her heels up at the end. “I’d love to be there to see his face.”
“You must tell us absolutely everything,” Miss Townsend said.
“Yes, about how far his mouth falls open,” Bobby said. “We have so little entertainment.”
“Shush, Bobby,” Miss Townsend said, but Bobby only guffawed.
I wondered how much Miss Townsend actually knew about what Daniel was doing and why. Daniel trusted her, but his situation was delicate. I would ask him, but for now I concluded he’d told her just enough to recruit her help, which she was eagerly giving.
Because of Daniel’s mission? Or did these ladies have another intent in mind? They were very keen to know what Daniel would think of me.
“You are all very romantic,” I told them severely. “I am assisting Daniel to save him from embarrassment. That is all.”
“Of course,” Cynthia said quickly. She winked at the other two.
I gave up. “I must hasten, or I will be late.”
Daniel had arranged that I would be driven to Waterloo Station, where he would meet me and escort me to Surrey. A hansom pulled to the door, driven by Daniel’s cabbie friend, Lewis. James, dressed in a trim dark suit, waited inside to assist me.
He opened his brown eyes wide as Bobby handed me in. “Love a duck. Is it you, Mrs. H.?”
“It is indeed. No need for such language.” I settled the skirts, pulling a dust blanket over them. I didn’t always bother with the blanket, but I wanted no soot, mud, or horse dung on this beautiful skirt.
The ladies had come outside with me and now waved me good-bye, like three aunties sending me off to my debut. I nodded graciously at their beaming faces as the hansom jerked away.
I busied myself trying to keep the gown clean and holding on to the small beaded reticule Miss Townsend had thrust at me as Lewis drove us out of Mayfair and across the river to the edifice of Waterloo Station. A train there would take us directly to Esher, where Daniel had arranged a coach for the remainder of the journey.
Daniel, in the persona of his upper-class man-about-town, waited languidly in the middle of the entrance hall of the station, turning his hat in his hands. He was the very portrait of a bored young man tired of waiting for his lady.
“At last,” he said as James led me forward. James was to play Daniel’s servant, as a man of Daniel’s status would not roam about without someone to fetch and carry for him. “How are you, my dear?” Daniel kissed my cheek, his lips barely brushing my skin. “Well, hurry up, lad, take that to the compartment.” He gestured to a small portmanteau resting next to him. “We must get a move on.”
James, as good an actor as his father, moved blank faced toward the waiting train on the nearest platform, as though used to being ordered about by impatient gentlemen.
Daniel took my arm and led me onward. “Very fetching,” he said as he eyed my gown. “Astonishing hat. I thought you’d miss the train, darling. You’d have watched me disappearing down the track, the train huffing and puffing, if you had left it any later.”
I definitely preferred the affable man-of-all-work to this jackanapes. I could not say so in the crowd—Daniel’s speeches were for the benefit of anyone listening. No one seemed to pay much attention to us, all hurrying toward their own destinations, but Daniel was cautious.
I was nowhere near late, as the train was not due to leave for another twenty minutes. I clutched Daniel’s arm and tried to look contrite.
“Here we are.” Daniel pulled open a door and helped me up into the train carriage. A first-class compartment once again. My head would be turned by all this luxury. “Mind your skirts, darling. Where is that boy?”
James loped along the corridor and entered the compartment. He heaved the bag to the shelf above and slammed the door, shutting us in to privacy.
“Want me with you, Dad?” James asked it with a tone of one who would rather be elsewhere. The plush luxury of a first-class car filled with two well-dressed adults was likely not what he thought of as excitement.
“Explore as you like, but stay out of trouble.” Daniel gave him a father’s frown. “I do not want the conductor tossing me off the train because you decided to climb on top of it. You have a third-class ticket if you want to take a seat, or you can come back