had an appointment to meet his friends in the library to see how their first day as servants had gone.
He took large steps to catch up with her. “I’ve found in life that those who are the most distrustful of others are the ones with the most to hide themselves, Miss Notley,” he said in an even, calm voice.
And with that he strode past the redhead and left the room with a wide smile on his face that she couldn’t see.
Chapter Four
Marianne watched Nicholas Baxter go. She hadn’t believed a word he’d said. The man had been standing near Lord Copperpot’s bedside table when she entered the room. Milord usually kept his pocket watches and jewelry there. Had Mr. Baxter been looking over the goods?
Mr. Broughton, the regular valet, drank too much and was lazy, but at least he wasn’t a thief. She’d never known of anything going missing on his watch.
She’d been rude to Mr. Baxter, especially if he had been innocently browsing around as he said—but she didn’t trust new people quickly, and there was something about the man that made her suspicious.
He didn’t have the look of a valet about him. He was tall and straight-backed with broad shoulders. He was blond and almost ridiculously good-looking, with crystal blue eyes and a perfectly straight nose. But there was something about him. Something she couldn’t quite identify, that… his teeth. It was his teeth. They were white and straight and flawless. She’d never seen a valet with teeth like that before.
Over the years, she’d learned to size up people quickly. She’d learned to look for details and question them. She spent a good deal of time listening to what her gut told her. Her gut was never wrong.
In addition to his highly suspicious teeth, the man looked too fit to be a valet. Most valets she’d known were in constant service to their masters. They didn’t have noticeable muscles hugged by their shirtfronts. Mr. Baxter’s shirtfront had been entirely too snug for her liking. The man looked more like an Adonis carved from stone than a flesh and blood man who spent his days tending to clothing.
She had good reason not to trust— both good-looking men and people who looked out of place. And Mr. Baxter fit both of those conditions.
A memory of William flashed through her mind. Tall, handsome, charming. He’d been the love of her life, the man of her dreams, or so she’d thought. She’d quickly turned into a lovesick fool within days of meeting him. There was no possible way she would make that same mistake again.
But she’d been barely eighteen years old when she’d met William. She’d been naïve and trusting and all the things she no longer was. William was the type of man who thought a handsome face and a charming smile would disarm anyone of the opposite sex. Mr. Baxter was of the same ilk, she could tell. Little did he know, she’d learned years ago how dangerous such men could be.
Yes, Mr. Baxter was a bit too handsome for his own good. Suspiciously good-looking. She would have to keep an eye on him and keep him at arm’s distance.
But she’d got off on the wrong foot with Mr. Baxter. She’d been far too obviously suspicious of him. Her immediate mistrust of him had made her careless. If she truly wanted to know what he was up to, she needed to beat him at his own game. In order to deal with a man like Nicholas Baxter and find out if he was really up to no good, she would need to charm the charmer.
A smile slowly spread across her face. She could do that. Oh, yes, she could.
Chapter Five
Beau didn’t see Miss Notley again until after dinner that evening. He’d been in the antechamber with Lord Copperpot while she’d helped Lady Copperpot in the main bedchamber. In their own home, lord and lady each had their own bedchambers and antechambers where they dressed and slept. But because they were guests and the other bedchamber assigned to them was being used by their daughter, Lord and Lady Copperpot were sharing a room at Clayton’s estate, which made for tight quarters between the lady’s maid and the valet.
Given that, Beau again regretted getting off to such a bad start with the young woman. He’d lost his even-keeled temper temporarily and that was unlike him. And they were certain to have to deal with each other quite a bit during the next