A Duke of Her Own(54)

"I plan to pay a visit to the orphanage in Sevenoaks as soon as I am dressed."

Her mouth formed a perfect rosebud. A confused rosebud. "Why on earth do you need to do that?

The orphans will return this afternoon, I assure you. A group of them come every afternoon to work on the play, though now we've turned it to a treasure hunt."

One couldn't help but admire her devotion to those poor children. But the fact that two of them might be his own made him edgy. Still, he couldn't figure out exactly how to answer.

Eleanor broke in. "The duke is thinking of sponsoring the orphanage," she called down to Lisette.

"He's quite charitable, you know. I've heard tell that he's peopled his very own orphanage."

Tobias snorted, but Lisette's smile didn't waver. "I am thinking of doing that as well," she said earnestly. "Occasionally I have thought that the orphans are too thin, and wondered if they were well cared for. But I am assured that they eat sufficiently. If I had my own orphanage, I would make certain that they were offered only the foods they preferred."

"So I shall tour the orphanage this morning," Villiers said.

"We shall come with you!" Lisette said, clapping her hands. "Do you know, I've never toured the building? The children simply come to me, whenever I request it. I should like to see their dear little beds."

"Excellent," Eleanor said. "We shall all go to the orphanage this morning. Lisette...Tobias." She walked back into her room without saying goodbye to Villiers, which didn't sit well with him.

He scowled and didn't even realize that Lisette was cheerily calling him to meet her in the breakfast room until Eleanor had already left. At least Lisette understood that one didn't simply turn away from a duke.

He turned to enter his chamber.

"Hey!"

Hey? Could it be that someone was addressing him such? He turned, reluctantly. After all, he knew the voice.



"Do you want me to go to the orphanage and poke around?"

"Poke?" he said, staring down at Tobias. "What on earth would you look around for?"

"I can see what it's like. I've heard stories about that sort of place."

"Stories about orphanages?" Villiers's jaw tightened but he pushed the thought away. Of course his children were fine. For one thing, Lisette saw to the orphans' welfare herself. But Tobias had an awkward eagerness to him, as if he were a setter on a leash. "All right," he said.

Tobias gave a sharp nod and set off.

"Wait!" Villiers bellowed. And then, feeling very queer to be saying it, he asked: "Have you broken your fast?"

Tobias cast him a look of absolute scorn. "I'm in the nursery," he said. "I was offered gruel at six this morning."

"Gruel? They made you eat gruel?"

He gave a sharp burst of laughter. "I don't eat that! The footman brought me a meat pasty."

"I hope you tipped him." Villiers paused. "Do you have any money?"

"No thanks to you," Tobias said, but without anger. "Ashmole gave me some. I'll be off now." And he was gone.

Villiers dressed meditatively, but with speed. In the last month he had gained some experience in dealing with the class of persons who cared for indigent children. With the intent of inspiring awe, if not fear, he chose a riding costume of a deep scarlet, with buttonholes picked out in gold thread.

His breeches buttoned tightly to the side of his knee; his hussar buskin boots gleamed, and more importantly, each sported a tassel of French silk. He pulled back his hair and tied it with a scarlet ribbon. Finally he slid on his heavy signet ring and belted on his sword stick.

Some minutes later, Lisette sat beside him in the carriage, chattering like a magpie about the children, the treasure hunt, and about Mrs. Minchem, who ran the orphanage.

"Mrs. Minchem?" Eleanor inquired. "I don't like that name."

Villiers didn't like it much either.

Lisette was off in a peal of laughter. "You can't judge people by their names, silly Eleanor!" she said. "Why, think if we were to judge you by the name Eleanor." "What of it?" Eleanor said, raising an eyebrow.

But Lisette galloped ahead. "You know what I mean," she cried. "It's a heavy name, isn't it? Don't you think so, Leopold?"

"It's a queen's name," he said. "A chaste name." He didn't look at Eleanor. "Yes, I think it sounds like the kind of queen who is locked in a tower and never allowed to fall in love."



"That's sad," Lisette said, her mouth drooping. "Whereas your name is as pretty as you are," he said.

Eleanor's eyes narrowed and he realized too late that he had inadvertently implied that Lisette was prettier than Eleanor. Lisette was prettier than Eleanor, but since Eleanor had that sultry ladybird look, no red-blooded man in the vicinity of the two of them would want Lisette over Eleanor.