Chapter 4 #2
She stared up at the beamed ceiling and sighed.
To be fair, he hadn’t made fun of her for crying—something she expected he might do.
And he hadn’t said anything to make matters worse.
The best course of action was to pretend that nothing had happened and go back to treating him like an annoying but useful brother.
They were still in a dire situation, far away from London, and with little financial resources.
Had her family realized she was missing yet?
And what would they do if they had? Her father would storm up to London, demanding answers, and no one would have any because of a stupid wager that had gone disastrously wrong.
It was all Max’s fault.
She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
She had no idea how late it was, but the brightness coming through the window suggested that she had slept in.
Daisy had taken away her dress last night and had returned it while Allegra was asleep.
It looked in far better condition. Her petticoat was now devoid of mud, as well.
She got dressed and went down the stairs into what appeared to be an empty tavern.
There was a gentle hum of conversation coming from the rear of the property, so Allegra headed there.
She opened the door into a large kitchen and saw Max seated at the table talking to Daisy.
Both of them looked very pleased with themselves.
“Good morning,” Allegra said.
“Morning, miss.” Daisy smiled at her. “Would you care for some porridge? Ma made a big pot of it before she left for the market.”
“Good morning, sister,” Max said. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, indeed.” Allegra sat opposite him and scanned his face for signs of debauchery. “Did you?”
“Very well.” He winked at her, and she frowned in return.
Daisy set a bowl of porridge in front of Allegra. “He certainly did sleep, miss. I’m surprised you couldn’t hear him snoring.”
“Perhaps I am so used to it that it didn’t register,” Allegra said, her suspicious gaze on Max.
“Daisy was closer to me than you were,” Max said. “Perhaps that’s why.”
“Was she?”
Daisy went off in a peal of laughter and swatted at Max’s shoulder. “Now don’t you be saying things like that, sir, you’ll give me a bad reputation, you will.”
“The only person who has a bad reputation around here is my brother,” Allegra said. “And I can assure you that it is richly deserved.”
“You wound me.” Max pressed his hand to his heart.
“He’s been a real gentleman to me, miss,” Daisy said. “A real gentleman.”
“Hmm …” Allegra applied herself to her porridge, which was very good with the addition of some cream.
Daisy went out to feed the dogs, and Allegra continued to pretend Max didn’t exist.
“You’re in a mood this morning,” Max eventually said.
“I am perfectly fine, sir.” Allegra stared at him. “I have nothing on my conscience.”
“Oh, we’re back to that again, are we?” He sighed.
“Actually, I was referring to your promise to me last night.” “Which one?”
“Not to seduce Daisy.”
“I didn’t seduce her.” Max paused. “Although she did offer.”
“I don’t believe you.” Allegra set her spoon down in her empty bowl. “Both of you look far too happy this morning.”
“Perhaps that is simply because it is a beautiful day, and we are both glad to be alive?”
Allegra gave him a withering stare.
He shrugged and rose to his feet, his smile disappearing. “Believe me or not, but I don’t break my word.” He inclined his head an icy inch and left the room.
Allegra sighed. It appeared that she had offended his sense of honor. She’d forgotten how prickly men could be about such matters.
Daisy came back in and picked up Allegra’s empty bowl.
“Has Mr. Foster gone out to the stables? He’s been so kind to our Jack, answering all his questions so patiently.”
“He does love his horses,” Allegra said.
“Don’t all men?” Daisy said. “But it takes a special kind of gentleman to find time to listen to a young boy rattling on.” She set the bowl in the sink and looked back over her shoulder at Allegra.
“He was just teasing you about me, miss. I only heard him snoring, because my room is directly opposite his.”
“I thought as much,” Allegra lied rather unconvincingly. “He does like a good joke.”
“Although I wouldn’t have minded if he’d asked me to join him,” Daisy continued. “He’s a very nice-looking gentleman.”
“I suppose he is.” Allegra rose to her feet. “I’d better go and retrieve my belongings before your mother arrives back with the gig.”
“Yes, she won’t be long,” Daisy said cheerfully. “Dad says he’ll send Jack with you so he can drive the gig home.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan,” Allegra said. “And thank you for ironing my dress and cleaning my petticoat.”
“It was no bother, miss,” Daisy said. “We can’t have you leaving here looking like you’ve fallen into a ditch, now, can we?”
Thoroughly chastened, and aware that she really did owe Max an apology, Allegra went back to her room to gather her meager possessions and count her money.
His door was open, and she knocked on it and went in.
He was sitting in a chair beside the window and didn’t look particularly pleased to see her.
“I owe you an apology,” Allegra said. “I made assumptions about your character that were untrue.”
He looked up at her. “My character is well known to be faulty. What I objected to was your conviction that I do not honor my word.”
“I was wrong to think that.” Allegra held his cool gaze. “I will not make that mistake in the future.”
Max rose to his feet. “Do you have the money to pay the landlord? I think it might be better if I do the paying.”
“Yes, of course,” Allegra said, aware that he’d just put her in her place. “I’ll just go and fetch my purse.”
Luckily for Max, there was just enough to cover Mr. Gunner’s very reasonable costs, which meant they were able to part with the landlord on good terms. Max’s horse was put between the shafts of the gig, as Jack would pick up another horse to bring home with him when they reached the coaching inn.
Lady Allegra said her goodbyes with her usual calm and allowed Mr. Gunner to hand her up onto the seat of the gig. Jack sat between them, and Max took the reins.
“Thank you, sir,” he said, and tipped his hat to the landlord. “We are in your debt.”
Daisy came out to wave him off, and Max blew her a kiss that made her shriek and blush.
Beside him, Jack snorted. “She’s so silly.”
“Your sister?” Max asked.
“Yes, all she does is giggle and make eyes at men.”
“Some sisters are like that,” Max said.
There was no reaction from Lady Allegra, who sat very upright, her gaze on the horizon as if she could get them to Southwold with the sheer strength of her will. He wasn’t used to someone apologizing to him and, apparently, he had no ability to accept such an apology gracefully.
“How long do you think it will take us to get to Southwold?” he asked Jack.
“Less than two hours, sir,” Jack said. “Maybe faster with this horse.”
The countryside was flat, with few farms existing within its large, windswept fields.
There were a lot of Tudor buildings still standing in the occasional hamlet they passed through, indicating that whatever wealth had been accumulated in the area had been a long time ago, when wool had ruled the economy.
There was a light sprinkling of rain as they entered Southwold, and Max was glad when Jack directed him into the Three Lions inn. It was much larger than their previous accommodation, and there were mail coaches and private conveyances present in the stables.
“This is where me dad keeps his custom, sir,” Jack said. “They’ll look after you.”
“Thank you, Jack.” Max handed the reins over to the boy. Do you want to take the horse around to the stables so that you can arrange your return journey? I’ll meet you out there after I’ve spoken to the landlord.”
“Yes, sir. Ask for Mr. Archer.”
Max walked around the gig and offered Lady Allegra his assistance to get down. She took his hand and, in her efforts not to touch him, almost fell off the seat. He ended up having to grab hold of her waist to stop her falling.
“Thank you,” she murmured, her gaze anywhere but on him.
“You’re welcome.” He offered her his arm, which she ignored, and they both headed into the inn, where they were met by the landlord.
“Mr. Archer, I believe,” Max said. “Mr. Gunner said you would accommodate us. His son Jack is in the stable yard with his gig and my horse.”
“Jack’s a good boy,” Mr. Archer said. “How may I assist you?”
Max bowed. “I’m Mr. Foster, and this is my sister.
Our gig met with an accident, and we were stranded with one horse and no baggage.
Mr. Gunner put us up for the night in his charming hostelry and recommended that we come here to ask after renting a gig, as he did not have the ability to lend us one. ”
“I can certainly do that, sir.” Mr. Archer looked at them expectantly. “As it’s getting rather late to travel, do you wish to stay the night? I have one room that you can share if you like?”
“That will be perfectly acceptable,” Max said, without even consulting Lady Allegra.
“I can also offer you a private parlor and a good dinner,” Mr. Archer added and turned to Lady Allegra. “If you’d like to follow me, miss, I’ll get one of the maids to show you to the room while I settle matters with Jack and Mr. Foster in the stables.”