“As you wish, Miss Drake. We shall dine at six.” He gave a quick nod to Jenkins.
“Follow me, Miss Drake,” Jenkins said before turning toward the Gringhams. “I shall see if your rooms are prepared. Would you also like a bath readied?”
“No, thank you,” Lord Gringham replied. “Just warm water in the basin will be enough.”
“Of course, sir.”
Once Louisa was out of earshot, Lady Gringham spoke out. “How dare that little upstart arrive here unannounced. And unescorted?”
Unescorted? Lady Gringham could not know about that. “She has a companion.”
Lady Gringham seemed a bit deflated with that news. “Oh.”
“Your rooms are ready, my lord,” Jenkins announced from the threshold. “Please follow me.”
Bloody hell, Lady Gringham might make his life miserable. A companion? What made him blurt out that lie? Now he would need to invent a chaperone for her. He had to speak with Louisa before she contradicted him to Lady Gringham.
As soon as the footmen settled the Gringhams into their rooms, he walked up the stairs. He glanced down the east wing hall. Seeing no one lurking about, he turned left toward the west wing. He rapped on the door.
“Lou...Miss Drake, I must speak with you at once.”
The door opened, and a petite maid stood there with a slight frown. “Your Grace, Miss Drake is still in her bath. She’s had an exhausting day.”
“You are?”
“Lily, Your Grace,” she said with a quick curtsy. “Mrs. Raney asked me to assist the lady with her bath. As the lady is bathing, you must return later.”
This was one of the few times Harry wished he had a better ducal glare to put the brash maid in
her place. “Put the screen in front of the tub and leave us,” he said in a firm tone. “If you wish to keep your position here.”
Lily swallowed and nodded as she slowly closed the door. “Of course, Your Grace. Give me one moment.”
The sound of angry whispers behind the door intrigued him. “Louisa, I am coming in whether you wish to speak with me or not.”
With that, he opened the door just as Lily placed the screen in front of her.
“Leave us,” he commanded.
Lily glanced at the screen and then him before saying, “Yes, sir.”
“Why did you dismiss Lily? I need her to dress for supper.” Louisa’s husky voice sounded from behind the screen.
“Lady Gringham noticed you seemed to have no chaperone or companion with you.”
“Oh, dear, I was afraid of that.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the peacock design on the oriental silkscreen. For a moment, he wondered what Louisa looked like naked. Her breasts would be full but barely a handful for him. Her nipples would be the color of a pale rose in bloom. Damnation! He could not think of her in this manner. She wasn’t supposed to be here.
Frustration crept over him again. She had finally come to him, but now it was too late.
“I told her you had a companion.”
A dark silence stretched across the room. Even the occasional splash of water from the tub had quieted. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“What would you have had me say?” he asked harshly.
“Nothing without conferring with me first,” she replied sharply. “Now she will be suspicious of every move I make.”