

Josie set the cup aside. She’d read that the use of opiates, sometimes unknowingly, was rampant in the Regency, and she was
afraid to try any secret ingredients. As she ate her bland soup, Mrs. Binns went down a litany of dos and don’ts. Mostly don’ts.

“Don’t dance more than two sets with any one gentleman; it would show you favored him.”

Josie would have reminded her chaperone that she had no intention of dancing, but by the time she swallowed the bit of plain
bread, Mrs. Binns had moved on.

“Don’t leave the ballroom with a gentleman.

You can step out on the terrace, but only if you stay in the area lit by the ballroom windows.

“Don’t sit down unless your feet are in excruciating pain.You don’t want to put lap wrinkles in your dress. Plus, a gentleman
is more likely to ask a standing woman to dance.

“Don’t drink any alcoholic beverages.We don’t want you stumbling around the dance floor.There will be orgeat or lemonade for
the ladies...”

“What the hell is
ohr-zhat
?”

“And don’t curse. I can’t believe you don’t have orgeat in the colonies. It’s a sweet almond syrup with a little orange water
added that’s used to make a somewhat palatable milky punch. My advice?

Stay with the lemonade.”

That Josie would definitely remember.

“There probably won’t be a receiving line or majordomo to announce entrances because at a country ball most of the attendees
are already known to the other guests. Don’t speak to any man until you have been formally introduced. And by that I mean
by someone you know and trust not to make your acquaintance to someone unworthy or unprincipled. Unknown gentlemen introducing
each other is not acceptable.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed your tendency to remove your gloves and bonnet.You won’t have a hat tonight...”

Josie breathed a sigh of relief.

“But do not remove your gloves for any reason.”