Nowhere Near Respectable by Mary Jo Putney Read Free Book Online Page A

with you, Mr. Mackenzie, her reputation is already shredded beyond repair. I’ll meet you at the door.”
    “This way.” As the windows closed, Mackenzie took Kiri’s arm and guided her toward a small side door near the back corner of the wing.
    Kiri wondered whether he took her arm because he guessed she was exhausted to the point of keeling over. In the spacious stables where they’d left their mounts, she’d been ready to grab a horse blanket and roll up in the hay.
    He’d been right not to head to the school earlier, though. It had been a hard ride even under a clear night sky. In the rain, it would have been abysmal.
    The door opened, revealing Lady Agnes holding a lamp. She was as tall as Kiri, with a floor-length scarlet robe and a thick braid falling over her shoulder. As her guests entered, she exclaimed, “Lady Kiri! How did you fall in with this rogue?”
    For a paralyzed moment, Kiri wasn’t sure how much to say. Though she had met the headmistress briefly in her brother’s house, she didn’t really know the woman.
    But Adam trusted Lady Agnes completely, so Kiri could, too. “I was captured by smugglers, and Mr. Mackenzie helped me escape. For propriety’s sake, he thought it best to come here.”
    Lady Agnes laughed. “Propriety, Mac? That could ruin your reputation. But come along in. Shall I take you to the kitchen for food, or a bedroom for rest?”
    “The bedroom, please,” Kiri replied. “With a washbasin, if possible.”
    “It looks like you had a very muddy ride,” the headmistress agreed. “What about you, Mac?”
    “I could use some food, Lady Agnes.”
    “Then I shall meet you in the kitchen after I have settled Lady Kiri.” Lady Agnes lit a candle for Mackenzie, then turned and gestured for Kiri to come with her.
    As Kiri went up the stairs, she said, “You seem so matter-of-fact, Lady Agnes. Does this sort of thing happen often?”
    “Various forms of mayhem arrive with some regularity.” The older woman chuckled. “Having been a surrogate mother to a generation of high-spirited, rebellious boys has made me very hard to shock.”
    Kiri would love to know what Mackenzie had been like as a boy, but she was too tired to ask. Lady Agnes’s obvious affection spoke well for the man, though.
    “Since Westerfield is on the road to Dover, I usually have a guest room or two ready just in case. I’ll get a pitcher of water from my bedroom.” The headmistress retrieved the pitcher, then took Kiri into a bedroom that was well furnished if not lavish. If Kiri hadn’t been so muddy, she would have dropped facedown on the coverlet.
    Lady Agnes set the pitcher on the washstand and lit the fire laid in the fireplace. “Hot water would take time and delay your rest, so I assume cold will do?”
    “That will be lovely.” Kiri sighed. “This morning started in such a normal fashion. I had no idea what the day would bring.”
    “Someday you’ll tell this story to your grandchildren and it will seem like a jolly adventure. But it will take time to see the day like that.” The older woman smiled. “You’ll find clean nightclothes in the wardrobe. Sleep well, Lady Kiri. Tomorrow you’ll find the world a new normal.”
    Lady Agnes left, closing the door behind her. Numbly Kiri undressed, hanging Mackenzie’s damp cloak and her muddied skirt over chair backs by the fire. With luck, they would dry overnight. Both badly needed brushing to be presentable.
    After a quick wash, she pulled on the nightgown. It was short on her, but no matter. She crawled in the bed and pulled the covers over her head. The mattress seemed the most comfortable she’d ever slept on, probably because every muscle ached.
    Yet despite her fatigue, her mind was spinning. Kiri had enjoyed occasional kisses from her more attractive suitors. She’d enjoyed Godfrey’s quite a lot. That was a good part of the reason she had considered marrying him.
    But the unrespectable Damian Mackenzie was in an entirely different