“It wasn’t amusing at all, I assure you. I thought I was going to perish, never to be seen or heard from again.”
Mr. Markham lifted one brow but kept his expression serious. “After all the effort it took to find the next Marquess of Lowenbrock, you can rest assured I would have found you when you didn’t appear for dinner.”
“It’s true,” Amelia said. “At one point Mr. Markham despaired of finding an heir. I still remember the letter he sent when he found you. Although that letter was lacking in detail. I imagined you’d be much older and portly.”
This time it was Lowenbrock’s turn to laugh. “That might describe me in a few years if I keep eating like this. I’m going to have to be careful now that I’m no longer in the army.”
The rest of the meal passed with companionable chatter. When the last plate was taken away, they all stood. Amelia was about to leave the gentlemen to their after-dinner chatter, but Mr. Markham put an end to that notion.
“It’s been a long day for me. I think I’ll retire to my room and give the two of you some time to become acquainted.”
He nodded to Lowenbrock and then turned to Amelia and took her hand, placing a kiss in the air above her wrist. Amelia wondered at his sudden formality, but when his eyes met hers, the mischievous twinkle in them told her he’d anticipated her desire to escape. The marquess’s gaze was on them, however, so she couldn’t ask Mr. Markham what he hoped to gain from this pretense. He should be helping her to avoid Lowenbrock, not pushing them to spend more time together.
When Mr. Markham left the room, she turned back to the marquess. “You’ve had a long day as well. You don’t have to entertain me if you’d rather retire.”
John’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Given the long days I had while in the army, today was hardly taxing.”
It appeared she wouldn’t be escaping this man just yet. She only hoped her luck would hold and he wouldn’t recognize her from their first meeting.
“Let us retire to the drawing room then.”
He fell into step beside her.
“I’m glad we have this opportunity to talk,” he said as they made their way down the hallway. “There’s something I wanted to ask you.”
Dread settled in the pit of her stomach.Please don’t ask me if I’ve recently been to London,she thought. It was one thing keeping the truth from him, but something entirely different lying to him. She tried to be truthful whenever possible, and if he asked her that question, she would have no choice but to confess.
When he settled into one of the drawing room chairs, she took a seat on the settee. She folded her hands on her lap and tried to appear calm. Inside, however, her emotions were in turmoil.
“I spent the time after I left you this afternoon going through a seemingly endless amount of paper. Records, lists of properties, accounts. None of it in depth, of course. That will take considerably more time.”
Relief coursed through her when she realized the secret of their first meeting would remain safe for yet another day.
“Uncle always said that going over the accounts with Mr. Jeffers was an endless task.”
John let out a breath. “Yes, and that’s another thing. I know the man is away on business and I haven’t met him yet. But I’ll admit I’m already feeling overwhelmed. I’d like to ask for your assistance.”
Amelia nodded. “Of course. I’d be more than happy to continue in my role running the household. I plan to revise the menus according to your likes and dislikes. And if there’s anything else you need, you have only to ask.”
“Markham told me earlier that you did more than oversee the menus and household staff. When your uncle fell ill, Markham took you under his wing and showed you how to run the estate. I’d like to ask that you do the same for me.”
Her thoughts blanked for a moment. What he was suggesting meant they’d spend a great deal of time together.
“If it’s not too much to ask, of course. Markham spoke highly about your skills. If there are any tasks you enjoy doing, I have no issue with your continuing to do them. But if you hate all of it, I only ask that you have a little patience with me before dumping all the duties into my lap and escaping. I can’t say I would blame you.”
“I—” Amelia had no idea what to say. And so she told him that exactly.
One corner of Lowenbrock’s mouth lifted. “Let’s begin with this. Can I come to you if I have any questions?”
“Of course, but you’ve taken me by surprise. There aren’t many men who would welcome guidance from a woman.”
“Well, my eldest sister is seven years older than me. A fair portion of my life was spent listening to her tell me what to do.”
His statement had her wondering about his family’s composition. “And your mother?”
“My mother died when I was still a babe. I don’t remember her. But my sister Louisa more than made up for her absence.”
Amelia’s heart wrenched. “I’m sorry to hear that. My parents both died when I was still a youth. That’s why I came here to live with my uncle.”