Amelia settled her bonnet over her curls and reached for her gloves. She didn’t call for Jeanne. Getting herself dressed for an outing, especially when the weather outside was sunny and relatively warm, wasn’t that difficult. It had always seemed a waste of time to wait for servants to assist her with tasks she was perfectly capable of doing on her own. Besides, if Jeanne knew she was leaving, the rest of the household would find out, and she didn’t want everyone knowing about her excursion.
“Lady Amelia!” The butler’s voice stopped her just before she reached the gate.
She froze. Marks was a stickler for convention. As a woman — especially an unmarried woman — she shouldn’t leave the house unattended. But a companion would slow her down and make it more difficult to go and do as she wished.
“Lady Amelia, Giles is ready to accompany you. Kindly wait a moment.” He didn’t have to add a reprimand, though displeasure was evident in his voice. There would be a dressing down later on from her brother.
Seconds later, the gangly young footman rounded the house from the servants’ entrance, hastily adjusting his hat as he ran. He skidded to a stop a respectful three paces from Amelia and bowed.
“Apologies, my lady, for keeping you waiting.”
Amelia suppressed a sigh and resumed her walk toward the street.
“Lady Amelia, please allow me to carry your satchel for you.”
She paused. The satchel wasn’t especially heavy, but it was large and awkward.
“Thank you, Giles,” she said as she handed the bag to him. “But you must let me take it myself into the, er, establishment where we are going.”
The young man frowned but nodded.
Amelia led the way, plotting as she went. Though she usually took time to observe the changing of the seasons, today her mind focused on one thing: how to get rid of Giles. The young footman was relatively inexperienced, so it should be easy to dupe him.
She took a circular route, hoping to lull her companion into thinking she was merely out for a stroll. Pausing at a popular milliner’s, she made a show of looking in the window then turned to the young footman.
“I think I’ll go in here for a while. I need a new hat. I’ll take the satchel now. You may wait for me out here.”
Giles bowed his acquiescence and handed the satchel to her. She hoped he wouldn’t question her need for a satchel in the milliner’s shop, and like a good servant, he didn’t. At least not aloud.
She carried the satchel into the shop. Madame LeFevre, the proprietor, rose to greet her potential customer.
“Bon jour, mademoiselle.”
“Bon jour, Madame LeFevre. I wish to place an order for a hat. Er, something to go with my new winter cloak.”
“Oui, mademoiselle. Ze new cloak, it is in your bag?”
“My bag? Oh, no. I, er, forgot to bring it along. But it’s... blue.”
“Blue is an excellent color for you, mademoiselle. What shade of blue?”
“Ah, it’s… a deep blue. Rather like—” She cast a quick glance around the shop, and her eyes caught a bright, peacock blue felt hat. “That one.”
Madame blinked, obviously swallowing her distaste. “Oui, mademoiselle. Ze entire cloak is that color?”
“Perhaps I should return another day and bring the cloak with me. Forgive me for wasting your time this morning. I’ll just get going.” She strode toward the back of the shop.
“Er, mademoiselle? Ze door is this way.”
“Yes, but my next errand is on the street behind your shop. If you don’t mind, I’ll just use your side entrance to get there more quickly. Thank you for your time.” She scooted out the door, mindful of the lady’s stare. She probably wouldn’t be back, at least not this season. But she’d accomplished her goal and left Giles waiting at the front entrance. Hopefully by the time he realized her duplicity, she’d have her errand completed.
The side entrance of the shop emptied on a quiet street. No traffic. Amelia cast a cautious look around before proceeding. She had an important errand, and nothing was to be gained by dawdling.
With renewed purpose, she marched toward her destination. Making her way to the tiny, nondescript building, she found the person she sought in a dusty corner of his surgery, hunched over the papers on his desk.
“Good morning, Doctor Jones.”
Cecil Jones raised his balding head and studied her over the rim of his spectacles. “Good morning, Lady Amelia.” He tilted his head, attempting to look around her. “You did bring someone with you this time, didn’t you? This is not a good area for a lady such as you to travel alone.”
“Oh, yes,” she reassured him. “My footman is waiting for me at the door.”
She wasn’t actually lying, she told herself. Giles truly was waiting for her at the door. Just not at the door of the surgery.
But her ruse seemed to work, and he pulled a large leather sack from his desk drawer. “It seems your stories are getting more and more popular,” he said as he handed the package to her. “Mr. Culpepper asked when the next manuscript would be coming. He says he can hardly keep up with the demand and has had to hire several additional staff in his print shop.”
“Very soon, I expect,” Amelia replied. Her eyes widened at the weight of the package. Perhaps she wouldn’t have to remain in her brother’s home much longer. She removed several coins and held them out. “Here’s your fee, as agreed. I truly appreciate you representing me at Culpepper and Winston Publishing House.”
The doctor hesitated, as if reluctant to take the money. “It’s my pleasure and honor to help you, Lady Amelia. And it’s really not necessary to pay me so much for simply being your courier.”
“Nonsense. I am indebted to you. Without your help I would never be able to have my books published. At least, not as Amelia Partridge. Use it to buy medicines and bandages for the people who can’t pay you for your services.” When his eyes widened in surprise, she explained. “I have my sources. I admire what you do and wish to assist you.”
The doctor finally nodded and accepted the money. “Thank you, Lady Amelia.”
After putting the sack in Edward’s satchel, Amelia left the surgery and walked with a light step toward the millinery. Her mind whirled with the impact of the news Dr. Jones had given her. With this much income from writing, she could afford to live on her own. Edward had agreed to set her up in a small house on the outskirts of London with a minimal household staff, but she would need her own money.
She could just imagine what would happen if her staid and proper brother heard of her secret career as a writer. Even though Edward was only two years her senior, he acted more like he was her father. Perhaps having had to take over the title at the tender age of twenty had soured him. Whatever the reason, he’d taken his duty seriously, and in turn he expected all in his household to behave properly. It was well known that not a hint of scandal had ever been associated with the House of Partridge. Now everyone — including Amelia — wondered why he had he aligned himself with a flamboyant and unpleasant woman like Colette.
Lost in her thoughts, she gasped when a trio of street urchins surrounded her. Her hands instinctively lifted to her chest, and she clutched her reticule and satchel closely.
The tallest one stepped forward with a cocky grin. “Beggin’ the lady’s pardon, but methinks ye might ’ave a spare coin ’r two in that little bag ’o yers. Ye wouldn’t want ter see the loiks of us starvin’ now, would ye?”
Amelia schooled her features into a calm she didn’t feel. “Kindly let me pass, please.”
The leader tipped his head back and howled. “As soon as ye ‘kindly’ give us yer coins, we’ll ‘kindly’ let ye pass.”
“You boys will need to find a more honest method of getting your money,” she told them. “Otherwise I shall have to seek assistance from that constable over on the next corner.”
The younger boys started to back away, but their leader was undeterred. “There’s no officer on the next corner. Yer jus’ tryin’ ter distract me so’s I look away and you kin scoot off.”
Amelia searched her brain for a way to escape. Could she outrun them?
“Leave the lady alone.”
At the deep, masculine voice, the boys froze.
Amelia breathed a sigh of relief. The duke! But the ringleader was undeterred. “And ’oo’re ye to threaten me, mister? It’s one a’ ye aginst three.”
“On the contrary, there are two of us. And the lady was correct, there is a constable on the next street.”
At the second male voice, the two younger urchins disappeared, and their leader found himself facing two men alone. The lad’s bravado faded but only for a moment. Raising his cap, he executed an exaggerated bow.
“Beggin’ yer pardon, miss. I didn’t know ye were travelin’ under the gentleman’s protection. I’ll be off now.” He vanished into the shadows.
Amelia let out the breath she’d been holding. She turned to thank her rescuers and stared into a pair of familiar blue eyes. Her lips curved into a rueful grin.
“It seems you are forever coming to my aid, Your Grace.”
Phillip’s attention was focused on the young hooligans, and he didn’t answer. When he finally turned to her, his expression was serious, and she expected a lecture about being in such a neighborhood.
“Did they harm you in any way?”
“No, Your Grace. Your arrival was quite timely. Please accept my deepest gratitude.”
“It was nothing. My valet and I had just left my solicitor’s office. Allow us to escort you to… your destination.”
“My footman is waiting at the milliner’s shop not two streets away.”
Phillip frowned, but he offered his arm and they began the walk. “Why didn’t your servant accompany you here?”
“I, er, also had business with my solicitor and did not wish to subject him to such drudgery.”
“Nevertheless, he should have come with you, at least to the solicitor’s storefront.”
“I shall certainly take your advice into consideration, Your Grace,” she demurred.
How like a man to tell me what to do.
Amelia had received several offers for her hand during her seasons, but she’d refused them all. Never would she give up her freedom and subject herself to a man’s power.
Although Phillip — or rather, the Duke of Bartlett — was certainly a handsome man. And it was quite flattering the way he looked at her so intently as she spoke. It seemed he genuinely wanted to hear whatever she had to say. His rebuke hadn’t been harsh either, in light of the risk she had taken with her safety. Perhaps she should consider heeding his advice.
Arriving at Madame LeFevre’s Millinery, they found Giles waiting patiently at the door.
“Here you are, Lady Amelia. Safe and sound.” The duke paused before adding, “As much as I enjoyed our walk, I cringe at the memory of those ruffians accosting you. Please give me your word that if you should require the services of your solicitor again, you will not visit him unaccompanied. If your footman is not available, please call on me. It will be my pleasure to accompany you, or to see that one of my staff is available if I am not.”
Amelia blinked and nodded. He bowed and then walked away, followed by his valet. It was only when she felt the coldness in her mouth that she realized she’d been gaping at him, quite at a loss for words.