Nick grinned and leaned down close to her ear. “If you’re not careful, I might just scoop you into my arms and carry you to the train.”
Pamela gasped. “Y-you wouldn’t!”
He pulled her closer and looked her in the eye, his one brow raised.
“Are you daring me, my
lady?”
She shook her head furiously. Mrs. Fletcher chuckled behind her.
As it turned out, Pamela was grateful for the pillow because her weakened state and the laudanum lulled her to sleep no more than five minutes after the train left the Bath Spa Station.
Their arrival at Mr. Montrose’s townhouse from the train station was quick since he didn’t live too far from the London station. Pamela’s short nap on the train had helped quite a bit and she had to admit she was excited to be back in London.
The butler opened the door and smiled. “Good afternoon, Mr. Smith. It is nice to see you again.” He stepped back, allowing them to enter.
Nick turned to her. “Good afternoon to you as well, Grossman. May I introduce my guest, Lady Pamela Manning and our chaperone, Mrs. Fletcher.”
The butler bowed in their direction. No sooner had the door closed than a woman came bustling down the corridor. She was an older woman, with streaks of gray in her blonde hair. She offered them a warm smile. “Welcome, Mr. Smith.” She nodded at Pamela and Mrs. Fletcher. “And you as well.”
“My guests, Lady Pamela Manning and our chaperone, Mrs. Fletcher.”
Pamela immediately became anxious and instead of speaking, she merely nodded. This always happened to her when she met new people. No one seemed to notice, and the woman continued, “Welcome, ladies. I am the housekeeper, Mrs. Blossom. Mr. Montrose told us to expect you. I have arranged for each of you to have your own room.” She looked at Pamela. “Did you bring a lady’s maid, my lady?”
“N-n-no.” She felt her face heat up. Why couldn’t she say even one word without stumbling all over it? Must she always make a fool of herself?
Nick took her hand and squeezed it. “If you have someone here who could assist Lady Pamela when she requires it, we would be grateful.”
“Of course.” She turned and headed toward the stairs. “If you follow me, I will direct you to your rooms. I will have one of the footmen bring up your luggage.”
“Mr. Smith.” The butler halted their movements.
“Yes?” Nick turned.
The man held out an envelope. “This arrived for you this morning.”
“Thank you.” Nick opened the missive and read it, his eyes lighting up. “Excellent news.” He looked over at Mrs. Blossom. “We will be four for dinner tonight.”
Mrs. Blossom nodded. “Very good. We dine at eight if that is suitable.”
“Yes. That’s fine.” Nick waved at them. “Please go on ahead without me. I assume I have the same room?”
“Yes. It is all ready for you.” Mrs. Blossom directed Pamela and Mrs. Fletcher up the stairs as Nick turned to speak with the butler.
Pamela was shown to a lovely room looking out at the front of the house, with a beautiful view of a small park sitting between two rows of townhouses. A nanny sat on a bench, pushing a perambulator back and forth as she watched two young children darting around a tree, trying to catch each other.
She turned to observe the room which was decorated in pale green and rose which raised her spirits in one way, and in another way saddened her as she remembered that Lizbeth was somewhere in this city—hopefully—but in a room that did not look anything like this, and from which she had no escape.
On the other hand, she was here with Nick who had taken up her cause to the extent that she never would have expected anyone to do. She was most grateful to him.
As she sat on the soft bed she thought about Nick. He was certainly nothing like she would have expected a man to be who had been raised on the worst streets of London. Yet he was kind, caring, and willing to spend time and money to help her rescue her friend.
Were she completely honest with herself, she would admit that his intentions, while certainly noble, were probably stronger because of his interest in her. She would have to be blind not to see the look in his eyes when he watched her so carefully. Or the anger when he saw her injuries. And the way he kissed her, and held her, and…
It was best to put all of that from her mind until they found Lizbeth. Which reminded her that Nick had said that once the danger she was in had been taken care of there were several things they needed to discuss. Her heart skipped at the possibility of what he wanted to discuss.
After a short nap and a change of clothes, Pamela descended the stairs and found her way to the drawing room. Mrs. Blossom had sent a maid to help her change clothes since her sprained wrist made it quite difficult to dress without help. She also fixed her hair.