"That was certainly a short drive, my lord." A familiar fatherly figure greeted them. "I am sorry I was not able to meet you at the door. I was attending to a request by her ladyship."
///
Ivy resisted the urge to hug the middle-aged man who appeared at their side. The butler, Mr. Gordon, had been a surrogate father to her. She met his gaze and a faint twinkle winked out of the gray depths.
"Gordon, would you believe it? I found one of Mother's guests stranded on the road. Her speedabout malfunctioned. This is Miss Ivy Leighton."
The butler bowed.
"Lovely to meet you, Mr. Gordon," she replied, hoping Leo didn't hear the breathless note to her voice. This ruse of mystery concocted by Leo's mother was not going to be easy to carry on whilst in the company of old friends.
But it won't be forever. I'll tell him soon enough who I really am. I just want to pretend a moment longer that I'm a lady and he is a gentleman and that …
She put an end to that hopeful trail her thoughts were taking. Wanting Leo to fall in love with her was a dangerous dream. Lady Hampton had hopes that Leo would and had mentioned it during their tea, but Ivy wasn't so sure. It sounded as if Leo was looking for a traditional wife, much to his mother's dismay. I'm not a traditional woman and I certainly don't need a husband. She hadn't had the heart to tell Leo's mother that she had no plans to marry. A modern woman simply couldn't submit to a husband, not without sacrificing her rights.
"A pleasure, Miss Leighton," Gordon rumbled, a hint of a smile peeping out from beneath the neatly styled gray mustache. "I will have the footmen see that your belongings are put in your chambers. Lady Hampton is having tea on the terrace, should you care to join her."
Leo glanced at Ivy, and then frowned slightly as though considering her. "I suppose you'd like to freshen up before tea? Shall I wait for you?"
It was on the tip of her tongue to say no, but she was a guest, and he would want to wait for her.
"Yes, thank you. I'll only be a moment."
Gordon gestured for Ivy to follow him up the stairs. "This way, Miss Leighton."
They left Leo at the bottom of the stairs as Gordon took her to the India Room, her favorite of all the guest rooms. She felt a bit like a favored concubine of a sultan as she stroked her fingers over the red damask cover. Gordon had known she was coming and put her in the room she'd always loved. He stepped aside for a footman to set her bags on the floor next to her bed. The footman shot a shy glance in her direction before ducking out of the room.
Before leaving, Gordon whispered conspiratorially, "We're so glad you're back, Miss Ivy. Mrs. Gordon cannot wait to see you. You've been sorely missed all these years."
He smiled warmly, and she blinked away tears as memories of him and the other staff at Hampton assailed her with longing.
Leaving them had been devastating. But when her father had discovered he had a daughter, he'd moved heaven and earth to bring her to London and make up for his absence during the first eight years of her life. The past had been buried, and with it, all connections to Hampton until she'd received Mina's invitation to tea in London.
"Thank you, Gordon. I'm happy to be back. Please tell the others, even though I cannot show it."
The butler smiled. "They know. Her ladyship has informed us of the particulars of why."
Ivy grinned. "Poor Leo."
Gordon snorted. "She is most determined to shake him out of his severity of character. I think she fears he will follow through on his intention to marry Miss Mildred Pepperwirth."
"Who?" A prickle of jealousy flitted through Ivy on dark wings. Although she had no claim to Leo, she didn't like the idea of him proposing to anyone. Lady Hampton had left out any mention of another woman when they'd been concocting this plan to revive the wild, wicked man Leo had once been.
"The daughter of Viscount Pepperwirth. She lives in the neighboring park. A well-bred lady, but-" Gordon clamped his mouth shut.
"But not what Leo needs in a wife?" Ivy supposed. It shouldn't have mattered; she had no intention of competing with another woman for his affections. Even if she had a foolish notion of wishing to marry, which she certainly didn't, how could she compete with a woman who likely had a pedigree dating back to Charlemagne?
"If her ladyship believes you are the one for Leo, you should trust her," Gordon said.
True words. Ivy couldn't deny that. The countess had always been right in every situation, but that did not change Ivy's plan to never have a husband.