Slightly Sinful by Mary Balogh

Author:Mary Balogh
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780440334927
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2004-04-26T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XIII

ALLEYNE BREAKFASTED ALONE—ON SLIMY, cold bacon, sausages that were pink in the center, toast that was burned, and coffee that was weak and lukewarm. He passed over the eggs, which were congealed in the warming dish on the sideboard.

Rachel had gone straight up to her room from the stables—to write a letter, she had explained.

He found two of the other ladies out in the parterre gardens when he stepped outside later to look around. They were sitting on a long seat there, on either side of the baron. Flossie was dressed in black even to her lacy parasol, while Phyllis was all in pink. They made a pretty, eminently respectable picture. Alleyne suppressed a wave of amusement as he went to join them, making a conscious effort to put as little weight as possible on his cane. His leg was holding up well after the ride.

“Ah, here comes Sir Jonathan,” Flossie said, giving her parasol a twirl.

“Good morning.” Weston inclined his head as Alleyne bowed to all three of them.

“We saw you earlier through the window, Sir Jonathan,” Phyllis cried, “did we not, Flora? And we persuaded dear Lord Weston to come and take a look too. You were keeping Rachel as safe as can be up on your horse. You made a very handsome and romantic-looking couple, I must say.”

Alleyne acknowledged her words with a grin. “We found the cascades among the trees, sir,” he said, “and sat there for a while. It is a lovely part of the park.”

Weston nodded. He did not look much better for a night’s sleep.

“I have had a complaint from my head groom,” he said, “that your valet of all people, Smith, has been interfering in the running of the stables.”

When Alleyne and Rachel had left there earlier, Strickland had been stripped to the waist, mucking out stalls. And a few grooms had been busy right alongside him. Alleyne had declined his offer to return to the house to help him change out of his riding clothes.

“I beg your pardon, sir,” he said. “My valet was an infantry sergeant until he lost an eye at the Battle of Waterloo. He is accustomed to working hard and ordering other men to do likewise when there is work to be done.”

“And there was work to be done in the stables?” the baron asked with a frown.

Alleyne hesitated. Allowing his valet to give orders to the Chesbury grooms in order to set the stables to rights was a breach of etiquette that was not likely to endear him to Baron Weston’s heart.

“It was early morning, sir,” he explained, “and Strickland came out to the stables with me to help me mount, as this was my first time in the saddle since I injured my leg. There was only one groom there and much to be done to care for the horses and clean their stalls. I daresay it would all have been done or at least underway if we had arrived there an hour or so later.

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