Deborah Simmons - The Devil Earl by The Devil Earl

Author:The Devil Earl [Earl, The Devil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2010-12-24T00:08:06.094000+00:00

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Chapter Twelve

Shrugging off his strange mood, Sebastian walked through the servants' entrance, as had become his habit of late. The town house was cold and quiet, however, for the kitchen staff were abed, and only a few lights burned over sleepy footmen. Stepping over assorted trunks and the odd piece of furniture that was destined to go with him, Sebastian moved to the doorway of the room where his steward was still shuffling papers, and rested his hand against the jamb. Suddenly he wondered if the man ever slept.

"There has been a change of plans, Martin," he said softly.

The steward's arm jerked, and his head came up in surprise. "Oh, you startled me, my lord!" he muttered, obviously embarrassed.

"I have been known to do that," Sebastian said with a wry smile. Pausing for Martin to recover his composure, the earl glanced around the room, where crates stood waiting to be moved. "I shall not be going to Yorkshire, as yet." If ever, he thought, surprising himself. Perhaps his destiny lay not in returning to his roots but in putting down new ones, and what more fitting place than Wolfinger, which had harbored his kind for centuries? "I have decided to go to Wolfinger, after all."

"But I just told them to close it up again," Martin protested. Amused at the unusual outburst, Sebastian watched as Martin brought himself under control. The steward had good cause to be exasperated, for Sebastian had, indeed, been toying with Wolfinger's charms for some time now.

"I am sorry, my lord. I will send a messenger to the abbey, of course," Martin said.

"Do not bother. I am leaving Friday."

"Friday? But I can hardly get a man there in time!"

"Do not worry yourself over it, Martin," Sebastian said. He had never let himself become upset over such mundane details. The house would be opened and staffed as soon as possible, and that would have to do well enough. Pulling away from the door, he suddenly stopped and rubbed a palm across his chin thoughtfully.

Perhaps the delay could work to his advantage, Sebastian mused. He pictured Prudence standing alone in the vastness of Wolfinger, wandering the dimly lit galleries like one of her heroines, and he smiled slowly. He knew as surely as he breathed that she would love it, and in pleasing her, he knew, he would well please himself. Sebastian wrestled with an unfamiliar stab of excitement and raised an expressionless face to his steward.

"In fact, it might be better if the house were not officially opened," he said, ignoring Martin's dumbfounded stare. "I will take care of all the arrangements when I get there."

"But, my lord, you will need quite a few servants for a residence the size of the abbey. I believe that a couple are kept on retainer, and some you may hire locally, but still, you will need kitchen help, maids, footmen, stablemen, grooms. I can attend to it personally, my lord," he offered. "Some of those who were to go to Yorkshire with you may be sent to the abbey, instead, so that you need suffer no hardship.

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