Chapter Two

Dermott kept his expression neutral as he knocked on the earl's sitting room door. The last thing he needed to do was tip off the earl that his mind was on the lass he'd rescued just past dawn that morning and not on the reasons he'd found her running for her life in the first place.

"Enter." The earl was standing in front of the window with his hands clasped behind his back when Dermott stepped into the room.

"Ye wanted to speak to me, yer lordship?"

Lippincott turned around. "Close the door."

Dermott ignored the frustration filling him at the lack of information he'd been able to obtain, and wondered if the lass's condition had worsened since he left her to patrol the perimeter of the estate. "Have ye received a missive from His Grace?"

The earl gave a slight shake of his head. "I received a message from an acquaintance of mine. Lord Eggerton has asked for my assistance."

The name was unfamiliar. Dermott didn't ask, though he silently wondered why the earl was speaking to him about Eggerton's request instead of his cousin Sean, who was head of the duke's guard at Lippincott Manor. He squared his shoulders. "Whatever the task is, ye know ye can count on me." Lippincott didn't respond at first, and a troubling thought occurred to Dermott. "Does this have to do with the lass I rescued?"

The earl met his gaze. "I do not know yet. Moments ago, I received a missive from Gavin King. There was a duel this morning… Lord Eggerton is dead."

Dermott sensed the missive from the Bow Street runner and Eggerton were linked somehow. "Can ye still honor Lord Eggerton's request?"

"As it seems Eggerton's request was his last, I intend to. It's a tangled tale, and one I'll have to eventually share with my wife, but…"

Dermott knew without being told. "Lord Eggerton is an acquaintance from the time before ye met or married her ladyship."

Lippincott inclined his head. Clasping his hands behind his back again, he began to pace. The earl was troubled, and Dermott wanted to do whatever he could to help.

"I hold ye in the highest regard, yer lordship, as I do His Grace. Ye can trust that I won't speak of whatever is weighing ye down beyond this room…unless ye give me leave to."

The earl stopped in front of the fireplace. "Eggerton and I were part of a small group that used to spend our evenings in gaming hells. He is—was—nearly twenty years my senior. I knew he was a widower and had a daughter of marriageable age. I lost touch with Eggerton once my brother assumed the dukedom and helped me see the error of my ways. I left that life behind. I haven't heard from him since… Until today."

Dermott knew it was important to let the earl continue—he'd have a chance to ask questions later. He nodded, and the earl raked a hand through his hair.

"Apparently Eggerton's missive was delayed. He requested that I shelter his daughter Georgiana, should she arrive on my doorstep sometime this morning."

Dermott was about to ask what he meant by should she arrive, but the earl held up a hand and said, "That's not all. Eggerton implored me to refuse Viscount Trenchert entrance to the manor if he arrived looking for Georgiana."

"Do ye know the viscount?"

The earl nodded. "Aye. Before I get into that, there's more—and it's a bloody mess. Eggerton gambled away his fortune, London town house, Eggerton Hall here in Sussex, Georgiana's dowry, and promised her hand in marriage to Trenchert."

Dermott knew without asking that the earl was more than familiar with the viscount in question—and sensed none of it was good. "One of the footmen we've trained can assume me shift guarding the perimeter while I search for the lass. As ye haven't met her, do ye know what she looks like?"

Lippincott scrubbed a hand over his face, and Dermott's gut roiled as acid sluiced through it at the telling action. "Eggerton added a description so I would recognize her, knowing we had never met."

Dermott tamped down the unease snaking through him as the earl's gaze locked on his.

"Georgiana has light brown hair, amber eyes, and stands about five feet, four inches tall. She'd be wearing a dark blue gown, burgundy coat, and carrying a small leather portmanteau."

Dermott's jaw clenched as worry lanced through him. "Well now, at least now we know who the lass I rescued was running from…Viscount Trenchert! But where was her carriage, coachman, or footman? Why was she all alone?"

Lippincott frowned. "That's one of the things we need to find out, along with whether or not Trenchert has followed her. Trenchert Manor is in Sussex, as is the viscount's newly acquired estate—Eggerton Hall."

Dermott frowned. "What do ye think happened?"

"If I were her father, I would have had her leave London and avoid Trenchert at all costs. Eggerton is"—the earl paused to correct himself a second time—"er, was an excellent shot. He obviously hoped to return from the duel victorious, as he mentioned he would collect his daughter this afternoon."

"Will ye wait until she regains her memory before ye tell her?"

"I'm not certain. I have already sent a missive to the doctor and plan to discuss it with Aurelia before I make my decision. We need to handle this situation with utmost caution and care. My wife's help will be invaluable, as she will be able to see this from Georgiana's point of view and help me wade through this disaster. If Trenchert finds out Eggerton's daughter is here and comes to collect her, he is well within his rights to demand that we turn her over to him."

Dermott disagreed. "Only if his lordship scribbled the wager on a bit of foolscap."

The earl's pained expression conveyed what Dermott feared. His next words confirmed it: "Knowing the viscount, he would insist he had the wager in writing before accepting it."

Dermott didn't give a bloody damn about the wager! He had never met a woman who grabbed hold of his heart with a look before, nor had he been asked to extract a lass whose very existence was tangled in such a web before. He'd made a vow to the duke and the earl—and he would die to uphold that vow. But he'd made another vow at dawn that he confessed to his cousins: he would protect the lass with his life. From all that the earl had confided, Dermott would never let the viscount near her. He did not give a bloody damn if her father had wagered her hand in marriage to the man. Trenchert would never lay a finger on her while Dermott had breath left in his body.

"Ye can count on me to protect the lass, yer lordship. Is there anything else ye need from me?"

The earl stared at the missives on his desk. "I'll speak to the others. As you were the one who found Lord Eggerton's daughter and brought her here, and she seems to trust you, I wanted you to understand the situation we are facing and be prepared to act accordingly. We will be able to hold off the viscount for a short time, on the outside chance he discovers Miss Eggerton is here."

"Do ye want me to switch with Flaherty? He's guarding the interior."

Lippincott nodded. "Aye, and ask to take the next few shifts indoors. I want Miss Eggerton to remain as calm as possible as she heals. It is obvious that she trusts you."

"Ye're hoping her memory returns quickly."

"The physician said it could happen at any time. Mrs. Wyatt has been plying her with weak tea, broth, and calf's foot jelly. She and Mrs. Jones have been taking turns sitting with her."

"And her ladyship?"

The earl's expression lightened as he answered, "Aurelia has loaned her something to wear—the poor young woman's clothes were damp and bloodstained. Have we been able to recover her portmanteau?"

"Nay." The fact that it was not where she had dropped it was worrisome. Someone had collected it. Was that someone working for the viscount? "If that is all, I'll let Flaherty know of the shift change."

"Excellent."

Dermott was reaching for the door when Lippincott added, "Stop in and see how Miss Eggerton is doing. A brief visit from you may lift her spirits and jog her memory."

Dermott frowned. "What if she remembers scaling that wall and jumping but not the rest?"

"She may remember what happened to her father's coach…and mayhap what happened to his coachman and footman."

He nodded to the earl. "I'll speak to Flaherty first."