A Lady Never Tells(145)

The earl frowned. “I would disagree with that. There is, of course, the danger.”

“And I would explain that we would really like to get off the estate for a while. We feel cooped up here.” Mary turned toward Rose, who nodded.

“Yes, please.” Rose gazed at Oliver in appeal.

Charlotte, playing her part, watched the supposed conversation, turning from the girls to the earl.

Oliver shook his head. “No,” he said shortly. “It’s out of the question.”

“I don’t see why.” Mary’s face turned obstinate, and she set her hands on her hips. Her voice rose as she went on, “We’re stuck in here with Miss Dalrymple every day. And we can’t even go riding without guards. We’re sick and tired of being prisoners in our own home!”

Their volume increased as they found the words falling easily into place. The earl recounted at length each and every scrape the girls had gotten into, and Mary retorted by citing the many restrictions that had been unnecessarily applied to them. Charlotte stood up as the tension built, fluttering back and forth, appealing to them to sit down and talk, not to be angry, not to shout—at least not out here where everyone could hear.

Pirate, disturbed by the disagreeable new atmosphere, began to jump back and forth between the earl and the Bascombes, whirling in circles and adding his sharp high voice to the general clamor.

“Hush, Pirate! Hush!” Rose cried at intervals, but the earl, the only one whose commands he obeyed, made not a gesture toward the dog.

Instead, he and Mary raised their voices to be heard above Pirate’s yaps, bringing more than one interested face to a window in the house.

“You cannot stop us from going to the mill!” Mary hurled at the earl.

“The devil I cannot!” Stewkesbury slammed his hand down on the glass-topped table, which sent the dog into a paroxysm of barking. “You will not go to the mill! I will not be disobeyed!”

With that, he pivoted on his heel and strode into the house. Charlotte, with an agonized glance at Rose and Mary, hurried after him, calling, “Oliver! Wait!”

Pirate trotted after the earl, then turned and looked at the girls. He ran back a few steps toward them, stopped, whirled, and finally lay down on the terrace between the girls and the door. Mary and Rose faced each other. Their nerves had been strangely calmed by the faux fight.

“How long do you think we should discuss this?” Rose asked, taking her sister’s hands and looking into her face earnestly. “I feel a fool.”

“Not long. We don’t want him to get bored and think we aren’t going to do anything if he’s watching; but on the other hand, we have to give someone time to get a message to him if there’s a traitor among the servants.” Shaking off her sister’s hands, she turned away, exclaiming, “I will not let that man tell me what to do! He’s not my father.”#p#分页标题#e#

“No, of course not.” Rose pursued her, tugging at Mary’s arm so she turned to face her. “He hasn’t any right!”

“Are the servants watching?” Mary asked in a low voice.

“The windows are full of them.”

“There are a number of gardeners peeking out from behind bushes, too. I think we should get going. We can dawdle on the way.” She stepped away, saying loudly, “Well, I am going! You can stay here and be Stewkesbury’s slave, if you want to.”

“No, Mary, wait!” Rose hurried after her sister down the steps.

Pirate ran to the edge of the stairs and barked ferociously. As the girls disappeared into the garden, he tore off down the steps after them.

The first problem, of course, was to elude the gardeners. There was little doubt that several of them had seen the argument; it was unlikely that any of the gardeners would physically try to stop them, but they might very well follow the sisters to make sure they were safe, which would effectively ruin the plan.

However, Fitz had laid out the route himself last night, having used it frequently when he was young, and it was well hidden from the view of most of the garden and quickly led out into the side yard. It was not the most direct route to the river and the mill, but it kept them well away from the gardens. The girls ran as fast as they could, and though they encountered a few amazed stares from some grooms around the stables, they met with no resistance. Soon they were clambering down a small hillside to the river.

“Whew!” Mary plopped down on a rock to recover her breath, and Rose joined her.

They kept watch to see if anyone had followed them from the house or stables, but there was no one. In only a moment, however, a small black-and-white body bounded down the hill. Pirate stopped in front of them, smiling, his stumpy tail wagging.