Darling Beast (Maiden Lane 7)

She sighed as they continued. “Very few signs of rebirth indeed. I wonder how Mr. Harte will ever rebuild it?”

Privately he thought the matter a lost cause, but he decided not to share that thought with her.

They were nearing the theater and Trevillion frowned. He’d not thought this out well enough. He hadn’t made specific plans with Lord Kilbourne about where or when to meet. The man might be anywhere.

When they came within sight of the theater, however, his problem was solved. Lord Kilbourne was digging a hole some yards from the theater while a small dark-haired boy sat nearby, apparently chatting with him.

Trevillion felt his brows lift. Where had the boy come from? There were no residences for a half mile at the least in any direction.

The boy had a small, thin dog lying curled at his side, and the creature raised its head at their approach. In a blur it was up and racing over, yapping wildly.

Trevillion scowled at the beast. It was jumping excitedly at Lady Phoebe’s skirts. “Down, you.”

“Oh, Captain, I don’t think I need be protected from a lapdog,” Lady Phoebe said, and before he could ascertain if the animal was friendly or not, knelt before the thing.

Immediately it began pawing at her and licking her face.

Lady Phoebe laughed, hands outstretched, but the dog was too excited to hold still so she might pet it. Her round face was positively lit with joy. “What kind is it?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, looking away from her. “Something small, thin, and hysterical.”

“Daffodil’s an Italian greyhound,” the boy said, having trotted after his dog. “You can pet her if you like. She doesn’t bite, although,” he added, entirely unnecessarily, “she does lick.”

“I can feel that,” Lady Phoebe replied, smiling. Her face was tilted toward the sky. “I once had a friend who had an Italian greyhound. What color is she?”

“Red,” the boy said, adding with the frankness of the young, “can’t you see?”

“Lady Phoebe is blind, boy,” Trevillion said sharply.

His charge winced and turned a glare on him, which was quite effective, unseeing or not.

The child shrank back at his tone, and Trevillion noticed his eyes were mismatched: one blue, one green. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to be,” Lady Phoebe said gently. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Indio,” he said. “That’s Caliban, my friend”—he pointed to Lord Kilbourne, which made Trevillion’s eyebrows rise farther—“and my mama is in the theater.”

Lady Phoebe turned her head at that as if she could look about. “We’re near the theater?”

“Yes.”

“But I thought the theater burned?”

“Well it did, mostly,” Indio replied. “But part of it’s good. That’s where we live.”

Her brows knit. “You live here?”

He nodded, apparently having already forgotten that she couldn’t see him. “My mama is a famous actress. She’s Robin Goodfellow.”

“Is she?” Lady Phoebe breathed, evidently delighted. “Might I meet her? I’m a great admirer.”

And within minutes Lady Phoebe had somehow become fast friends with Miss Goodfellow and was taking tea with her at a table brought out to the garden.

“Did… they already… know each other?” Lord Kilbourne asked.

He and Trevillion had taken themselves far enough from the theater that they couldn’t be heard by the ladies, but were close enough for Trevillion to keep an eye on his charge. Kilbourne had glanced once at his cane and suggested a fallen log to sit on. Trevillion had been too grateful for the respite for his leg to worry about his pride.

Somehow, in the days since Trevillion had seen him, the viscount had miraculously regained the power of speech, though his words were slow and his voice quite rough. There was a story there, Trevillion knew, but it didn’t concern him at the moment.