To Catch an Heiress

He smiled modestly. “Serving Mr. Ravenscroft, and his uncle before him.”

“I do hope his uncle was a little more cheerful than he is.”

“Oh, Mr. Ravenscroft wasn't always so ill-tempered. Why, when he was a young man—”

“Perriwick,” Blake roared, “you are perilously close to being tossed out without a reference.”

“Mr. Ravenscroft!” Caroline said reprovingly. “You cannot think to dis—”

“Oh, do not worry, Miss Trent,” Perriwick interrupted. “He threatens to terminate my employment here nearly every day.”

“This time I mean it,” Blake ground out.

“He says that every day, too,” Perriwick said to Caroline, who rewarded him with a giggle.

“I am not amused,” Blake announced, but no one seemed to be listening to him.

“I'll just move this to the other room,” Perriwick returned, piling the teacups back on the tray. “The service will be in the green room, should you desire to partake.”

“I didn't even get a sip,” Caroline murmured as she watched the butler disappear into the hall. “He is quite—Oh!”

Without a word, Blake scooped her up into his arms and thundered out of the room. “If you want tea,” he growled, “then you'll get tea. Even if I have to follow that damned butler to Bournemouth.”

“I had no idea you could be so agreeable,” she said in a wry voice.

“Don't push me, Miss Trent. In case you hadn't noticed, my temper is hanging by a very fine thread.”

“Oh, I noticed.”

Blake stared at her in disbelief. “It's a wonder someone hasn't killed you before now.” He strode across the hall, Caroline clutching his shoulders, and into the green room.

No sign of the tea service.

“Perriwick!” Blake bellowed.

“Oh, Mr. Ravenscroft!” came the butler's disembodied voice.

“Where is he?” Caroline could not help asking, twisting her head to look behind her.

“Lord only knows,” Blake muttered, then yelled, “Where the devil—Oh, there you are, Perriwick.”

“You do creep up on a soul,” Caroline said with a smile.

“It's one of my most useful talents,” Perriwick replied from the doorway. “I took the liberty of moving the tea service to the blue room. I thought Miss Trent might enjoy a view of the ocean.”

“Oh, I should like that above all else,” Caroline said with obvious delight. “Thank you, Perriwick. You are ever so thoughtful.”

Perriwick beamed.

Blake scowled.

“Is there anything else I can do to see to your comfort, Miss Trent?” Perriwick inquired.

“She's fine,” Blake growled.

“Clearly, she—”

“Perriwick, isn't the west wing on fire?”

Perriwick blinked, sniffed the air, and stared at his employer in dismay. “I do not understand, sir.”

“If there is no fire that needs putting out,” Blake said, “then surely you can find some other task to complete.”

“Yes, of course, Mr. Ravenscroft.” With a small bow, the butler left the room.

“You shouldn't be so mean to him,” Caroline said.

“You shouldn't tell me how to run my household.”

“I wasn't doing any such thing. I was merely telling you how to be a nicer person.”

“That is even more impertinent.”

She shrugged, trying to ignore the way she was jostled against him as he carried her through the house. “I'm often impertinent.”

“One doesn't need to be in your company for very long to appreciate that fact.”

Caroline remained silent. She probably should not be speaking so boldly to her host, but her mouth very often formed words with no direction whatsoever from her brain. Besides, she was fairly certain now that her place here at Seacrest Manor was secure for the next five weeks. Blake Ravenscroft might not want her here—he might not even like her—but he definitely felt guilty over having mistakenly abducted her, and his sense of honor required him to provide her with a place to stay until she was safe from Oliver Prewitt.

Caroline smiled to herself. A man with a sense of honor was a very good thing, indeed.

Several hours later Caroline was still in the blue room, but the blue room no longer bore anything more than a passing resemblance to the chamber she'd entered earlier that day.

Perriwick, in his desire to make “the lovely and gracious Miss Trent” as comfortable and happy as possible, had brought in several trays of food, a selection of books and newspapers, a set of watercolors, and a flute. When Caroline had pointed out that she did not know how to play the flute, Perriwick had offered to teach her.

Blake had finally lost his patience when Perriwick offered to move the piano into the room—or rather, offered to have Blake, who was quite a bit younger and stronger than he was—do it. That had been bad enough, but when Caroline asked if Perriwick was going to play for her, Perriwick had answered, “Goodness no, I don't know how to play, but I'm sure Mr. Ravenscroft would be happy to entertain you for the afternoon.”

At that point, Blake had thrown up his arms and stalked out of the room, muttering something about how his butler had never been so courteous and concerned about him.

And that was the last Caroline had seen of him. She had managed to keep herself quite happy for the afternoon, however, munching on pastries and thumbing through the most recent copies of the London Times. Really, she could get used to such a life. Even her ankle wasn't paining her so much any longer.