Leverage. He intended to use Cian as leverage. She stiffened her resolve as she reached the bottom of the steps. She was doing the right thing, absconding with the baby. She must continue to tell herself that.
Marcus came in through the front doorway. “My carriage is outside. I’ve drawn a rudimentary map to White Haven for the coachman. You understand that I’ve never been there before and only have a vague notion of where it is. Somewhere near Crawley in Sussex is all I know. Are you sure you want to do this? Don’t you want to wait until the morning at least? There is a suite prepared at Haverly House for you.”
“And I appreciate it, but I’ve had enough of London for a while. I don’t even feel like my own man here. I don’t know if I ever will again. It’s impossible to know whom to trust.” He flicked a glance Diana’s way, and she flinched.
The footmen passed her, laden with bags. She spied the one full of baby clothes, and guilt smote her. Evan was right not to trust her.
But she was right not to trust him too. She barely knew him, and he’d given her precious few choices since their first meeting, whether it was to waltz with him, or how long they would be engaged, or even whether they would stay in London. Instead, he’d exercised his male authority, dictating like an autocrat … or like an army officer.
For the moment, she would labor under the mantra that it was easier to get forgiveness than it was to get permission. She’d get the baby away and hope to keep him a secret for as long as possible.
“Let’s go.” Evan opened the door.
She crossed to the threshold before Marcus stopped her. “I haven’t had a chance to kiss the bride yet.”
Come to think of it, neither had her husband.
Marcus’s eyes were kind as he bent and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Take care, Diana.”
“Thank you, Marcus.”
“I’ll wander down to see you one of these days. If there is anything you need, just send word.” He squeezed her upper arms and stepped back. “The same for you, Evan. I’ll turn up on your doorstep one of these days. And you’re always welcome at Haverly House if you need a place to stay.”
As Diana stepped out of her father’s townhouse, she felt released and trapped anew at the same time. The carriage waited at the curb, and behind it a wagon loaded with luggage. Evan’s former sergeant, Mr. Shand, jogged up and tossed his own rucksack on the pile and climbed aboard.
There was no sign of Beth, but Diana prayed she had reached the carriage safely. The curtains were pulled, and Diana couldn’t see inside.
Evan shook hands with Marcus. “‘Thank you’ doesn’t seem like enough for all you’ve done for us. I’ll send the coach and horses back as soon as I can.”
Marcus opened the carriage door, and Evan handed Diana inside. She ducked to avoid hitting her bonnet brim on the doorway, and her eyes locked with Beth’s. On the seat beside the little maid, the hamper sat, and no noise came from it.
Beth gave an encouraging smile. “He’s sleeping still,” she whispered.
As Diana settled across from her, Evan grabbed the doorframe on either side and pulled himself up. He paused in the doorway, seeing the girl.
“Who is this?” He frowned.
“My maid.”
He eyed the basket as he took his seat next to Diana. With his broad shoulders, Diana felt a bit crowded and sidled over to give him more room.
“Can’t she ride in the other wagon? We have a few things to talk about, you know.”
She could feel his anger, and she bit her lip. Just as well that Beth was here. “She cannot travel on the baggage wagon in the open air. It’s much too cold. And there are no other ladies along, so it wouldn’t be proper for her to be in company with a strange man alone. Aren’t you going to ride your horse alongside the carriage?”
“I don’t have a horse. Not yet, anyway.”
To her horror, he lifted his feet and nudged the hamper aside to stretch his legs and rest his boots on the opposite seat. Beth scrambled to right the basket and keep the lid closed, as she sent a panicked gaze toward Diana.
Please, please, please. Diana prayed that the baby would stay asleep through the jostling, and for as long as possible until they were well away from her father’s townhouse.
The carriage started with a jerk, and they were off. Evan leaned back, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Beth kept her hand atop the basket, her eyes going from Diana to Evan and back again, her bottom lip hiding behind her teeth.
Diana didn’t know if she drew a breath until they crossed the Battersea Bridge and put the Thames between the carriage and her father’s house. She had no idea how far it was to White Haven, nor what they would meet when they arrived, but as long as the baby was quiet, they would be all right. If her father held true to form, he would most likely drink himself into oblivion this evening and, hopefully, not remember about the baby for a long time.
The carriage had barely reached the outskirts of South London when mewling cries leaked from the basket.
What was making that sound? Had an animal become trapped in the carriage somehow? Evan straightened, dropping his feet to the floor. The noise came from the basket beside the maid. Had she brought her cat with her?
The mewling changed to a cry.
Not a cat.
The maid, looking guilty, opened the basket and lifted out a squalling red-faced infant. Eyes screwed shut, mouth open, only a small triangle of its face showed, as swaddled as it was.
“Who is that?” Evan ground out the words. He had experienced too many surprises today to want another.
Diana’s face gave her away. She wasn’t surprised about the baby.
The maid spoke first. “My lord, the baby’s mine. Please don’t be angry with my lady. She’s got such a kind heart. When the baby came along, she didn’t throw me out without a character, like most fine ladies would. She let me keep my job and keep little Cian with me. I don’t know what I would’ve done otherwise. I’d have had to put him in an orphanage. There wouldn’t be any jobs for a girl like me with a baby and no husband, and I might’ve ended up walking the streets.” The words tumbled out, and her blue eyes pleaded with him as her cheeks flooded with color.
Bewilderment gave way to anger, which gave way to pity. In a way, she reminded him of the young women who followed the soldiers from camp to camp. Young, trapped in a life they saw no way to escape, at the mercy of others and only trying to survive. He’d always been wary of them, while at the same time feeling sorry for their plight.
“Please don’t turn me out, sir.” She snuggled the child against her shoulder. “He’s a good boy, he really is. And I can still do my work taking care of your lady.”
He sucked in a breath as the baby wailed. “I’m not going to turn you out.” His voice was rougher than he’d intended, almost a growl.
A strong look passed between the maid and Diana, and they both eased a bit. Frustration gnawed at Evan. Yet another secret his new wife had kept from him. A ladies’ maid with a child.
He wondered that the Duke of Seaton had kept the young woman in his employ. He was a brutish, greedy lout, but he was also a high stickler. Maybe Diana had kept the girl’s condition from him too.
A secretive woman, his new wife, and it would behoove him to remember that.