Sari Robins - [Andersen Hall Orphanage 05] by The Governess Wears Scarlet Read Free Book Online

house.”
    “Yes, Lord Steele.” The lads nodded glumly.
    To the two footmen, Steele added, “Never again.”
    “Yes, Your Lordship!”
    The two footmen led the boys away, the sounds of crunching pebbles dwindling with their departure.
    Carlton rose and moved before Lord Steele. Adjusting his coat and clutching his wrist, he sniffed. “I demand a reckoning.”
    Mrs. Pitts nodded, her keys jangling loudly in the moonlit park.
    “Oh, there’ll be one, don’t you worry.” Lord Steele scratched his chin, a thoughtful look on his face.
    “Now!” Carlton demanded.
    Steele’s head lifted. “Pardon me?”
    The butler swallowed, but raised his chin high in the air. “After all I’ve been put through, anything less is unacceptable!”
    A hint of iron seeped into Steele’s tone. “Go back to the house, Carlton. Wait for me in your rooms, and we’ll discuss this matter later, once you’ve calmed down.”
    “She must be punished! The children must be punished!”
    Lord Steele straightened to his full height, towering over the butler. “Have you ever known me not to be fair? I will do what’s necessary and what’s right.”
    “What’s right?” A note of hysteria permeated Carlton’s voice. “I didn’t sign on for this! None of it! Up at all hours! Unreasonable footmen! Unruly children! Violent governesses! Heaven help me!”
    “Ah, Carlton, ah…perhaps we should go…?” Mrs. Pitts stepped back as if hoping to separate herself from his outburst.
    Turning on her, Carlton sneered. “Don’t pretend you weren’t complaining just as loudly as me in the quiet of your rooms!”
    Mrs. Pitts’s face blanched white in the moonlight. “I don’t know what yer talkin’ about.”
    Steele turned to the housekeeper. “Help him get back to the house, Mrs. Pitts, and calm him down. I’ll deal with you both later.”
    Then he grasped Abigail’s elbow and drew her to walk beside him deeper into the park, deeper into the shadows, where they would be alone.

Chapter 5
    A bigail tried not to be unsettled by the tall, powerful man grasping her arm and leading her farther down the dark lane. The crunch of the pebbles beneath their shoes echoed loudly in the empty park. “Where are we going?”
    “To speak privately.” Steele’s voice was hard.
    “That would be improper—”
    “I’m your employer and propriety is not exactly an issue—”
    “But you’re not my employer.” Abigail dug in her heels. “And I’m not going anywhere with the likes of you.” She’d halted in a pool of moonlight, and was satisfied to note the frustration locking his chiseled jaw into place.
    Steele towered over her, his stare drilling into her. After a long moment, he turned away, running his hand through his already mussed hair in frustration. She suddenly realized that he wore no cravat and that his coat was unbuttoned, as if it had been donned in great haste. He’d probably been dressing when Carlton had informed him of Abigail’s departure.
    An odd little thrill raced up her middle that he would be so bothered as to immediately chase after her. Strangely, that thrill felt nothing like the gut-wrenching panic she usually experienced when dealing with unhappy employers, but felt much more like… anticipation .
    Crossing his arms, Steele shrugged. “Is it because I was born a commoner, not as a peer?”
    Stunned, she furrowed her brow in confusion. “No, of course not. That has nothing to do with it.”
    “Then is it because I actually work for a living?”
    “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
    He laughed, but the sound contained no mirth. “Oh, you’d be amazed how many people expect me to step down as solicitor-general now that I’m a peer of the realm. As if all I’ve ever worked for is summed up in a fancy title.”
    Abigail was astonished by the hint of hurt interlacing his tone. “If you stop working, how would you pay your bills?”
    He laughed once more, but this time with real amusement.