Married to the Rogue (Season of Scandal #3) - Mary Lancaster Page 0,58
you shouting about now?” she demanded. “Don’t want you here when the law comes nosing around.”
“I know that. Bring my cousin some tea and whatever you have that’s edible. In fact, fetch Joshua some, too, he’s always starving.”
“I ate his breakfast,” Deborah confessed while the old woman left muttering something that sounded like, “Cousin, my foot!”
Rupert grinned. “Left yourself open to that one.”
“And worse,” she said ruefully. “You’d think one major scandal in a month would be enough for anyone, but I seem to keep creating more.”
“Never mind. Christopher will see the funny side. I hope.”
“Please tell me that Joshua brought me the long way to preserve secrecy and that there is a quicker way back to Gosmere.”
“Not much quicker, I’m afraid.”
“The mare will be exhausted. Do you think if I give her an hour’s rest, she will be fit to carry me home?”
“No. Besides, I can’t take you just now or spare anyone else.”
“I don’t need you to take me,” she said with dignity, “just give me directions.”
“Don’t be silly. You can’t go yourself. Christopher would string me up. Besides, you won’t get home before nightfall. You’d better stay here. Not where I’d choose for you, but all we can do.”
“What about Branwell?” she asked, brightening.
“You could get there in an hour. And from there, you could probably hire a chaise back to Gosmere, only I can’t take you there now either! We have to shake the excisemen.”
“What excisemen?” she asked, trying to keep up with the changing subjects.
“The ones who’re watching the ship for me to return. They searched it and found nothing, but someone’s told them I’m the captain, and I’m still wanted for murder, so they’re waiting for me to try and get aboard to capture me. They probably mean to persuade me to tell them about our free trading activities in return for—I don’t know—leniency? Escape? Avoidance of brutality? In any case, I’d rather not walk into their trap, so we have a plan to move the ship from under their noses.”
He sat back as Old Peg brought in a teapot and a chipped cup with a matching cream jug. “Don’t worry, Coz. You’ll easily find your way back into Christopher’s good graces. In fact, if you ask me, it will do him good to worry for a bit. He takes you for granted.”
“No, he doesn’t,” she retorted, pouring herself a cup of very pale tea. “We haven’t been married long enough for him to take me for granted. Or, I, him.”
“Well, he still needs shaking up a bit. Not sure he realizes what he has in you.”
She smiled with difficulty and sipped her tea. “A very poor hostess. Lady Bilston will think me very odd, not to say rude.”
“She’ll laugh herself silly when she hears you thought I’d abducted her.”
Old Peg came back with a plate of greyish mush. “Vegetable stew,” she announced.
“Thank you,” Deborah murmured. She forced the first forkful for politeness, but in fact, it tasted much better than it looked.
“Good,” Rupert said, standing up. “Wait here, and I’ll send someone to take you on to Branwell once we’re –.”
“She can’t stay here, Cap’n,” Joshua said reasonably. He cast his eyes toward the ceiling.
“Ah,” Rupert said, scowling. “Fair point. Why can’t Old Peg run a respectable house?”
“Because there’s no one but smugglers to drink here,” Peg retorted from the doorway. “Had to diversify, didn’t I?”
“Dash it,” Rupert said, dragging his hand through his hair. “I suppose I’d better take you with me.”
“Is it far?”
“For you, ten minutes.”
“Then, since I can’t ride the mare for an hour, I’ll come,” Deborah decided. “And after that, I’m going to Branwell to find Marvin and a post chase.”
“Who the devil is Marvin?” Rupert wondered.
Deborah had another idea. “Madam,” she addressed Peg. “Do you have someone you can send to Branwell with a message?”
“There’s me grandson,” Peg said thoughtfully.
Deborah fished inside the pocket she had sewn into her cloak. It had proved useful in the past for carrying her own things and the princess’s. She found a sovereign and gave it to Peg, whose eyes widened with plain greed. “He has to find a Miss Marvin at one of the respectable inns and tell her to wait there for Mrs. Halland. Then he has to come back here and tell me where he found her.”
“Miss Marvin,” she repeated. “To wait for Mrs. Halland.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Halland, ma’am.”
Deborah drew her cloak closer around her to pass through the narrow hall. “Will she do it?” she asked Rupert