The Postilion (The Masqueraders #2) - S.M. LaViolette Page 0,66

seeing the older woman out Benna returned to her desk and put Mrs. Worth’s list in a safe place where she could find it easily.

One of today’s goals was to finish working on the spare room in her chambers, which she had ransacked for furniture, but had not come close to emptying.

Benna took off her coat and donned the huge apron she’d begged from Cook when she’d realized just what filthy work inventorying the earl’s house would be.

As she began the arduous, dirty task of digging through the room’s contents she recalled what the earl had said the day he’d hired her—that there were dozens of other rooms just as full, and the attics held even more.

She groaned. There simply were not enough hours in the day.

***

It was late afternoon and Jago was looking over the competing roofing bids he’d received for his tenant cottages when there was a knock on the door.

“Yes?” he called absently.

“Hello, Jago.”

His head jerked up at the sound of Elinor’s voice and he got to his feet. “Elinor.” He glanced at the window; it was dusk.

“Yes,” she said, reading his look correctly, “it is quite late.”

Jago gestured to the settee in front of the gargantuan fireplace. There was a chill in the air and he had taken to keeping a fire going now that he spent much of his day in the draughty room.

Elinor lowered herself onto the couch with a heavy sigh.

“Are you going to get me in trouble with your husband for working you too hard?” He studied her face for signs of fatigue, but, thankfully, found none.

“Stephen is more likely to thank you, Jago. He knows I would go mad from inactivity and would soon set up a surgery in his stables. Besides”—she grinned at him—“it wasn’t very strenuous to look through pattern books and help the girls choose gowns all afternoon. By the way, I met with Ben before our dress-shopping orgy and helped him get started with your upcoming party.” She smiled. “I love planning parties and balls and dinners. It was an activity I rarely engaged in … before.”

She was alluding to her first marriage, which Jago knew had not been a happy one, even though they’d never spoken of it.

“Well, I, for one, am deeply grateful that you adore planning parties.”

She waved away his gratitude. “I just wanted to apprise you of our progress. I’ve set about acquiring an adequate wardrobe for both girls. At first I wondered if it was wise to launch them together, but I believe they will be a comfort to each other.”

“I don’t see the point of keeping one back to launch the other. That approach has always mystified me. It’s insulting, as if young women were identical bolts of fabric that should not be put out for sale at the same time.”

Elinor laughed. “Spoken like the true social subversive you are, Jago. I agree; the girls are very different and shall attract and be attracted to completely different men.” Elinor glanced around the room. “This room looks much nicer than when I last saw it.”

“It is all thanks to Ben,” Jago admitted.

“You have your plate full, my friend. You must be happy to have Ben’s help.”

“Yes, he has turned out to be quite skilled at many things.”

“Stephen and I were both impressed with Ben’s conversation at dinner the other night. Any previous shyness seems to have dissipated.”

“Yes, he is blossoming.” And becoming more attractive to me with every bloody day that passes.

Elinor cocked her head at him, her lips curving into a slight, but knowing, smile. For one terrifying moment Jago thought he’d spoken that last thought aloud.

“What?” he asked rudely.

“Jago,” she said, her tone slightly reproving. “How long are you going to keep me in the dark about what is going on?”

“Er, I don’t know what you mean?”

“Ben—who is she?”

He goggled. “Good God, Elinor. You know? For how long?”

“Since the first day I saw her—when you were using Stephen’s coach and stopped by my cottage. She’d just begun working for him, I believe.”

Jago groaned. “You put me to shame. I only found out a few weeks ago.”

“Don’t feel bad; Stephen still hasn’t guessed, even though he talked to her for hours when we were here the other night—not to mention he partnered her in whist.”

Benna and Stephen had been a formidable and bloodthirsty team, thrashing Jago and Elinor twice that night.

“Well, I guess that makes me feel a little better—although Stephen isn’t a doctor and shouldn’t have been expected to notice