Someone to Watch Over Me (Bow Street Runners #1)(18)

Hiring a hackney to convey him to King Street, Grant returned to his house. Mrs. Buttons greeted him at the door, shivering a little as a blast of wintry wind slipped inside the house. She took his coat and folded it over her arm. "Good afternoon, sir. Will you be taking a midday meal today?"

"I'm not hungry," he replied, glancing in the direction of the staircase. "How is she?"

Unperturbed by his abruptness, the housekeeper replied calmly. "Very well, sir. Miss Duvall had a nice soak in the bath, and one of the maids--Mary--helped me to wash her hair. I believe her condition is much improved."

"Good." He studied the housekeeper closely, having the feeling there was more she could tell him. "You strike me as an apt judge of character, Mrs. Buttons."

She took visible pride at the compliment. "I believe I might be, sir."

"Tell me, then...what do you make of Miss Duvall?"

Mrs. Buttons seemed eager to answer the question, her usual reticence giving way to animated interest. She lowered her voice to keep from being overheard by passing servants. "Her behavior has been rather perplexing, sir. After I brought Miss Duvall a plate of toast this morning, and left to oversee the preparation of her bath, she arose by herself and tidied the room. She even made the bed, despite the pain it must have caused her. I can't think why she would have gone to such effort, especially considering her state of health. And then in the bathing room, she tried to lift one of the buckets the maid had brought, to help fill her own bath. We took it from her immediately, of course, but she apologized for the extra work we had done on her behalf. She seems anxious not to cause trouble for anyone and grateful for any assistance we render, as if she is unused to having anyone serve her."

"I see." Grant's face was wiped clean of expression, as it always was when he puzzled over contradictory facts.

Mrs. Buttons warmed to the subject. "She seems to be one of the most considerate and gentle-spirited young women I have ever encountered. With all due respect, sir, I can scarcely believe that what you told me about her last evening is true."

"It's true," Grant said curtly.

Could it be that Vivien's memory loss had altered her character as well? Had she forgotten how to behave with her usual smug superiority...or was she merely playing some game with them all? Impatiently Grant handed the valise to Mrs. Buttons. "Have one of the maids put Miss Duvall's clothes away."

"Yes, Mr. Morgan." The housekeeper set the valise on the floor and regarded him with calm brown eyes. "Sir, Mary offered her best night rail for Miss Duvall's use, as we had nothing else to clothe her in." "Thank you. I consider any kindness done for Miss Duvall as a direct favor to me. Tell Mary to have a new gown and matching pelisse made for herself, and charge it to the household account. A nice gown--she needn't skimp on the trimmings."

Mrs. Buttons turned an approving smile on him. "You're a kind master, if I may say so."

He responded with a scowl. "I'm a reprobate, and we both know it."

"Yes, sir," the housekeeper replied demurely.

Grant headed for the stairs. Some unidentifiable feeling knotted and tightened inside him. Vivien Duvall playing the sweet damsel in distress...he wouldn't tolerate it. In the space of a few minutes, he was going to expose her for the fraud she was. If she didn't remember that she was an unprincipled whore, he would damn well remind her. He would reveal every cunning, shameless facet of her dissolute character, and let her ponderthat for a while. Then let her try to play the innocent.

Reaching his bedroom, he opened the door without knocking, halfway expecting to find Vivien laughing privately about how she was deceiving everyone with her pretense of virtue. He entered the room...and stopped dead in his tracks. She was sitting in an armchair by the grate, her small bare feet drawn up and to the side, an open book in her lap. Golden shards of firelight played over her vulnerable face as she glanced up at him. She was dressed in a high-necked white nightgown that was a little too big for her, with a blue cashmere lap robe draped over her waist and thighs.

After setting the book on the floor, she pulled the lap robe up to her chest. The tension inside Grant rose to an excruciating pitch. She had the face of an angel, and the hair of the Devil's handmaiden. The freshly washed locks flowed around her in a waist-length curtain, waves and curls of molten red that contained every shade from cinnamon to strawberry-gold. It was the kind of hair that nature usually bestowed on homely women to atone for their lack of physical beauty.

But Vivien had a face and form that belonged in a Renaissance painting, except that the reality of her was more delicate and fresh than any painted image could convey. Now that her eyes were no longer swollen, the pure blue intensity of her gaze shone full and direct on him. Her mouth, tender and rose-tinted, was a marvel of nature.

Something was wrong with his breathing. His lungs weren't working properly, his heartbeat was too fast, and he clenched his teeth. If he weren't a civilized man, if he didn't pride himself on his renowned self-possession, he would take her here, now, with no regard for the consequences. He wanted her that badly.

Seeming not to understand his silent, ferocious struggle, Vivien gave him a hesitant smile of welcome. He almost hated her for that smile, so soft and warm that it pulled at something deep in his chest.

He returned the smile with a confident one of his own. "Good afternoon, Miss Duvall. It's time for us to talk."