LITMIR.BIZ

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fact, I found the man quite insufferable—but I have seen some of the qualities you speak of and I’m willing to take a chance on him—as he might with me.’

      Chapter Three

      Mrs Brody had been shown into the drawing room. Lucas would have known it was her the moment he entered, even before his eyes lighted on her. It was the perfume she wore—that was the thing he remembered about her—a subtle smell, hardly noticeable at all, but nevertheless a part of her.

      Dressed in open-necked shirt and light grey silk waistcoat, Lucas stood surveying her from beneath frowning dark eyebrows.

      For a moment Eve stared at him blankly. He watched her in silence, fixing her with a gaze so hard that she quailed. What a strong presence this English lord had. It filled the room, momentarily distracting her from her reason for being there. His bearing was proud and he was a man of uncertain temperament. Eve wondered what dark secrets lay behind that handsome visage.

      Normally she was unimpressed with exceptionally handsome men because they were either vain or after her money, but this man was neither. He was thoughtful, intelligent and thoroughly male, positively emanating masculine sensuality. All of these attributes, combined with the fact that he had two adorable motherless children, made Eve decide that he was in every respect the right man she wished to work for. His words brought her back to reality with a jolt.

      ‘Mrs Brody! You seem to have a propensity for invading my home. What is it this time?’ he asked with mock civility. ‘A mislaid child or dog, or another dressing down?’

      ‘None of those.’ She could hear defiance in her own voice, which she tried to moderate. ‘How is Abigail? None the worse for her encounter with the tree, I hope?’ she asked in an attempt to ease the situation between them.

      ‘Abigail is very well considering, Mrs Brody.’

      ‘Then I’m relieved to hear it.’

      ‘I suspect you are not here to ask about Abigail. This is a surprise.’

      ‘And not a very pleasant one, I take it, Lord Stainton?’

      ‘That remains to be seen, though I must admit I had not taken you for a lady who indulged in afternoon calls to gentlemen’s homes. Does visiting friends not keep you busy? I imagined you to be fully occupied from morning till night on the frivolous pastimes with which you ladies fill your days.’

      His tone was caustic and his gaze ironic and Eve longed to tell him to go to the devil, but with everything balanced on this interview, and not wishing to antagonise him until she’d told him the reason for her visit, with great self-control she managed to smile politely.

      ‘As a matter of fact, I prefer to fill my time with more worthwhile pursuits, but I hardly think you would spend your time light-mindedly thinking of what I do with my time, Lord Stainton.’

      ‘Oh, and why is that, Mrs Brody?’

      ‘It is merely an impression you give. The picture I have of you in my mind is of a man who does not employ himself with useless thoughts of other people.’

      ‘Really. I had no idea you had any picture of me in your mind at all, Mrs Brody. In fact, as we have only seen each other on four occasions, I fail to see how you have had time to form any opinion at all.’

      ‘Oh, I can be charitable when I want to be, Lord Stainton—although I am certainly no saint. Far from it, in fact. My father was for ever telling me that I am not a lady, for I have this awkward habit of arguing when I should be listening and speaking my mind when I should be quiet. Our previous encounters have been unfortunate, and the one at Lady Ellesmere’s a misunderstanding. We—do seem to have got off on the wrong foot.’

      ‘Don’t we just.’

      Not to be put off, she ploughed on. ‘I…have given our unfortunate encounters—and your predicament—some thought, Lord Stainton.’

      ‘Indeed!’ With narrowed, shuttered eyes focused on her face, he moved closer, looming over her. ‘My predicament! And you know all about that, do you?’

      ‘I know that Miss Lacy is to leave your employment very soon and that you must be concerned for your children’s future well being.’

      The muscles of his face tightened and a hard gleam entered his eyes. ‘Prying into my affairs is a tasteless invasion of my privacy, Mrs Brody. I am very grateful for your concern, but I can assure you I don’t need it.’

      Eve began to feel her spirits drop. ‘I see. So you have already found a replacement.’

      ‘No, as a matter of fact I have not—at least not yet.’ Lucas was becoming extremely frustrated at the difficulty he was having trying to find a suitable nursemaid. There were plenty of available women well qualified in looking after children, but none of them seemed willing to take on the position of working for the formidable Lord Stainton. Only two had approached him. One had the hard features of a harridan he would never consider letting close to his children, and he was sure there had been the smell of drink about the other.

      ‘Then perhaps I can be of help.’

      ‘You? Mrs Brody, am I supposed to be impressed or flattered by your show of interest in me and my affairs? Dear me, what a persistent busybody you are.’

      ‘I have a proposition to put to you, Lord Stainton,’ she went on, ignoring his sarcastic diatribe and looking him straight in the eye, ‘a proposition that may be of benefit to us both.’

      Resting his hips against a rather splendid walnut desk, the only piece of furniture left in the room, he regarded her coldly. ‘I am intrigued.’

      Eve wasn’t sure how to interpret his tone. She waited for him to ask her to go on, but instead he folded his arms and stared at her, looking oddly impatient. She’d gone over what she wanted to say to him so many times that she was afraid it was going to sound like a well-rehearsed speech, and now the moment had arrived it came out in one sentence.

      ‘I would like to apply for the position as nursemaid to your children.’

      ‘What?’ His amazement was genuine and he looked at her incredulously. ‘You?’

      Eve felt a wave of desperation as she strove for control and to calm her mounting fears. ‘As mad and impossible as it seems to you, yes, me.’

      ‘Mrs Brody! Is this your idea of a joke?’

      Eve stiffened and lifted her chin. ‘A joke? I find nothing amusing, Lord Stainton. I have given the matter a great deal of thought and it’s a solution I am sure would suit us both.’

      Recovering from the shock her suggestion had caused, Lucas burst out laughing unpleasantly, his reaction telling her that her application was not only ridiculous, but laughingly so. ‘You, of all people, want to look after my children?’

      Eve flushed violently. This arrogant Englishman had a habit of crushing her with shame and anger, but she refused to retreat now she had come so far. ‘There is nothing unusual in it, Sir. I like children—indeed, I have one of my own, as you know. I am eminently suitable to be a nursemaid and have the advantage of having met Sophie and Abigail. They are two beautiful girls and I get on with them well.’

      ‘Yes, I saw that in the park,’ Lucas was forced to concede, having dwelt on the charming picture that had remained in his mind of Mrs Brody comforting Abigail with soft words as she held her close. ‘But—forgive me if I seem somewhat perplexed. You see, I have been led to believe that you are a wealthy woman, Mrs Brody, in which case I am bewildered as to why you should be seeking such lowly employment.’

      ‘I do not consider looking after children to be a lowly occupation, Lord Stainton—quite the opposite, in fact. It is a worthwhile and rewarding profession. It is true that my father was a wealthy man—and as his only child that wealth will pass to me. Unfortunately, there are legal matters to be taken care of in America, and until such time as the money is made available to me, I find myself in—unfortunate circumstances. I also have a

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