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Chapter Nine

‘Where is MissMrs Ellery?’ After the chaos of the , the previous day had passed uneventfully Alex had dealt with his paperwork, visited soone to his club, where he had dined and spent the evening catching up with acquaintances and what gossip there was in London in early Deceood day in the end, he concluded, one mercifully free from emotion and women

He’d had so on Mrs Hobhouse, a particularly friendly youngWhen he had last been in London she had sought hiendary good taste could advise her on the paintings she should hang in her newly decorated bedchaht mood in a bedchaet quite so much sensual innuendo into one word

At the ti so her bed, and yet so out for Bruton Street, he found he’d lost interest

This ’s breakfast had been excellent Alex folded his newspaper and listened Everything was suspiciously calm It was surely too much to hope that Hannah had made a miraculous recovery and was back at her post

‘Mrs Ellery is in the kitchen, my lord’ Phipps balanced the silver salver with its load of letters and dipped it so Alex could see how much post there was ‘Shall I put your correspondence in the study, one to the stationer’s shop and will be back directly’

‘Very well’ Alex waved a vague hand in the direction of the door His secretary could ot back; he wasn’t ready to concentrate on business yet

So Tess had spent the night upstairs in the bedchamber above his own, had she? Alex picked up the paper, stared at the Parlian news didn’t make much more sense

Spain, West Indies, the Ha mails He hadn’t heard so much as a footstep on the boards overhead, but then she’d doubtless been fast asleep when he’d arrived home and had risen at least an hour before he ake So far, so good The heavens hadn’t fallen and he had obviously been worrying about nothing

Alex tossed down the Ti his peace and quiet interrupted What he needed to do was turn hisa collection of rather garish French or He made his way down the hall towards the study, then stopped dead when an alien noise, a wail, wavered through the quiet

A baby was crying Alex turned back towards the front door Surely no desperateon his blameless front step? Well, to be honest it was hardly blameless, but he had made damn sure he left no by-blows in his wake

The noise grew softer He walked back Louder—and it was co an al in the silence

When he eased open the kitchen door it was on to a doladdened the palette of soenre painter Tess was sitting at the table with a pile of account books in front of her Byfleet was standing by the fireside, polishing Alex’s newest pair of boots, while Annie sat at the far end of the table, peeling potatoes

And in a rocking chair opposite Byfleet was a wo a baby while Noel chased a ball of paper around her feet The stranger was crooning a lullaby and Alex was instantly back to the nursery, his breath tight in his chest as though arhtly

A fa there Alex let out his breath and all the heads turned in his direction except for the baby, as latched firmly on to its mother’s breast The woman whipped her shawl around it and stared at hiht as well have been brandishing a poker

‘My lord’ Tess sounded perfectly co? I’m afraid we didn’t hear’

There was a pain in his chest fro his breath and he rubbed at his breastbone ‘No I did not ring I crossed the hall and I heard a child crying’

The stranger fuot to her feet and laid the baby on the chair ‘My lord’ She dropped a curtsy and he noticed how pin neat she was, how thin ‘I aain’ Her voice was soft and her eyes were terrified