grimacing at the stubble. âI canât pay a social call looking like this.â
âYou could do with a mutton chop inside you,â Lester observed, well aware of his masterâs eating habits when he was working. âAnd a pint of good claret, I daresay.â
Harry considered this, taking stock of his body for the first time in a day and a half. âI believe youâre right, Lester. Tell Hector to serve me in the breakfast parlor and Iâll be down in half an hour.â He took the parchment out of the drawerâ¦. âOh, and have someone take this immediately to the War Office.â He dropped wax on the folded parchment, pressed his signet ring into the wax, and handed the document to Lester before leaving his office with an energetic step that belied his fatigue.
Half an hour later he was addressing a mutton chop and boiled potato and making inroads into a decanter of claret. Plain fare certainly, but Viscount Bonham had little time for the delicacies when dining alone in his own house. Food and drink merely served a purpose, and right now he was starving.
âYouâre going to call on this Lady Livia Lacey then, sir?â Lester said, more of a statement than a question. âWill I be coming with you?â
âYes, and no,â Harry said succinctly. âYouâre looking positively whey-faced again, man. When I do need you, Iâll need you in full fettle, so get some rest this afternoon. I donât need a bodyguard to pay a courtesy call on some old spinster biddy.â He wiped his mouth and threw down his napkin. âWell, Iâll be off.â He strode to the door, calling to his butler, âHector, Iâm walking round to the mews.â
âAye, mâlord.â The butler stood ready beside the hall table, the viscountâs riding cloak over his arm, beaver hat in his hand. He handed both to his master, then passed him his riding whip.
Harry nodded his thanks and went out of the front door, held by a footman, and paused on the top step to draw a deep breath of the cold air. It felt wonderfully refreshing after his hours of stuffy incarceration, and his head cleared immediately, his fatigue dropping away from him.
He walked around to the mews and waited patiently while his horse was saddled, inhaling the sweet fragrance of the hay overlaid with the stable smells of leather, manure, and horseflesh. He recognized his sense of slightly heady euphoria as an old friend, the natural result of his long hours of work and the utterly satisfactory conclusion of that work. Later would come exhaustion and a dreamless sleep. But for the moment he was running on nervous energy.
Eric led the chestnut from the stable and held him while the viscount mounted. âIâll fetch the cob, shall I, mâlord?â
âYes, Iâll need you to walk Perseus while I pay a call. Itâs too cold to leave him standing.â He sat the chestnut, murmuring softly to him as the animal shifted impatiently on the cobbles, threw back his head against the bridle, and showed every sign of wanting to be on the move. As soon as Eric appeared on the sturdy cob, the chestnut needed no encouragement and plunged forward towards the arched entrance to the mews. Harry checked him with a sharp word, and the animal obeyed, high-stepping onto South Audley Street.
It was early afternoon when Harry arrived outside the house in Cavendish Square. He looked up at the dilapidated facade, frowning. Why on earth wouldnât the new owner, a country dweller with presumably no interest in town life, jump at the chance to sell her inheritance at an inflated price? It made absolutely no sense at all. Then he remembered what Masters, the lawyer, had said. Perhaps the ladyâs circumstances are not what we think.
True, he knew nothing about her, and it mattered little. But where did the children come in? He was sure Lester had mentioned children. A husband could complicate