“Did you have a pleasant journey, Miss Studley?”
“Oh yes, most interesting,” Miss Studley responded cheerfully. “Though it took a lot longer than we expected.”
From the corner of his eye he watched as Isobel Burton pulled off her gloves, loosening one finger at a time. Removing gloves should not be erotic, Leo thought desperately. She draped them across her thigh, and smoothed them with long, elegant fingers.
Leo forced his attention back to the conversation. What had he asked about? Oh yes, the journey.
Oblivious of his inattention, Miss Studley continued, “We spent last night in an inn—the first time for either of us, and that was quite interesting. Nanny—my old nanny, you understand—wrote ahead and bespoke a bedchamber and a sitting room for us; otherwise, we would have had to share a bedchamber with strangers!”
She frowned and added breathlessly, “There will be provision made for the servants at Studley Park, won’t there, Lord Salcott? Only, when we left, none of us knew whether Papa’s cousin—the new owner—would be keeping everyone on, or staffing the house with his own people. It’s very worrying. Nanny is quite old, and the others have worked at Studley Park as long as I can remember, haven’t they, Izzy?”
Her half sister nodded. “Yes, we’re very concerned about them. The lawyer’s instructions were that we were only allowed to bring one maidservant to London—”
“And Nanny insisted she was too old to be racketing around London, so we brought Betty,” Miss Studley added.
“So we had to leave Nanny and the others behind, not knowing what their future would be. Do you have any idea, Lord Salcott?” Isobel Burton’s voice was low and melodious and velvety, a kind of audible honey.
Which was a ridiculous notion, Leo told himself sternly.Honey was not audible. Besides, his job here was to free Miss Studley from her half sister’s influence.
And not to drool over her.
“The staff at Studley Park Manor are nothing to do with me,” he said. Damn Studley—yet another responsibility the man had dodged.
Isobel Burton leaned forward. “Perhaps not, but you can make inquiries on their behalf, can you not, Lord Salcott?” Her voice was soft and seductive, her eyes luminous and full of apparent sincerity.
Leo stiffened. Lavinia had used just such caressing tones. They’d meant nothing, except that she wanted something. Such tactics no longer had any effect on him, he vowed.
“Oh yes, please do,” Miss Studley said.
“As I said, it is not my concern.”
“But you could ask,” Isobel Burton insisted. “We asked the lawyer, Mr. Melkin, about the situation with the servants, but he brushed our concerns aside, saying that such matters were nothing we should bother our pretty heads about.” She snorted. “As if we had half a brain between us. But I’m sure if a man asked, especially a lord...”
Leo was not used to having his pronouncements questioned. He would investigate—elderly servants callously abandoned after a lifetime of loyal service? Studley should have been shot. But Leo did not want her—want these girls to get the impression that he’d jump through hoops at h—attheirrequest.
He changed the subject. “So you found the journey interesting, Miss Studley. And are you looking forward to living in London?”
She hesitated, glanced at her half sister and said uncertainly, “I suppose so. The thing is, we have never been to London, and we found the sights quite strange, though fascinating of course. It took the coachman a while to find Mr. Melkin’s address in the city, and then he had to find thisplace. The streets were so crowded and busy—especially in the city—and some were so narrow we weren’t sure that the coach could fit through. And the houses are all so close together—I don’t know how anyone manages to breathe.”
Miss Studley was a chatty, soft cushion of a girl, Leo decided. A little shy, and not particularly pretty, but docile and due to inherit a fortune. She would not find it difficult to find a suitable husband. Miss Isobel Burton, however...
Lord, if she really did want to set up as a courtesan, she would have no trouble finding protectors. They would be lining up for her favors. The thought tasted sour in his mouth.
Though she did not act like a would-be courtesan. Her dress was quietly elegant and not at all provocative.
He glanced at her again and caught her looking around the room. She made no attempt to hide her curiosity. “Have you just bought this house, Lord Salcott?”
“No, but it has been leased out for the last ten years. As you can see, it’s become shabby and is now in need of refurbishing. Which has only just begun.”
“Oh, I see.” She glanced at her half sister. “Clarissa and I did wonder when we saw that most of the rooms were empty.” She finished on a note of faint inquiry, and he realized she was wondering where they would be expected to sleep.
“You will be staying with my aunt, Lady Scattergood,” he said crisply.
Her face cleared. “Oh, so that is why your man—Matteo is it?—ordered Billy—he’s the coachman—not to unload our bags.”
“Indeed,” Leo said. So, she was the kind of girl who knew the names of servants. He turned back to Miss Studley. “You will enjoy exploring the more well-known sights of London, I am sure.”
“Oh, yes,” Miss Studley said. “We are looking forward to oh, so many things—the crown jewels, of course, and thewild beasts at the Royal Exchange, and Vauxhall Gardens and the fireworks, and plays—Izzy and I have never seen a play. And I suppose there will be balls and parties, and if we are lucky, someone will procure us vouchers for Almack’s.”
