Captain Durant's Countess - By Maggie Robinson Page 0,58
as possible, which would be easy as he had no real knowledge of the junk upstairs.
The door to Maris’s suite was open. Her maid Betsy was standing rather nervously at the entrance as though she was preventing their unwanted guest from leaving.
“There you are, my lady. I told Mr. Kelby you’d be right down and there was no need to go upstairs.”
David Kelby did not look as if he meant to go anywhere anytime soon. He was sprawled out on a striped pink wing chair and took his own sweet time standing as the countess entered the room. “Aunt Maris, I had begun to despair of ever seeing your fair face again. Whatever took you so long?”
Reyn wished his clear lenses weren’t so smudged, though he could see Kelby well enough. The man bore an uncanny resemblance to his uncle, same angular build, dark eyes and hawkish nose. His hair was auburn rather than silver, though his temples were dusted with gray.
It was his voice that set Reyn’s teeth on edge. It was deceptively mellow, yet Reyn could hear the barb behind the words. In an instant, the bumbling professor disappeared and he straightened up. “I’m afraid I don’t have time to entertain your guests, Lady Kelby. I answer only to Lord Kelby. What do you want to speak to me about?”
Perhaps he’d overdone it. David Kelby’s face suffused with color. “Good Lord, Maris. The man is a rude savage. Where did Uncle Henry dig him up?”
“He has impeccable credentials. Captain Durant, may I present my husband’s nephew, David Kelby. As my husband’s heir, he believes he has a right to stick his nose in where it doesn’t belong.”
“Come now, Maris. You didn’t mind me sticking my . . . nose in before.”
Maris stiffened at Reyn’s side.
Holy hell. Reyn balled his fists, his mind racing at Kelby’s blatant implication. But as ordinary hired help, he was meant not to know anything about Lady Kelby. He’d be a fool to defend her honor.
When she might not have any.
No. Maris Kelby was not a loose woman. Reyn would swear to that on a stack of Bibles he couldn’t read.
What had transpired between them? Nothing good, he was sure. A few seconds in Kelby’s presence and Reyn yearned to knock the man down. The man was . . . oily, even if he was handsome. Reyn supposed some women might be persuaded by such charm, but he couldn’t imagine Maris falling for it.
“I’m very busy, Kelby. While your concern for your uncle is admirable, I assure you I’m not going to make off with the family silver. My interest is purely academic. When the inventory is complete, perhaps the countess will share it with you. If that’s all, my lady, I’ll go back upstairs while there is still enough light to do my work.”
“Not so fast, Durant. Captain, is it? How did you find time to study ancient history while you were in the army?”
“I was not born in boots. I went to school, of course.” Please don’t ask me how many.
“Cambridge or Oxford?”
“Neither.” Reyn made it sound like neither institution was worthy of him, not that either place would have enrolled him. “I was privately tutored.” His Majesty had provided him with a Grand Tour of some of the best sites in Europe.
“Do you share my uncle’s mania for Etruscan artifacts?”
“That is not my area of expertise.” Please don’t ask me what is.
“David,” Maris said impatiently, “Captain Durant came highly recommended. Henry is satisfied with his honesty and integrity. His employment is really none of your business.”
“My uncle is an old man, Maris. I won’t have him taken advantage of. Who knows what the man is really doing up there?”
“You don’t give a fig for Henry! If you did, you wouldn’t come to Kelby Hall.” Maris was about as indignant as she’d been when she’d found Reyn at the Reining Monarchs. Anger suited her, brought color to her cheeks and a flash to her eyes.
“You cannot keep blaming me for Jane. I never made her any promises. Not once.”
Reyn felt like he was an unwilling actor in a play. The conversation was far too personal and charged to be overheard by the stranger he was supposed to be. “If that is all, Lady Kelby. You two may discuss your family business in private.”
“There is no family business to discuss. I want you to leave now, David. You’ve seen what you’ve come to see.”