When Constantine glanced under the bed Willow shared with her sister, he found Maisy lying with her head pillowed on the scarf and gloves. “Come out, little one,” he whispered. “Time to go. You don’t want to be left behind without Miss Clark to tuck you in at night, do you?”
Her little mouth fell open as if that thought had never occurred to her. Maisy scurried from her hiding place and threw the scarf and gloves at her sister. Meredith sent him a look that said thank you and hurried to dress the wriggling child in her warmest and best clothes while he finished with Willow.
When Meredith was done, Constantine scooped up Poppy, and since Maisy was dressed, he caught his middle child’s hands. “I’ll deliver these two downstairs. Do you have everything you need?”
Meredith’s expression turned glacial. “Given I’ve no idea what to pack for, I suppose I must be ready.”
“Patience,” he said with a laugh. “You’ll learn to like my surprises.”
He hurried out, more pleased with himself than he had been in years. He could not wait to see how Meredith took to his sisters. He was sure, given her love of his daughters, that they could find common ground with which to build a friendship.
He delivered Maisy into a footman’s hands at the main door. “Make sure she’s tucked under a warm blanket and stays there.”
Maisy was hurried out. She always liked to be first into the carriage.
“Excuse me, my lord,” Cunningham said as Constantine returned inside from the carriage to wait on Meredith and Willow. “But might I have a moment of your time before you depart? There is an urgent matter I wish to bring to your attention.”
Mrs. Smith stepped close to take Poppy from his arms, and the disapproving expression she cast at Cunningham told Constantine she knew all about the matter. He groaned, wishing that any unpleasantness might wait till he returned. Reluctantly, he waved an arm toward the drawing room, ushering the man before him so he might say his piece. “What seems to be the problem?”
Cunningham appeared to have swallowed a raw fish. “It has come to my attention that a person in your employ has been sneaking from their bed at night.”
He almost groaned aloud but held it in. Cunningham was the biggest prude. Constantine cared little for becoming involved in affairs between servants. “Are you certain?”
“Yes, my lord. I’m afraid I am, and the timing couldn’t be worse.” His mouth pinched as if he’d tasted something tart. “It’s Miss Clark, my lord,” Cunningham confessed at last. “She has abandoned her post for the past two nights and I’ve not been able to determine with whom she might be meeting or where she has gone. A woman like that…” Cunningham left the rest unsaid.
Constantine pinched the bridge of his nose. He had hoped Meredith’s absence from the nursery might have gone unnoticed, but it seemed that she was right and he was wrong about being found out. He might have to set the record straight, at least as far as Cunningham went, before Meredith lost the staff’s good opinion. “Miss Clark did not abandon her post. If the children were sound asleep, then they needed nothing from her.”
Cunningham frowned. “Nevertheless, her place is with the children.”
“Her place is where I say it is.” He drew in a deep breath. “With the children, and with me. Miss Clark will be allowed considerable latitude for the foreseeable future, Cunningham. The reasons will become apparent in good time.”
“I…” Cunningham’s frown turned into shock.
“Try not to worry. When we return, I hope to have good news. Do you have any further questions about the matter?”
Cunningham’s skin turned pasty white. “No, my lord.”
“Excellent.” Constantine left the butler grappling with the idea and returned to the main door just in time to intercept his governess and eldest daughter.
“Mama never liked Papa’s surprises very much,” Willow told Meredith as she skipped to the door and into the waiting care of a footman who urged her to walk down the stairs instead of skipping and helped her into the carriage.
Meredith took Poppy back from the housekeeper. “Now then, Miss Poppy, shall we humor your father and join your sisters?”
“I’ll take her,” Constantine told her. Yet Poppy was none too happy to lose her grip on her governess and grumbled, straining toward Meredith. Constantine understood her feeling exactly. He felt the same way every time Meredith left his side.
He gestured to the door. “Come along, Miss Clark, we’ve many miles to travel today.”
Her eyes rolled as she passed him. Constantine laughed, catching the startled expression on Cunningham’s face as he walked to the door. He hoped by the time they returned, Meredith would have agreed with his hopes for the future and Cunningham might have reconciled himself to his new mistress’s identity. In fact, if he showed Meredith the least sign of disrespect the man would be out on his ear before he finished protesting.
Constantine followed Meredith to the carriage and waited until she was settled before passing Poppy in. When he joined her, he was seated beside the governess. His youngest had claimed the window, forcing Meredith to the center. He didn’t mind that arrange
ment at all.
When the door shut, he made sure everyone was snugly tucked beneath thick quilts. When the carriage lurched off, he waved and then faced forward. No more looking back. He pulled the blankets tighter around Meredith. “Let me know if you grow chilled.”
Meredith faced him. “Tell me where we are going?”
“Oh, no.’ He grinned at her persistence. “Not until we stop for the night. It would spoil the surprise.”