Lucy jumped up and ran to the door. “Coming, Uncle Winn!” she called then ran across the hall to the water closet. She scrubbed her face, brushed her teeth, and stuck some pins in her hair then raced back to the chamber she shared with Margaret. Margaret held out clean underthings, and Lucy stripped and allowed Margaret to help her pull on all of the requisite undergarments. By the time Uncle Winn called again, Lucy was pulling on her gloves and Margaret was working her boots with a buttonhook.
“Good enough,” Lucy said, even though one boot was only buttoned partway. “Where are my bags?”
“Beside the door. Off you go.”
Lucy ran to the door then turned and ran back, pulling Margaret into an embrace. Margaret, who was never one for grand shows of emotion, tolerated the affection and even returned it with a squeeze. “Go be brilliant.”
“I’ll write to you.”
And then Lucy had her bag in hand and was tripping down the stairs—literally almost tripping as her boot was loose. She stumbled unceremoniously to the landing on the ground floor then looked up at Uncle Winn and Duncan, who were both standing about as though they’d been waiting for hours.Hadthey been waiting for hours? Uncle Winn was fully dressed and holding a cup of tea. Duncan was also fully dressed, his auburn hair styled so it flowed back from his forehead and his neckcloth tied perfectly. Beside the men, Lucy felt like something the cat dragged in.
“Let’s hope no one decides to attack the Crown in the early morning hours,” Uncle Winn said. “All will be lost.”
Lucy scowled at him and bent to pick up her valise, which she’d dropped at the base of the stairs. Slorach beat her to it and lifted her bag and his own, carrying them out to the waiting carriage. He didn’t speak to her or attempt morning pleasantries, which she appreciated. Instead, he assisted her into the carriage and took the rear-facing seat. Uncle Winn handed them both letters of introduction. “I expect thrice weekly reports and immediate notice if there is an incident.”
“Yes, sir,” Duncan said, tucking his letter into his frock coat.
Lucy stifled a yawn.
Uncle Winn closed the door, and the carriage started away. Lucy stifled another yawn and wished she’d managed to wake early enough to have a cup of tea. Even as she thought it, Duncan reached into his pocket, withdrew a flask, and handed it to her. “Bit early, isn’t it?” she said, eyeing the flask.
“It’s only tea,” he said. “I thought you might need it.”
Lucy took the flask, opened the lid, and sniffed. Darjeeling. She closed her eyes. “Thank God.”
“There’s bread and cheese in that basket.”
Lucy opened her eyes and glanced at the basket he indicated on the floor.
“I know you don’t like to eat when you’re riding in a coach, but perhaps on the train you might partake.”
“How do you know riding in carriages makes me queasy?” Lucy asked as she sipped her tea.
He shrugged. “You must have mentioned it once or twice.”
Lucy might have wondered more, but then Duncan was an agent, like herself. He was supposed to be observant. The tea and the sun coming up over the horizon was beginning to have an effect, and she remembered her boot was still partially unfastened. She set the flask aside and bent to lift the hem of her gown. Margaret had fastened her into a tight corset, as was the fashion, and Lucy couldn’t bend over very much. While training, Lucy and Margaret wore their hems high and pantaloons to their ankles under their gowns. They also wore loose corsets they could fasten and unfasten themselves. But Lucy was supposed to be a nanny now, not an agent. Her skirts were long and full, and her corset dug into her ribs. Still, she made a valiant effort to grasp hold of the boot without her skirts flying up and revealing her bare legs. She tried to secure the next button on the boot, but her gloved fingers couldn’t find purchase.
“Do you need help?” Duncan asked.
“I can fasten my own boots,” she retorted. He didn’t speak again, and she continued to struggle. Why hadn’t she taken the buttonhook with her? She removed her gloves and managed to get one button fastened, but her fingers were clumsy and cold, and she finally sat back in defeat. “I blame you for this.”
Duncan had been looking out the window, and now he gave her an uncomprehending look.
“Well, notyoubut men. Men design these boots and make them impossible to fasten. It’s almost as though men want women helpless and unable to even dress themselves.”
“I’m not here to defend my gender or female fashions, but I will fasten your boot, if you like.”
Lucy crossed her arms. “You think you can do it? I don’t have a buttonhook, and your hands are bigger than mine.”
Duncan merely raised his brows in challenge. “May I?” He indicated the boot.
Lucy lifted it and watched as he took it in his lap. She hadn’t thought he would do that. She didn’t know how she thought he might fasten it—perhaps sink to his knees and work on it from that position. But of course, this made more sense. It was just that she could feel the heat of his body through the leather, and she was uncomfortably aware of how intimate this position seemed.
She was tempted to withdraw her foot, but she was a woman of seven and twenty and worldly enough not to blush when a man touched her foot. Except her face hadn’t received that message because she could feel the heat in her cheeks.
She watched as Duncan removed his gloves and turned her foot slightly so he had access to the buttons. Then, with great dexterity, he fastened the remaining buttons. Lucy’s mouth dropped open. His fingers had to be quite strong to manage the feat so quickly. Strong and agile. She’d never realized before how long and slender his fingers were. Aristocratic hands, she thought as she gazed at them. Why hadn’t she noticed how fine his hands were? No wonder he could throw knives so well.
Duncan looked up at her, and Lucy quickly looked away, pretending she had been staring out the window and not at his hands. Lord, but she did not need him catching her staring at him. He would think she carried a tendre for him, tell her brother and their friend Hew Arundel, and next thing she knew all the men would be teasing her.
