worried earlier when he’d noticed Sir Reginald’s coach pull up. They knew each other from Parliament. One glance and Sir Reginald might recognize him in an instant. Unless, of course, Bell was right, and the upper crust rarely noticed servants.
Regardless, Lucas had made a mental note to ask Clayton why the devil he’d invited the knight to the house party. Clayton had been under strict orders to keep the guest list down to a minimum to reduce the risk of recognition.
There would be time to discuss Sir Reginald with Clayton later, however, at the moment Lucas fully intended to humor this poor young lady. If she needed a confirmation that Sir Reginald was no longer in the corridor, Lucas would be happy to provide her with one. Of course, Mrs. Cotswold hadn’t taught him anything about the propriety of peering after guests in the corridor, but he was already quite certain he shouldn’t be alone in a guest room with a young lady, so what did a bit of peering matter?
He moved closer to the door and the young woman hurriedly stepped aside, but not before he caught a whiff of her perfume. A light and airy flowery scent that made his head reel.
“Pardon me,” he said, clearing his throat again. Why did this young woman’s presence make his throat tight?
Her lips rounded into a small O and she stepped farther sidewise from the door. “My apologies.” She glanced away, blushing slightly.
He’d made her blush? That was adorable. Lucas stepped forward, turned the handle, and opened the door a crack. He peeked out into the corridor. James, the other footman, who was carrying the mother’s trunk, was entering the bedchamber next door. Otherwise, the hall was empty. The girl’s mother must still be speaking with Theodora downstairs. Lucas briefly wondered at a woman who hadn’t even seemed to notice that her daughter had run up the stairs and disappeared. The entire situation was quite strange. He felt slightly sorry for the young woman.
Lucas shut the door again and turned back to her. “He looks to be gone,” he reported.
The young woman heaved a sigh and leaned back against the wall, letting her head tip toward her right shoulder. A lock of dark hair had escaped her bonnet and it lay on her shawl. He wanted to wrap the lock around his finger, see if it felt as soft as it appeared.
“Oh, I’m so glad. Thank you. Thank you very, very much,” she exclaimed.
“Was he…bothering you, my lady?” Lucas couldn’t help but ask. Mrs. Cotswold would no doubt disapprove of a footman being so nosy. But façade or not, he was still a gentleman and a gentleman always protects a lady. But who was this young lady, and what danger did she face from Sir Reginald of all people? The man could be a pompous ass, but harmless otherwise, as far as Lucas knew. Though the knight had certainly been a thorn in Lucas’s side over the summer. Sir Reginald had been teetering between defense of the Employment Bill and rejecting it, which meant Lucas had spent the better part of the last few months trying to convince the knight of the law’s merits.
Normally, Lucas would have been pleased to find one of the men he still needed to convince at the same house party. It would give him more of an opportunity to make his case, but at this particular house party, it would be nothing but embarrassing if Sir Reginald recognized him, which was entirely possible, powdered hair or no. Lucas would definitely have to steer clear of the man.
“He wasn’t bothering me…yet,” the young woman replied with what looked to be an irrepressible grin. “But that’s why I wanted to get away from him so quickly. I’m certain he shall bother me in future.”
Lucas was torn between smiling and frowning. This young woman had a fascinating way with words. Everything she said was unexpected. He found himself looking forward to her next sentence. But he didn’t like to hear that she predicted trouble from Sir Reginald. Had the knight said or done anything ungentlemanly toward her?
“Would you like me to tell him to stay away from you, my lady?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Lucas realized how impertinent they must sound. As an earl, Lucas had every right to say such a thing, but as a footman…it was another matter entirely. Blast. He wasn’t off to the best start at this charade, was he? Not