land herself in trouble in less than a minute.
Stephen’s eyes took on a dangerous glint. He turned to his wife, hiding the hardness in his gaze. “Why don’t you see how Jane is doing? That old dowager has been talking her ear off all night. We will find Milli. Who knows, if not with her cat, she’s probably still in the ballroom, talking to the musicians.”
Marcus forced a chuckle. “Or in the library where I found her earlier. She was looking for works by Shakespeare no less.”
Elizabeth sighed in relief. “Oh, yes, why did I not think of that? She’s probably in the library again. Marcus, would you mind looking for me, please?” She gazed across the supper room. “And poor Jane. When Lady Ducklebee finds a listening ear, the woman cannot stop talking.”
Stephen pushed his wife toward the duchess. “Go on, sweetheart. Have no worries. The Clearbrook brothers will find your lost puppy.”
Elizabeth’s face lit with amusement. “Bring Milli to supper, won’t you, Marcus? That is, if she is not resting.”
Marcus’s heart hammered with unease. Where the devil was Knightengale? “Not to worry. If she finds herself tired, I will report right back to you and leave her to her rest.”
Elizabeth nodded, oblivious to the two men glaring at each other in discomfort.
“Well,” Stephen exclaimed. “Where the devil is she? Is she with someone? I’ll kill him!”
Saying nothing, Marcus clenched his teeth and spun on his heels. Stephen grasped his shoulder, stopping him. “In the library then?”
Marcus turned his head, his gaze hard. “Since you are the lady’s guardian, I should tell you I found her in there earlier . . . with Hughmont.”
Stephen’s eyes glittered with rage. “What the devil were they doing?”
“Looking for works of Shakespeare, I believe.”
Stephen’s shoulders sagged in relief. “He’s harmless. Handsome, but harmless.”
Marcus’s lips thinned. “Zeus! He’s a man, is he not? Saw him ogling Milli’s ankles while she climbed that confounded ladder.”
Stephen clenched his hands. “Knew he was a cad.”
Marcus wondered how much to tell his brother. Time was of the essence here. “I saw Hughmont in the supper room. But Knightengale seems to be missing.”
Stephen’s body tensed. “Knightengale. He wouldn’t dare touch her.”
Marcus grimaced. “You think? They left through the French doors a half hour ago. I thought they would be back. In fact, I presumed they were back. Perhaps Milli is in the library with him now. Knightengale isn’t hard to miss.”
“Why the devil did you let them go?”
“If you do recall, I am not her guardian. And that female does not take no for an answer.”
“You don’t have to lecture me. I finally realized just how her father felt when he forced me into an engagement with Elizabeth. Hell’s teeth! Unattached females can do as much damage as Napoleon at Waterloo. Let’s go.”
Marcus left the supper room, his face grim. “Don’t do anything drastic. This is Jane’s ball. We don’t want gossip for her or Milli. You search the library. I’ll take a look in the gardens. But if you ask me, that female needs to learn more than one lesson tonight.”
Stephen started down the hall, his heels clapping hard. “Yes, well, tell that to Elizabeth. Her heart is as soft as pudding in regards to her sister. Perhaps, you can act like the mean uncle.”
Marcus muttered to himself as he strode through the French doors. “Mean uncle indeed.”
“Miss Millicent, your eyes are like two pools of black silver...”
Milli sat beside Lord Knightengale on the stone bench in the Elbourne gardens. She was looking up at the moon, wishing Marcus were sitting beside her. The glow from the night sky touched the branches on the trees, giving off almost a mystical feeling. A small bird flitted about the dark, catching her eye. Her stomach growled when the smell of the supper meats reached her nose. “Hmmmm, what was that?”
Lord
Stephen’s eyes took on a dangerous glint. He turned to his wife, hiding the hardness in his gaze. “Why don’t you see how Jane is doing? That old dowager has been talking her ear off all night. We will find Milli. Who knows, if not with her cat, she’s probably still in the ballroom, talking to the musicians.”
Marcus forced a chuckle. “Or in the library where I found her earlier. She was looking for works by Shakespeare no less.”
Elizabeth sighed in relief. “Oh, yes, why did I not think of that? She’s probably in the library again. Marcus, would you mind looking for me, please?” She gazed across the supper room. “And poor Jane. When Lady Ducklebee finds a listening ear, the woman cannot stop talking.”
Stephen pushed his wife toward the duchess. “Go on, sweetheart. Have no worries. The Clearbrook brothers will find your lost puppy.”
Elizabeth’s face lit with amusement. “Bring Milli to supper, won’t you, Marcus? That is, if she is not resting.”
Marcus’s heart hammered with unease. Where the devil was Knightengale? “Not to worry. If she finds herself tired, I will report right back to you and leave her to her rest.”
Elizabeth nodded, oblivious to the two men glaring at each other in discomfort.
“Well,” Stephen exclaimed. “Where the devil is she? Is she with someone? I’ll kill him!”
Saying nothing, Marcus clenched his teeth and spun on his heels. Stephen grasped his shoulder, stopping him. “In the library then?”
Marcus turned his head, his gaze hard. “Since you are the lady’s guardian, I should tell you I found her in there earlier . . . with Hughmont.”
Stephen’s eyes glittered with rage. “What the devil were they doing?”
“Looking for works of Shakespeare, I believe.”
Stephen’s shoulders sagged in relief. “He’s harmless. Handsome, but harmless.”
Marcus’s lips thinned. “Zeus! He’s a man, is he not? Saw him ogling Milli’s ankles while she climbed that confounded ladder.”
Stephen clenched his hands. “Knew he was a cad.”
Marcus wondered how much to tell his brother. Time was of the essence here. “I saw Hughmont in the supper room. But Knightengale seems to be missing.”
Stephen’s body tensed. “Knightengale. He wouldn’t dare touch her.”
Marcus grimaced. “You think? They left through the French doors a half hour ago. I thought they would be back. In fact, I presumed they were back. Perhaps Milli is in the library with him now. Knightengale isn’t hard to miss.”
“Why the devil did you let them go?”
“If you do recall, I am not her guardian. And that female does not take no for an answer.”
“You don’t have to lecture me. I finally realized just how her father felt when he forced me into an engagement with Elizabeth. Hell’s teeth! Unattached females can do as much damage as Napoleon at Waterloo. Let’s go.”
Marcus left the supper room, his face grim. “Don’t do anything drastic. This is Jane’s ball. We don’t want gossip for her or Milli. You search the library. I’ll take a look in the gardens. But if you ask me, that female needs to learn more than one lesson tonight.”
Stephen started down the hall, his heels clapping hard. “Yes, well, tell that to Elizabeth. Her heart is as soft as pudding in regards to her sister. Perhaps, you can act like the mean uncle.”
Marcus muttered to himself as he strode through the French doors. “Mean uncle indeed.”
“Miss Millicent, your eyes are like two pools of black silver...”
Milli sat beside Lord Knightengale on the stone bench in the Elbourne gardens. She was looking up at the moon, wishing Marcus were sitting beside her. The glow from the night sky touched the branches on the trees, giving off almost a mystical feeling. A small bird flitted about the dark, catching her eye. Her stomach growled when the smell of the supper meats reached her nose. “Hmmmm, what was that?”
Lord
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