Free An Accidental Seduction by Lois Greiman Page A

say aught of London?”
    “I but assumed.”
    She lifted her skirts in a regal hand and turned away. “Do not assume, Gregors.”
    “I’ve no wish to pry, my lady—”
    “Then you should definitely refrain from doing that as well,” she advised.
    “But I feel it my duty to inform Mr. Gallagher where he will be taking you so as to prepare him for his days ahead.”
    “If you must know, I feel a need to do a bit of shopping. Therefore I will be traveling to Darlington.”
    “Darlington, my lady?” He raised his brows half acentimeter. It was the equivalent of an open-mouthed stare in another. “To shop?”
    She glared at him, though she knew her mistake. Darlington was not exactly known as a shopping mecca, but she had stuck her toe in the ground and she would remain there.
    “As butler here you should already be aware that Knollcrest’s larders are low on sugar.”
    He continued to stare.
    She executed a delicate shudder. “Only a barbarian or a Celt would drink tea without sugar.”
    Still no expression, though she’d aimed the barb directly at his ancestry. Perhaps he wasn’t Scottish after all. “Therefore…” she said, sounding vastly peeved. “I shall be traveling to Darlington to retrieve the necessary provisions.”
    He gave her the slightest inclination of his head. “As you will, of course, my lady, but surely Clare could make the—”
    “Clare,” she began, “is the one who has failed to fill the larders adequately up till this point. I see no reason to believe she will improve her performance today. Thus I will be leaving within the hour.” She turned again.
    “As you will, my lady.”
    “And the Irishman will remain at Knollcrest.”
    “Your pardon, my lady?”
    She didn’t deign to glance at him. “If you are hard ofhearing, Gregors, perhaps you could find a replacement with sharper senses,” she said, and glided back up the stairs.
    “If only I were entirely deaf,” he said.
    She pivoted toward him, sure she’d heard wrong. “What say you?”
    “He is the only one left,” Gregors said. “Since Mr. Underhill’s injury.”
    He was mocking her. She was sure of it, and though some traitorous part of her was tempted to laugh, she managed to say, “I’m certain you’ll find someone,” in a voice cold enough to freeze blood.
    “May I inquire why you wish for Mr. Gallagher to remain behind?”
    She studied him as if he were a descendent of some despicable insect. “If you must know, I do not entirely trust him.” That much was true. It was also true that she didn’t entirely trust herself. And how unlikely was that? “What of James?” She had seen the aging shepherd meandering through the flocks on more than one occasion. He was short and red-faced and not the least appealing. James would be perfect.
    “His wife has begun her lying in.”
    “He’s got a wife?”
    He didn’t tell her she was acting the idiot, but she was quite sure he thought it. “Yes, my lady. Hence the lying in.”
    “And she’s giving birth?”
    “I can think of no other reason for her confinement.”
    “Well…” She made an impatient gesture with one hand, but she was losing her haughty edge. Childbirth was not something with which she was entirely comfortable. Drina was Dook Natsia’s midwife, and none usurped her authority. Nor had Savaana ever wished to. She was quite certain Lady Tilmont would feel the same. “That cannot take all day, surely.”
    For a moment she thought Gregors might actually laugh at her foolishness. In fact, it was a mystery to her how he could refrain. “I’m afraid it has been known to do just that, my lady.”
    She lowered her brows. “Very well, then, what of his eldest lad?”
    “Enos…?” He didn’t so much as raise a brow. “…has yet to reach his ninth birthday.”
    “Emily?”
    “Afraid of horses.”
    “Cook.”
    He gave her a single blink that spoke volumes. Good God, this man should be a mime. He could make a small fortune on the streets of