The Girl is Not For Christmas - Emma V Leech Page 0,32
how badly Livvy needed the help. If she couldn’t get a man like Kingston to make love to her, she was hardly going to incite enough passion in a decent fellow to propose marriage.
With a final glance up and down the corridor, Livvy rapped smartly on the door. It was opened a moment later by Mr Walsh. Ah. Foolish of her not to have expected that. Deciding it better to brazen it out—Walsh must be privy to much of his master’s goings on—she put up her chin and looked him in the eye.
To his credit, she saw only a momentary glimmer of shock in his eyes before he rallied.
“Might I speak to Lord Kingston, Mr Walsh?”
“I’m afraid his lordship is not here at present, Miss Penrose. I believe he has taken a walk to the beach to… blow the cobwebs away.”
“Oh, has he still the headache?”
The valet nodded, but something in his expression led Livvy to believe it wasn’t the headache that bothered him.
“Is he still suffering many ill effects from his drinking?”
Walsh seemed to debate a moment on how to reply before taking a step closer and lowering his voice. “He’s trying hard to shake off his demons, Miss, but it’s been a difficult year for him, and—”
“You worry for him,” Livvy said.
Walsh nodded, and Livvy found herself pleased to discover a sensible man like Walsh worried for his employer. From what she had seen, the valet was hard-working, conscientious, and polite to everybody. If a man like that stayed, and even worried over his master, there had to be a reason for it. Kingston must have some finer qualities. Well, she knew he had. He’d not taken the easy route and married the poor child his father had selected for him. That spoke of a man with a conscience. She had always suspected the scandal sheets exaggerated but… to what extent? Was he not the wicked seducer he was purported to be?
“He’s not the devil you might think him, Miss,” Walsh said, echoing her thoughts. “Oh, that’s not to say he don’t deserve his reputation, for that would be a lie, but… but I reckon he’d reform, given a reason to do so.”
Livvy frowned, an uncomfortable sensation of alarm crawling up her spine. There was a hopeful note to those words that made her believe…. “Mr Walsh, I do hope you are not labouring under the misapprehension that I wish reform him?”
Walsh shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “No, Miss. Truth be told, I ain’t, but a fellow can hope, all the same. A fine strong-minded woman like you could handle King, I reckon, and there aren’t many I’ve met I can say that about, though there’s plenty willing to give it a go.”
“But I have no desire to handle him,” Livvy retorted. A flush rose over her skin as her words produced a rather vivid illustration in her mind of her hands literally upon the earl’s person. Her breath snagged in her throat.
“No, of course not, Miss. I beg you to forgive me for speaking out of turn. I forgot myself.”
Despite the apparent sincerity of his words, a knowing look gleamed in the valet’s eyes for a moment before he bowed his head with every appearance of contrition. Livvy wasn’t the least bit convinced.
“Yes, Mr Walsh, I believe you did. I beg you will not indulge in such foolishness again.”
Whilst employing the obey or suffer the consequences voice she had perfected on the children was a little unfair, Livvy was thoroughly rattled and rather thought he deserved it. Seducing King was one thing. Marrying the man? Oh, dear heaven, no. She stalked back down the corridor and went in search of her pelisse. She might not want to marry the earl—good Lord, what an idea—but she still needed his invaluable assistance. She must at the very least learn to flirt a little to get the attention of someone she did wish to marry. Well, perhaps wish to marry was putting a rosy tint to it, bear to marry might be closer to reality. She may as well lower her expectations now, though how much lower they could reasonably get without sending her into a hysterical fit, she wasn’t sure. Besides which if she was committed to marrying some old, broken down or unattractive fellow as seemed her only option, this might be her only chance to kiss a man who… who made her feel something. Whatever else Lord Kingston was, he was handsome and young and virile and despite her