Chapter 5 #2
That earned her a laugh from Algernon, and he called up to the coachman that they could depart at his convenience.
Maggie set her travel case at her feet against the wall, as another man joined them inside. The fellow sat opposite the duke on the rear-facing seat and, after setting down a wicker basket, smiled hesitantly at her.
Algernon sighed. “This is my valet, Sims. Our chaperone. Sims, this is Maggie Black. She visited Ravenswood before your time. Please refer to her as my married cousin at all future stops.”
“Mrs. Black,” he said, following the duke’s instructions.
“Mr. Sims,” she replied, a little discomfited by the lie of being a married woman, even if she agreed it was a good idea.
“Maggie, if you require anything along the way, just ask him or me,” Algernon said, reaching for the case the valet had brought with him and opening it.
“I do apologize for your employer’s insistence that I accompany you,” she said to Sims.
The fellow grinned. “There is no stopping a duke when he wants what he wants.”
“Yes, I do recall that bad habit of his from childhood,” she murmured.
“I’m sure everyone complains about it at some point, too,” the valet agreed with a soft laugh.
While a servant probably should not have made fun of his employer, Maggie could tell that the fellow held Algernon in great affection, and indeed, the reverse seemed true as well, because Algernon did not chide Sims for the impertinent remark.
Sims pulled out a slim volume and a lead pencil from within his coat and listened to the duke while making some quick notes inside the pages, before putting it away again.
The pair spoke of the road ahead and some other business matters as they got underway, and then the valet was given leave to amuse himself.
Algernon, once the carriage started to gain speed, braced himself with one foot across the door, the other knee edged toward her, leaving Maggie still with a good amount of space on the right side of the carriage.
She appreciated the leg room after yesterday’s cramped journey, squashed between her fellow travelers and the leaking door.
Algernon sighed loudly as they passed the next river crossing without incident. “I never thought we would win free.”
“You make it sound like you were held prisoner there,” Maggie noted. “It was not a bad place.”
“Did you eat dinner at all last night? I recall a certain young girl as little impressed with stew as I have always been.”
She smiled slightly, having enjoyed the evening meal last night simply because someone else had done the cooking. “I am sorry dinner was not to your liking, Your Grace. Perhaps if you used your title, the service and quality offered at inns would improve.”
“Your company last night would have made up for any disappointment in the meal,” he promised. “The private dining room did feel rather full—and certainly I had no friend by my side to entertain me.”
“A pity you could not carry a book in to dinner. But people tend to find it rude when you read at the dining table,” she noted.
“I can’t imagine why,” Algernon said, but his grin suggested otherwise.
“The second-to-next town should provide an opportunity to purchase books, Your Grace,” the valet promised.
“Well, there you have it. Sims will find books for us both after we have eaten luncheon,” Algernon announced, glancing down at the wicker basket at their feet.
“Sims does not have to purchase anything for me,” she said. But Algernon’s glance at the picnic basket and mention of luncheon made her stomach rumble in anticipation of their next stop.
Thankfully, no one heard.
“It would be my pleasure to be of assistance, Mrs. Black. It is part of my duties to keep the duke amused at all times,” Sims confessed, with another smirk for his employer. “And every member of his family, too.”
“Indeed, it is his job,” Ravenswood agreed. “And if Mrs. Black is happy, then I shall surely be too, though perhaps she would like to choose her own books?”
“An excellent idea, Your Grace,” Sims answered. The valet settled back with his head against the squabs, smiling, and closed his eyes.
Within a few minutes, the fellow seemed to be sleeping.
Maggie leaned toward the duke, raising a brow and glancing at the valet. “I can never sleep traveling backward.”
“It is a skill,” he said. “Sims is available to me day and night, so he catches his sleep when he can, and I never complain about his lack of conversation. He’s an exceptional servant.”
“It must be nice to have someone to look after you all the time,” she said, more than a little envious. Maggie hadn’t had a lady’s maid in years, or a housekeeper in months. She could not afford the expense of more than occasional maid service.
“Indeed, it is,” he said. His gaze lowered to her lips, and he licked his own. “Sims and the men will say nothing about you traveling with me, I promise. They will be the soul of discretion.”
Maggie bit her lip, too, imagining Algernon’s lips pressed against hers again.
The man had been delicious, and more experienced and exciting than her one and only beau had ever been.
But they were not alone in the carriage now, and she looked away from the temptation he presented.
“I’m glad, because I would not like to cause trouble for you. ”
“You have never been trouble for me, Maggie, but I would not like to anger your father and have to meet him on the field of honor.”
Maggie winced. “I wouldn’t like that, either, when there is no reason for him to doubt your character.”
Father already believed the worst of her, and there was nothing she could do about that now.
Algernon suddenly fussed around with his own travel case. He offered her a book. “As promised.”
She took the book, flicked through the damp pages, and smirked. “Were you reading this when you fell out of the carriage door?”
The duke’s eyes widened. “How did you know I fell out…”
Maggie laughed.
“Oh, I ought to put you over my knee for tricking me into admitting to that. You rob me of my dignity so easily.”
“I cannot help it if you are so easy to tease, Your Grace.” She flicked through to the end of the book.
“You never used to read that fast,” Algernon complained, when she closed the volume.
“I have read this before,” she admitted, but opened the book again. “No matter. I will enjoy it again if we read it together.”
He nodded and produced a pair of spectacles.
“So the Duke of Ravenswood is not immune to old age, either?” she murmured, producing her own.
“So it seems.” Algernon grinned but put his glasses away again. “You know, I have not had the pleasure of listening to your voice these past years. I have missed you dearly.”
A small blush heated her cheeks, and she struggled to contain her pleasure at hearing such an unexpected compliment from him. Usually, most people disliked her habit of reading out loud and claimed it was a detriment to her character, not something to miss.
Maggie began on the first page, and continued to read to her captive audience as the day rolled on. She turned page after page, her voice steady, pretending not to notice the way Algernon watched her lips so closely—like a man captivated by what he sees.