Reckless - By Anne Stuart Page 0,18

with."

Dodson paused outside the salon door. "It's just for tonight, my lady. By tomorrow Mr. Pagett should arrive, and he should be able to help the master..."

"What did you say?" came a roar from the room beyond.

Lina pushed the door all the way open. "You always did have devilishly good hearing, Monty."

She smiled. "Now stop being a prima donna and let Dodson look after you properly."

In truth, Montague looked awful. His color was gray, and despite the coolness of the night his thin, powdered and patched face was covered in sweat. Nevertheless, he still managed to fix Dodson with a ferocious glare. "What's this about Simon coming early?" he demanded in awful tones.

Dodson had served Montague for too long to be cowed. "I thought it would be for the best, sir.

You're getting weaker, you won't listen to your doctor or to me. Perhaps Mr. Pagett will be able to make you see

"The vicar? Pah!" he said in disgust, his voice breathless as he struggled not to cough. "He's a demmed parson! All he'll do is ring a peal over me, preach to me about the error of my ways. I tell you, Lina, there's nothing worse than a reformed hellion. Just because they've found God or some such nonsense doesn't mean everyone else has to."

"You'll pardon my saying so, my lord, but you've given him the living hereabouts. Isn't he supposed to help everyone else find God?" Dodson asked tentatively.

"Demme, but you're a nervy bastard tonight, Dodson."

"Yes, sir," Dodson said serenely.

Lina sank onto the tufted stool near the head of the divan where Montague lay, his body stretched out beneath a silken counterpane. "I imagine he was thinking of me," she said. "You won't listen to the servants and someone must make you behave. Since I'm one of the very few people who can keep you in line, that role falls to me, and he didn't want me to relinquish my entire three days of fun."

Montague surveyed her from beneath his lank blond hair. "Doing it a little too brown, my precious," he murmured. "Dodson has a fondness for you, and he disapproves of all this. I expect he'd like nothing better than to keep you out of it."

"My lord!" Dodson looked genuinely shocked.

"Oh, go away, Dodson. And when the vicar shows

one has arranged for a housekeeper for him." "Someone has," Dodson said with real dignity.

Since Dodson served as Montague's valet, butler

and social secretary, that someone was certainly he.

"Milady, would you care for a cup of a tea, or a glass

of wine, perhaps?"

Lina smiled pleasantly. If she was to spend the night by Montague's side and not in bed with one of the Heavenly Host, then she had no need to drink. "Tea would be lovely. And a cold supper? Bring enough for his lordship."

"I don't want any demmed food," Monty said fretfully. "Unless you can bring me a sirloin and a pint of ale."

'A good beef broth, I thinks Lina said, ignoring him. "With some barley water."

"Barley water? Faugh!" He fixed a glared on both of them. "You may as well kill me now. If Dodson can send for Adrian Rohan instead, you may return to the Revels. Yes, I know you had your eye on him for this occasion, but my needs take precedence. Adrian will understand I can't bear such pig swill."

"Viscount Rohan will be just as strict, my lord," Dodson said. "No one wishes you to die."

A spasm of coughing shook Monty's frail body, and the he lay back against the pillows, exhausted, two bright spots of color on his cheeks. "Do you what you want." His feint voice was querulous. "I don't have the will to fight you. At this rate you'll plague me to death."

"Indeed, I hope not, sir," Dodson said with great dignity before retiring.

There was silence for a moment. The lall windows were open to the cool night air, and in the distance Lina could hear music floating over the water.

accompanied by the sound of laughter. And because no one would notice, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least tonight she could be at peace.

"You're terrible to poor Dodson," she said.

Monty sighed. "Yes, I am, aren't I? It never seems to bother him." He paused, his long thin fingers plucking at the quilt covering his frail body. "You'll see to him, won't you, Lina? I've made what arrangements I could, but I worry about the old thing."

"Don't be ridiculous," she chided him. "Dodson's twice your age—you'll outlive him by decades and