Chapter 12

At least the sudden downpour took care of the situation in Jasper’s trousers.

It didn’t dampen his attraction to Eleanor Weatherby an iota. They stood there, frozen, inches apart, as the rain soaked them to the skin.

God only knew how long they would have stood there smoldering at each other had her sister, Clarissa, not come running up to grab her arm. “Quick, Eleanor! We’ve got to get back to the house.”

He watched her blink back to awareness, then allow her sister to lead her up the short flight of stairs that led to the upper gardens.

“Come on, Jasp!” Felix shouted over the rain as he jogged by. He had peeled his coat off and was holding it over Miss Philippa in an attempt to keep her dry.

Shaking himself, Jasper followed.

They had ascended the final six steps that led to the portico, out of the driving rain at last, when Miss Philippa stopped short with a gasp. She pointed across the manicured sweep of lawn to the east. “Look! Lightning must have struck the barn!”

Jasper pushed his dripping hair back from his forehead. Surely enough, flames were rising from the thatched roof of the old barn, just visible over a copse of trees.

“The kittens!” Pippa shouted, starting forward.

Eleanor snagged her arm, yanking her to a halt. “You are not running inside a burning building after some kittens!”

Pippa’s anguish was obviously not feigned. She fought against her sister’s grip, desperate to escape. “We can’t leave them! The poor little things!”

She was wild in her distress, but her sister was larger and stronger, and every bit as determined to save her sister as Pippa was to rescue those kittens. Eleanor wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her inexorably toward the house. “They’ll be all right.”

“But what if they’re not?” Pippa wailed.

Suddenly Felix was there, bowing over Pippa’s hand. “Please, do not distress yourself. I’ll get them out. I swear it.”

It took a moment for Jasper to register his brother’s words. By the time he realized what Felix intended, his brother was already halfway down the steps.

“Felix!” he roared. “Stop right now!”

His brother sprinted across the upper garden, ignoring him.

For a split second, he caught Eleanor Weatherby’s eye. She had her arms wrapped around her youngest sister’s waist, holding her firmly in place as Pippa struggled and shouted after Felix, looking more distraught than ever. For once, instead of vitriol, Eleanor looked at him with sympathy in her eyes, sympathy and understanding.

But he didn’t have time to ponder that now. Cursing, Jasper charged down the stone steps in desperate pursuit of his brother.

Jasper might be stronger than Felix.

But his brother was decidedly faster.

Jasper ran as hard as he’d ever run in his life, but he didn’t manage to gain an inch on Felix as they sprinted through the rain. He was honestly lucky to keep him in his sight.

Fortunately, as they neared the barn, Jasper’s panic abated, because the rain seemed to have put out the fire.

He staggered into the barn’s clearing and found his brother studying the smoldering building. “God damn it, Felix,” Jasper gasped, panting with his hands on his thighs. “Scared me… to death.”

Felix gestured to the back end of the building. “There’s a large hole in the roof. It’s probably flooding inside. We need to get the kittens out and bring them up to the house.”

“Wait.” Jasper grabbed his brother’s arm. “The building will be unstable. You shouldn’t go in there.”

Felix shook him off, looking annoyed. “I’m not an idiot, Jasp. I’ll avoid the damaged section. I doubt the kittens are back there, anyway, as that’s where all the water is pouring in.”

“Hang on.” At Felix’s glare, Jasper held up both hands. “I’ll go with you.”

Felix grunted but didn’t protest as Jasper followed him. Felix pulled open the door and they stepped inside out of the driving rain.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior. Surely enough, the lightning strike had burned a hole in the thatched roof that was a good eight feet across, and water was pouring in. The dirt floor in the back half of the barn had turned into a muddy pond. Jasper couldn’t see signs of any kittens.

“Are you sure they’re here?” Jasper asked.

“Shh.” Felix grabbed his sleeve. “Do you hear that?”

Jasper couldn’t hear anything above the sound of raindrops hammering down on the flooded barn floor. “Hear what?”

Felix tugged him toward a pile of hay in the front corner. It took him a minute, but Jasper eventually picked out the sound his brother had detected—a truly piteous mewling.

Felix began sifting around in the hay. “Here we are!” he cried, fishing a soggy, slate-grey kitten from the pile and handing her to Jasper. “You take Lavender.”

“Lavender?” Jasper asked, confused, as he accepted the kitten. “What do you mean—”

“And here’s Wellington,” Felix added, thrusting a squiggling ball of sodden black and white fur into Jasper’s other hand. “That just leaves Sheba and Midnight…”

It took a few minutes, but Felix was able to find the other two cats. “Right. Back to the house.”

“Are you sure we should take them to the house?” Jasper asked as they hurried to the door. The rain had slowed from a torrential downpour but continued falling steadily. Frowning, Jasper tucked the two tiny kittens inside his coat. “Lady Milthorpe might not want them inside. Perhaps we should take them to the stables.”

“We’ll ask her ladyship and certainly take them to the stables if she prefers. But Pippa will want to reassure herself that they’re all right.”

Jasper rolled his eyes. “You just want the credit for having rescued them.”

Felix flashed him a half-smile, which was a significant improvement over the glowers he’d been sending Jasper’s way for the past few days. “You know I would’ve rescued them regardless. But I certainly wouldn’t mind if Pippa thought well of me.”

Jasper didn’t know what to say. His instinct was to reassure his brother that any woman with an ounce of sense would think well of him. But he didn’t trust Philippa Weatherby, nor did he wish to promote the match, so he settled for grunting.

They made their way up to the house through a steady drizzle. As soon as the back door opened, Jasper heard the distraught voice of the youngest Miss Weatherby coming from the foyer at the front of the house.

“What if something happens to him? I’ll never forgive myself. How I wish I had never suggested it!”

Felix perked up at her words. Waving off the footman’s offer to take the kittens, he hurried toward the sound of Pippa’s voice. Jasper followed, dripping on the marble tiles with every step.

“There, there, Pippa, dear,” her eldest sister said. “Lord Felix is a sensible man. I am sure he will proceed with caution.”

“Besides,” Clarissa Weatherby added, “I suspect the rain has put the fire out. Had the entire building gone up, there would be a tremendous amount of smoke.”

Rounding the central staircase, Jasper saw the youngest Miss Weatherby, slightly damp herself and wringing her hands as she paced the foyer. “How I hope you’re right! Still, I cannot be at peace until I—Felix!” she cried, sprinting across the tiled floor as she spotted them. “Thank God you’re all right!”

“We’re soaked, but none the worse for wear.” Smiling, Felix held out the two sodden kittens for her inspection. “And look who we found.”

Ignoring the kittens, Miss Philippa clung to Felix’s arm, pressing her forehead against his wrist. “I was so scared,” she said in a voice that shook.

Felix looked tremendously pleased, his smile tender as he said, “Everything is all right.”

Miss Philippa nodded, as if she did not trust herself to speak.

Jasper scowled. She certainly put on a good act of appearing concerned for his brother’s welfare.

But he still was not convinced that it was more than an act.

The grey and white tabby cat chose that moment to give a piteous mewl. Starting, Miss Philippa seemed to notice the kittens for the first time. “Oh—Sheba, you poor thing!” She took the kitten from Felix, snuggling it against her chest. “Don’t you worry. We’re going to take the best care of you!” She paused to stroke the black cat Felix held in his other hand. “Were you able to find Lavender and Wellington?”

“Jasper has them,” Felix said, nodding in his direction. “Thank goodness he came along. I would’ve had quite the time trying to carry four unhappy kittens through a rainstorm.”

Miss Philippa’s smile was tremulous. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

Jasper was saved from having to respond by Lady Milthorpe, who came rushing into the room. “Your Grace, Lord Felix! I am so relieved you were unharmed.”

Felix bowed. “Thank you, my lady. We are perfectly well.” He held out Midnight. “Would you prefer that we take the kittens over to the stables?”

Midnight mewled piteously, right on cue, and Lady Milthorpe’s face melted. “Oh, the poor little things! It won’t hurt anything to keep them in the house for a few days.”

“Oh, thank you, my lady!” Miss Philippa exclaimed.

“We will make sure they’re no trouble for you,” Felix said. “We’ll take them up to Jasper’s rooms, as he has a full suite. They’ll have plenty of room to frolic around the sitting room.”

“Wait. What?” Jasper said in the same breath Miss Philippa said, “What an excellent suggestion!”

The party was already trooping up the stairs. Jasper jogged a few steps to catch up to his brother. “Felix,” he hissed, “we can’t put these kittens in my sitting room!”

“Certainly, we can,” Felix countered. “I’ll come over and take care of them. Shut the door if you don’t want to deal with them. You won’t even know that they’re there.”

“I believe you have forgotten about the two gigantic dogs currently occupying the sitting room,” Jasper muttered.

“Benny and Bea?” Felix snorted. “They’re sweethearts. Wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“They might not, but they’ve never been around kittens before,” Jasper countered. “If they decide they don’t like them, they could eat them in one bite.”

Felix shrugged. “To be sure, we’ll introduce them and see how it goes. If the mastiffs seem skittish, we can take the kittens to my room.”

Their motley party paraded into Jasper’s sitting room. Benedick and Beatrice, who had been napping on their mats beneath the window, sat up at the influx of visitors. Benedick in particular was eyeing the kittens warily.

“Here,” Felix said, strolling up to the dogs with Midnight extended in front of him, “let’s see how this goes.”

He set Midnight down on Beatrice’s burgundy corduroy pad. Beatrice drew back, an alarmed expression on her squished black face.

Midnight showed no fear of the dog who was easily one hundred times his weight. Mewling, he took two tottering steps across the corduroy cushion, then promptly fell over.

Beatrice whimpered in distress. With a gentleness that belied her huge size, she took Midnight up by the scruff of his neck and carried him onto the pad. Laying down, she set him down within the circle of her crossed paws.

Meanwhile, Miss Philippa was presenting Sheba to Benedick, who was cowering against the wall. Felix scooped Lavender and Wellington out of Jasper’s hands, so he went to comfort his dog.

“It’s all right, old boy,” Jasper said, squatting down and laying a hand on the back of Benedick’s head. “It’s just some kittens. They can’t hurt the likes of you.”

Benedick shot him a look that said he was unconvinced. Jasper gave him a comforting pat on the head and stood.

He hated to leave the mastiffs to the kittens’ tender mercies, but considering the degree to which he was dripping upon Lady Milthorpe’s carpet, a change of clothing seemed imperative. He retreated to his bedchamber, where Stephens had already laid out a fresh suit for him.

His valet had him stripped, dried, and changed in the space of five minutes. Jasper hurried back into his sitting room to see how poor Beatrice and Benedick were faring.

Beatrice was now keeping watch over both Midnight and Lavender. Lavender had wedged herself almost underneath the huge dog’s chest and fallen asleep. Midnight was batting at Beatrice’s nose, an affront she was bearing with no apparent annoyance.

Poor Benedick looked to be faring less well. Sheba had discovered his tail and was romping after it upon the mat. His attempts to move it out of the way only made the game more delightful and encouraged Sheba to pounce. Meanwhile, Wellington had climbed up on Benedick’s back and was actively exploring this strange, tan surface. Attempting to scale the folds of the big dog’s neck, Wellington lost his balance and started to tumble but managed to grab onto a floppy dark ear for purchase. Benedick turned his head in surprise, but made no move to dislodge the kitten, and his expression was one of apprehension rather than annoyance.

“Well,” Felix said, pushing up to his feet. Someone had brought him a towel, but he was still soaked to the skin. “Now that the kittens are settled, I’d best go and get cleaned up myself.”

The Weatherby sisters also rose and made for the door, likely conscious that Jasper, unlike Felix, did not enjoy their company, and also perhaps of the impropriety of their being in his rooms at all, even if it was just the sitting room.

On her way out the door, Miss Philippa turned and gave him a bright smile. “Thank you, Your Grace, for letting the kittens stay here, and for helping to rescue them from the barn.”

Jasper grunted an acknowledgement, and the next thing he knew, he found himself alone with Beatrice, Benedick, and the four frolicsome kittens.

He glanced over and saw that Wellington had managed to climb on top of Benedick’s head, where he was sitting, completely at ease. The mastiff gave his owner a pleading look.

Jasper sat cross-legged on the floor and rubbed his dog’s back. “I’m not sure how we got here either, old boy. I blame those Weatherby Wallflowers.”

Benedick whined in agreement, and Jasper settled in to watch over the kittens that were apparently taking up residence in his rooms.