He cocked his head to one side and studied me until I could feel my cheeks beginning to heat. ‘Your accent is changing, Miss Lawrence.’
‘It is?’ Then I caught on. ‘I’m a linguist, I am used to picking up new accents.’
‘Which languages do you speak?’
‘French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian and I am working on Mandarin, which is hellish. But never mind that. What are we going to do about not changing the future?’
‘Not tell anyone about where – when – you come from, for a start. Certainly not the Royal Society.’ There was real regret in his voice and I could imagine he would start making copious notes, just in case he could produce an earth-shattering revelation for the Society after all. ‘And we will try and keep our curiosity about the future in check. Other than that, I cannot see what there is to be done about it.’ He shrugged. ‘This must have happened before, do you not think? The world has not come to an end thus far.’
‘True. But which world? We wouldn’t know what might have happened if some other time traveller hadn’t landed somewhere. Somewhen.’ I just wished I didn’t have that itch between the shoulder blades that was warning me that I might cease to exist at any moment. ‘I will go and get dressed.’
They both went blank again.
‘When I come from mentioning bodies and seeing people with not many clothes on is quite normal. I’m not embarrassed. Couldn’t you both pretend I’m male?’
Garrick choked. Lucian bit his lip. ‘No.’
They were arguing when I came back in my clean, beautifully pressed clothes, without the robe over the top. If I ever got out of this time I wanted to take that robe with me. Simply touching the heavy silk made me want to purr, but I couldn’t trail about in the thing all day and Lucian (if I kept calling him that I might manage to forget he was an earl) and Garrick had to get used to me as I was.
‘You must go out and purchase suitable clothing for Miss Lawrence,’ Lucian was saying. ‘I can hardly walk into Almack’s with her dressed in whatever it is she arrived in.’
‘But, my lord, it might not be safe for you to go out, not after last night.’ Garrick sounded agitated. ‘Those were not normal footpads by the sound of it.’
‘I am damned if I am going to skulk in here. A young lady has vanished, Cottingham’s out of his mind with worry about his sister and Selbourne’s under a cloud of suspicion thanks to Cottingham’s hysterical accusations. If that attack last night means I am making whoever has taken her uneasy then I cannot let it drop. Even if I have no clue what they think I might have discovered. Whoever they are. Miss Lawrence.’ He was on his feet again.
‘Cassie. Please sit down.’
‘Tea, Miss Lawrence? Or coffee? Hot chocolate?’
‘I suppose it is impossible to get you to call me Cassie, Garrick? Coffee, please.’ I wasn’t going to risk more tea that tasted like the Earl Grey, and I needed some caffeine. Urgently.
‘Coffee, certainly. And most certainly I could not bring myself to address you so, ma’am.’
‘What may I give you, Miss Lawrence?’ Lucian was lifting the covers over the chafing dishes on the sideboard. It looked marvellous and the smell was even better. Bacon, eggs
, sausages, a pile of toast, butter, pots of preserves – it was the kind of breakfast that is supposed to guarantee a heart attack on a plate. Heaven.
‘Cassie. And bacon, eggs, toast, please. Oh, and a sausage.’ I’d had no dinner last night, I realised as he put the plate in front of me and went back to load his own. ‘Thank you.’
Lucian sat down and reached for the mustard pot. ‘I cannot call you by your Christian name.’
‘Because we haven’t been properly introduced?’ I enquired with, doubtless, unbecoming sarcasm.
‘Because you are a young lady to whom I am not related.’
‘Think of me as your long-lost cousin.’ He gave me A Look. I wasn’t certain whether it was his in particular, or whether all earls looked at time-travelling females in that way.
‘Very well, Cousin Cassandra. We will go to Almack’s just as soon as Garrick has obtained suitable raiment for you. I will get the doorkeeper to let us in with a story about you having lost an earring the night before. We can say that the last time you noticed it was when you looked into the refreshment room glass. If we are fortunate whatever it is about the mirror will be working and you can step through it and be home.’ Lucian put down his knife and fork and rubbed one hand over his eyes. ‘I cannot believe we are having this conversation. Garrick, are you quite sure we are not both drunk?’
‘I am not, my lord,’ the valet said grimly. ‘Unfortunately. And I believe you to be perfectly sober. If you will excuse me I will go out and deal with the shopping.’
‘But he doesn’t know my size and there are no ready to wear shops, are there?’ I asked as the front door closed with a muffled thud.
‘A good valet can judge size by eye and he has laundered your garments.’ Lucian was decidedly tight-lipped. Talk about garments and body size, I supposed. Time to change the subject.
‘Tell me about the woman who has vanished and why that might be related to the attack on you last night.’
‘It is not something for the ears of a young lady.’