“Grey,” Madelaine exclaimed and bent to help him stand.
Grey waved her off. “I’ll live. Luckily for your friend, I’ve a hard head.”
Madelaine rose and glared at Abby. “Abigail Langley! What on earth are you doing here? And what were you thinking?”
Abby lifted her hem, gave Grey a narrow-eyed look, and scrambled around him before coming to stand in front of Madelaine and embrace her in a hug. “I’m here because someone in the village said they saw a woman riding hell-bent toward your home. I knew right away it had to be you. You’re the only woman I know who rides a horse as a man does.”
Madelaine frowned. “I’m sure there has to be at least one other woman who doesn’t like riding sidesaddle.”
Grey rose to his feet, rubbing his head. “Why on earth did you hit me?”
“I thought Madelaine needed saving from you.” Abby gave Grey a cool look that made Madelaine smile.
She’d never known a servant quite as confident or proud as Abby. Madelaine was so glad to see her and know she was all right.
“Where are you staying? Are you safe? Did you find employment?”
Abby cleared her throat. “I’m in town at the local inn. Mother went to Uncle Jake’s. He was only willing to take one of us in.”
Madelaine’s jaw dropped. The local inn was no place for any young woman who wanted to keep her innocence or a decent future. She grasped Abby by the arm. “Oh, Abby! I swear when Father gets out of this mess, he’ll come for you. And your mother,” Madelaine added as an afterthought.
“I’m not worried. Especially since you’re here now. You are here to stay, aren’t you?”
Madelaine glanced at Grey. Abby was the one person Madelaine could confide in and Abby had a good head for figuring things out. But she couldn’t tell her friend the truth of what was happening in front of Grey. But if Abby came with them, surely there would be a moment when they were alone, or when Grey fell asleep that they could talk. The man had to sleep, after all. An idea struck Madelaine, and she turned to Grey. “Do you think your aunt or sister would take Abby on as a servant?”
He yawned as if bored with the conversation. “If I ask them to.”
Madelaine wet her lips, embarrassed to be asking him for anything in light of what she’d done and what she was planning to do. What choice was there, though? If Grey promised to find Abby employment, he’d keep his word no matter what occurred. “Abby is an excellent hairdresser and seamstress.”
Abby nodded. “Truly I am, Lord Drivel.”
Grey smiled. “You recognize me?”
“Yes.” Her tone held amusement.
Grey’s eyes narrowed. “Was this before or after you hit me?”
Her lips pressed together, but her smile was evident. “Before.”
“Then why on earth did you hit me?” He sounded irritable with his clipped words.
“Because, Lord Drivel,” Abby replied, her tone uncharacteristically tart. “I recognized you from the day Lady Madelaine and I met you in Golden Square, but Ialsorecognize you from the day you and your men dragged Lord Stratmore from this house.”
“What’s she talking about?” Madelaine’s stomach twisted into knots.
Grey shot her a wary glance. “I’m Lord Pearson’s equerry.”
“And?” Did he expect her to be satisfied with that one line?
“And Lord Pearson was required by the king to come question your father, so I was required as well.”
Anger and disbelief curled inside her belly. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t. You didn’t ask me if I came here, so I didn’t lie. Frankly, I didn’t relish the idea of telling you I was in the company of men who took your father to the tower for treason and murder.
“What!” Abby’s face turned pale.
Madelaine ignored her friend and kept her gaze firmly on Grey. She could understand why he might be worried about telling her, but hehadlied, and she suspected he was lying to her now. But about what? The only thing she could think of was that Grey knew exactly what his brother and father were. Maybe Grey was a spy for the king as well. But if he was, then did he truly love her or was he using her to trap her father? Her father’s words about not trusting anyone, especially Grey, flooded her mind. A tremor ran through her. She’d been a fool, made dull-witted by love.
