An Unwilling Conquest Part 68

His expression distinctly hard, he opened the door. Lucinda was seated on the chaise, an open ledger on her lap. She looked up--and broke off in mid-sentence to stare at him.

A youngish. gentleman, precise and soberly dressed, was hovering by her shoulder, leaning over to look at the figures to which she was pointing.

"I wasn't expecting you," Lucinda said, shaking her wits into order.

"Good afternoon," Harry replied.

"Indeed." Lucinda's glance held a definite warning.

"I believe I've mentioned Mr Mabberly to you--he's my agent. He a.s.sists me with the inns. Mr Mabberly--Mr Lester."

Mr Mabberly somewhat hesitantly put out his hand. Harry regarded it for an instant, then shook it briefly.

And immediately turned to Lucinda.

"Will you be long?" Lucinda looked him in the eye.

"At least another half hour

Mr Mabberly s.h.i.+fted, casting a nervous glance from Lucinda to Harry and back again.

"Er ... perhaps--' " We have yet to do the Edinburgh accounts," Lucinda declared, shutting the heavy ledger and lifting it from her' lap. Mr Mabberly hastened to relieve her of it.

"It's that book there--the third one." As Mr Mabberly hurried across the room to retrieve the required tome, Lucinda raised limpid eyes to Harry's face.

"Perhaps, Mr Lester--' " I'll wait. " Harry turned, walked two paces to the nearest chair, and sat down.

LUcinda watched him impa.s.sively--she didn't dare smile. Then Anthony Mabberly was back and she turned her attention to her three Edinburgh inns.

As Lucinda checked figures and tallies and rates, comparing the present quarter with the last and that of the year before, Harry studied Mr Mabberly.

Within five minutes, he had seen enough to rea.s.sure him; Mr Mabberly might regard his employer as something of a G.o.ddess, but Harry was left with the distinct impression that his admiration was occasioned more by her business ac.u.men than by her person. Indeed, inside of ten 227 minutes, he was ready to swear that Mr Mabberly's regard was entirely intellectual.

Relaxing, Harry stretched out his legs--and allowed his gaze to settle on his princ.i.p.al concern.

Lucinda sensed the easing of his tension--not a difficult feat as it had reached her in waves--with a measure of relief. If he refused to accept she would need to deal with such as Anthony Mabberly, that regardless of all else she had a business to run, then they would face serious hurdles all too soon.

But all appeared serene. While waiting for Mr Mabberly to fetch the last ledger, she glanced a't Harry to find him regarding her with nothing more unnerving than very definite boredom in his eyes.

He lifted a brow at her but offered no word. Lucinda turned back to her work--and quickly completed it.

Mr Mabberly did not daily but neither did he run. He very correctly took his leave of Lucinda, then bowed punctiliously to Harry before departing, promising to carry out Lucinda's commissions and report as usual the next week.

"Humph!" Harry remained standing, watching the door close behind Mabberly.

After one glance at his face, Lucinda remarked,

"I do hope you're not about to tell me there is any impropriety in my seeing my agent alone?"

Harry bit his tongue; he swung to face her, his gaze distinctly cool.

As he watched Lucinda's gaze s.h.i.+fted, going past him.

"After all," she continued, 'he could hardly be considered a danger. "

Harry followed her gaze to the day bed before the windows. He looked back at her, and surprised an expression of uncertainty, mixed with a readily identifiable longing.

They were, once again, very much alone; his inclinations, he knew, matched hers. Harry cleared his throat.

"I came to persuade you to a drive in the Park."

"The Park?" Surprised, Lucinda looked up at him. Em had told her Harry rarely drove in the Park during the hours of the fas.h.i.+onable promenades.

~Why? " " Why? " Harry looked down at her, his expression momentarily blank. Then he frowned.

"What sort of a ridiculous question is that?" When Lucinda's gaze turned suspicious, he waved a languid hand.

"I merely thought you might be bored and could do with the fresh air. Lady Mickleham's b.a.l.l.s are notoriously crowded."

"Oh." Lucinda slowly rose, her eyes searching his face but with no success.

"Perhaps a drive would be a good idea."

"Indubitably." Harry waved her to the door.

"I'll wait downstairs while you get your coat and bonnet."

Ten minutes later, Lucinda allowed him to lift her into his curricle, still not at all sure she understood. But he was here-- she could see no reason to deny herself his company.

Reflecting that after yesterday, when he had driven her all the way from Lester Hall to Audley Street in his curricle, she should have had a surfeit of his dry comments, she blithely settled her skirts and looked forward to a few more.

He didn't disappoint her.

As they pa.s.sed through the heavy wrought-iron gates and on into the Park, bowling along the shaded drive, Harry slanted her a glance.

"I regret, my dear, that as my horses are very fresh, we won't be stopping to chat-you'll have to make do with waves and smiling glances." Engaged in looking about her, Lucinda raised her brows.

"Indeed? But. if we aren't to chat, why are we here?"

"To see and be seen, of course." Again Harry diverted his attention from his leader, who was indeed very skittish, to glance her way.

"That, I have always understood, is the purpose of the fas.h.i.+onable promenades."

"Ah." Lucinda smiled sunnily back at him,. not the STEPHANIE LAURENS 229 least perturbed. She was quite content to sit beside him in the sun and watch him tool about the gravel drives, long fingers managing the reins.

He met her gaze, then looked back at his horses. Still smiling, Lucinda looked ahead to where the drive was lined by the barouches and landaus of the matrons of the ton. The afternoon was well advanced; there were many who had reached the Park before them. Harry was forced to rein in his horses as the traffic increased, curricles and phaetons of all descriptions wending their way between the carriages drawn up by the verge. Lady Sefton, holding corkft. in her barouche, waved and nodded; Lucinda noticed that she appeared somewhat startled.

Lady Somercote and M~ Wyncham likewise greeted her, then Countess Lieyen favoured them with. a long, dark-eyed stare before inclining her head graciously. Harry humphed.

"She's so stiff-necked I keep waiting to hear the crack."

Lucinda smothered a giggle as, rounding the next curve, they came upon Princess Esterhazy. The Princess's large eyes opened wide, then she beamed and nodded delightedly.