A Bound Of Honour Part 4

lords.h.i.+p came to his senses and learned the state of affairs. I would hate to be in her place-poor thing,

he thought.

What about you, his subconscious tweaked him. Lord Adrian will not look kindly on your handling of matters thus far.

Well, I'd best play it mum and see if there wasn't a way to blunder out of this. She mustn't know their

thoughts yet, he pondered, or I'd been awakened earlier. Ladies of quality do raise such a fuss at things.

Draining the last from his mug, Mallatt silently commended Meg. She was right, things did look a little better. He certainly felt buoyed. He dug into the steaming porridge she sat before him.

As he finished it, Mallatt heard footsteps. Turning, he saw Lady Juliane. Her worried features eased and she broke into a smile.

"Why, Mallatt, how good to see you are unharmed."

He stood and bowed stiffly. "May I say the same, my lady."

"Andre is fine also. I just checked on him, but Alva said Leora was here." She looking at Meg who pointed to the cradle.

Juliane hurried to it and knelt. She laid a hand on the babe and threw a startled glance at Meg.

"Aye, m'lady," the woman nodded sadly. "She's taken a chill for sure. I'm readyin' a poultice for her now."

"Hur-rumph," Mallatt loudly cleared his throat.

lady, but how fares Lord Tretain?"

She looked at him blankly.

He came closer and lowered his voice. "How does my lord do?" he asked again. A deep blush replaced Lady Juliane's blank look; she lowered her eyes.

They must have said something to her after all, he concluded. Trying to ease her mind, he whispered,"I understand, the, er, 'situation' here. The, uh, conclusion which was drawn. We will find a way out ofthe toil, never fear."

Lady Juliane threw him such a grateful look Mallatt smiled at her. "That is better. Now, how is Lord Adrian?"

Juliane once more looked to Leora. She fiddled with the blankets to hide her blush at the thought of Mallatt learning she and the earl had been placed abed together. "He is still unconscious, although he did open his eyes briefly this morning. He does not seem to have taken a fever yet and may regain his senses at any time. One never knows about blows to the head, however. They are unpredictable, his especially with the cold he endured."

Mallatt waited for more. "Anything else, my lady?"

"Yes," she said absentmindedly, vaguely recalling what she would order for her brother. "You should shave Lord Tretain. I feel he would not be pleased to awaken untidy. I left Alva watching him. When I can, I will return to the room." The words spoke dismissal.

Mallatt looked to Meg.

"Top o' the stairs-door to the left. Ye'll find what ye be need'n there I suppose. The bags were placed in that room.

"Hot water is there." She pointed to the smaller pot hanging over the fire and then to a large bowl on a nearby shelf.

After dipping the bowl half full, Mallatt proceeded up the stairs. What would he say to Lord Adrian?

How could this be logically explained to raise the fault from his shoulders? His lord was such a stickler at times. One never knew what his reaction would be, and he had never been in a situation quite like this before.

"Not meaning to be disloyal, my lord," he muttered, "but I hope it's a long sleep you have this time."

CHAPTER 5.

Meg bustled over to the cradle with the poultice. Lady Juliane moved swiftly to the side and watched closely as she skilfully attended to Leora.

"Ye can leave her to me, m'lady-many a sick child I've nursed. If it's possible, we'll have her well in no time a'tal." Wrapping the babe tightly, Meg stole a look at Juliane. "Here," she said gently, holding out the still bundle. "Ye rock her a spell. The boys will be bringin' milk fresh from the cow soon and we'll see if she'll take some."

Lady Juliane pulled the worn, smoothly polished rocker closer to the warmth of the glowing fire and took Leora gratefully. Smoothing back the corn-silk fine hair, she rocked, unconsciously humming a nursery tune recalled from the depths of the past. Odd, how attached I have become to the children in such a short time, she thought wistfully. It is as if they are my own.

Musing over Leora, she was startled by tramping feet, bl.u.s.tering voices, and the banging and clattering that accompanied the entry of Jove and his sons.

Jove nodded brusquely at Juliane to acknowledge her presence as he pulled off his warm outer cloak.

The larger of the boys shuffled into the centre of the room, setting a large pail on the table. "The milk, Ma," he managed to stutter out clumsily, staring all the while at Lady Juliane.

"Well, get out o' them things. The porridge 'tis a waitin'," she cheerfully rebuked them. "And mind yer manners in front o' the Quality."

"Pardon their manners, m'lady," she directed to Lady Juliane, "but we get few visitors here." She took the pail and began to strain the milk into a large crock. "The big'un be Ned and the other'n Jem," she added by way of introductions.

Juliane simply stared at the three, not certain what to say or do. Drawing her wits about her, she said, "It is you we need to thank for saving us. If we had not been given shelter we would all have perished.

Thank you sincerely."

"Gosh" and "Gee" were the only replies from the sons.

"Just doin' our Christian duty, ma'am, ah" Jove's eyes swung to his wife's-"m'lady," he replied gruffly.

"Pardon us for eatin' afore ye, but it been a long, cold mornin'."

"Please, feel free to do so," smiled Juliane, becoming a little more at ease.

Alva had entered during this brief exchange and had gone about filling the bowls and setting them on the table before her father and brothers. She was a miniature of her mother, being but five and ten and just beginning to show the same tendency toward plumpness.

Lady Juliane watched the scene with interest. She had never before observed family life other than her own and could recall from her youth none of the warmth and closeness apparent in this group. She felt a pang of envy, but her attention was taken up by a coughing fit from Leora. Failing to quiet it, she became alarmed. Meg was at her side in an instant, forcing some warm, dark liquid between the babe's lips. This caused a terrible pucker and much sputtering, but succeeded in stilling the cough.

Juliane looked at the mug suspiciously.

"'Tis but home brew, m'lady. It will not harm the wee one and is best for stoppin' the cough."

Juliane nodded worriedly as Meg took Leora.

"Best ye see to yer lord. His man should be finished. Call if ye be needin' anything. I'll take care for the babe-have no worry on that."

Going slowly up the stairs, Juliane worried about Leora's health. It was not until the second series of shrieks for "ma mere" that she began to move in their direction. Racing up the last few steps, she flew through the doorway to her right. Swooping to the bed, she scooped up Andre like a gull plucking fish from the sea.

He held on like a leech, his cries slowly subsiding.

"Hush. Hush now. You were having a bad dream. Everything is all right now," Juliane crooned to him, rocking him gently in her arms. Soon he lay still against her, loosening his hold.

She carried him across the hall and tucked him into bed, opposite Lord Tretain's form, which drew a curious glance from Mallatt as well as from Andre.

"Truly, my lady, do you deem that wise?" he queried as he continued to put his shaving instruments away.

"In my lord's state, it is nothing," she replied carelessly.

"Yes, but we do not know how long this state will last. Have you considered what will happen when he returns to his senses?"

"I imagine he will fly into the boughs, make a dreadful scene of it, and ruin my reputation forever," she answered matter-of-factly. "What else is there? He can like the situation little more than I."

Mallatt snapped the valise shut and eyed Lady Juliane carefully. "There is a way, a chance of coming out of this, with a little daring on our part." He scarcely could credit himself with the words. Must be I've been in my lord's service too long-his ways are rubbing off on me, was his startled thought.

"In truth, that would be possible, but only on the chance that Lord Tretain would remain senseless, and it is highly unlikely that he will be so condescending for the two days Meg tells me it will be before they make an effort to fetch the phaeton. When they see it, questions can't help but arise. They will see that it was not made for family travel. I have decided to take what comes-what else is there for me to do?"

Mallatt pondered. This hardly seemed like the same girl; what had happened to her spirit? Perhaps he had misjudged her after all.

Juliane turned from the fire to face him. There was a hint of an idea in her eye. Beginning tentatively, she studied him. "There is a way out-out of Bedlam, but certainly the end, if it fails, can be no worse than what I now face. Would Lord Adrian hold it against you if you helped in a 'slight' deception?"

Mallatt knew he should resist-that Lord Adrian, indeed, would object-but then Lady Juliane was not at fault in this, and if they could come up to the top, his lords.h.i.+p might eventually agree and even come to see the humour in it. Lord Adrian could not, after all, be the first to throw a stone at a "slight" deception. He smiled broadly.

Lady Juliane flashed a smile in return. "Let us keep the pretence of marriage then. I think we are far enough from civilization here for that to do us little harm, are we not?"

"I believe so, my lady," Mallatt agreed tentatively. "Then, all we need do is manage these next few

days!"

Mallatt raised an eyebrow at this oversimplification, but felt it useless and probably alarming to Lady Juliane to suggest the many difficulties that could occur. Further attention to the matter was deterred as his lords.h.i.+p stirred.