Startled, she asked, "Are you really a nobleman?" Despite his old clothing, he did have an air about him. Then she frowned. "You're hoaxing me, aren't you? My father explained titles to me once. A real peer does not use Lord with his Christian name. I reckon that Lord Robert is a pretend title that you invented to impress people."
"And here I thought I could fool someone from the colonies." An impish light showed in his eyes. "You're quite right, I'm a commoner, not the least bit noble. My friends call me Robin."
Whatever his name, the man had a marvelously expressive face. Perhaps he was an actor rather than a swindler. Of course, he could be both, but still Maxie found herself smiling back. "In that case, you should give something to your namesake for luck." She gestured at the bright-eyed English robin that had landed in the middle of the fairy ring and been hopping closer and closer as they ate. Smaller and more lively than the American robin, it did rather resemble her companion.
"A good idea." He tossed a fragment to the bird, which grabbed the morsel and flew away. "One should always offer to the gods of luck." Delving into his pouch again, he asked, "Care for some shortbread?"
"That would be very nice." She accepted a wedge, trying not to look too greedy.
He had a marvelously engaging smile, with the charm of a man who could sell you a dozen things you didn't need. Maxie and her father had met many likable wastrels on their travels, and the self-proclaimed Lord Robert was another of that breed. Actually, Max could have been considered one as well. Perhaps that was why his daughter had a weakness for beguiling rogues.
She ate the butter-rich shortbread with pleasure, thinking that this was the best meal she'd had in a very long time. After finishing, she went to the stream to wash her hands and drink some of the cool water.
Robin watched his improbable guest thoughtfully. Though she had done her best to disguise herself with shapeless clothing, his palms remembered the shapes of concealed curves. When she returned, he asked, "Do you live near here?"
"No, I'm on my way to London." She picked up her hat and knapsack. "Thank you for sharing your meal."
"London!" he said, startled. "Good God, do you seriously intend to walk that whole way alone?"
"It's only about two hundred miles. I'll be there within a fortnight. Good day to you." She settled the hat back on her head, tugging it down so that it shadowed her clear brown eyes.
He bit back the impulse to tell her not to put the hat on, that it was a crime to obscure that exquisite face. When she had first crashed down on him, he had thought her a mischievous young tomboy in a brother's clothing. Then she had doffed her absurd hat, and he had briefly forgotten how to speak or breathe.
Maxima—Maxie—had the exotic beauty sometimes found in those of mixed race. While her delicate features were almost English, the smooth dark complexion, glossy black hair, and subtle modeling of the bones were definitely not.
It was a face one would not forget.
Yet beauty was the least of it. What drew him like a magnet was a quality of focused directness as strong and true as a blade, a still strength that showed in every word and gesture she made. Seeing her had triggered a flood of long-suppressed emotions, and they battered inside him like ice breaking up in the spring rains. The effect was far from comfortable.
In the midst of tumult, one fact was blazingly clear: He must not let this extraordinary creature walk out of his life.
Robin swept up the remnants of the meal, then got to his feet, slung his bag over his shoulder, and fell into step beside Maxie. "The distance to London is not insurmountable," he admitted, "but the roads are not safe for a young woman alone."
"I have had no trouble so far," she replied. "No one except you has realized that I am female, and I will not be so careless as to trip over anyone else."
"A young boy could be equally in danger." Looking down at Maxie, Robin realized how small she was, scarcely over five feet tall, but so perfectly proportioned that it was hard to judge her height unless standing next to her. "In fact, some of the gentlemen of the highway would probably prefer a lad."
The brown eyes looked at him askance. A proper young lady would not have understood the remark, but Maxie did. Perhaps she wasn't entirely naive.
"Here in the north the roads are fairly safe, but the closer you get to London, the greater the hazard," Robin continued as they emerged back on the grassy track and turned south.
"I am quite capable of defending myself." Her patience was beginning to erode and her voice was snappish.
"With that knife you carry?"
That gained him a hard stare. He explained, "You did land on me rather hard, and the haft of a knife feels quite different from a human body." Especially from a soft, rounded female body.
"Yes, I have a knife, and I know how to use it," she said with a definite note of warning.
"It won't be enough if several highwaymen attack you."
"I don't intend to get involved in any pitched battles."
"One doesn't always have a choice," he said dryly.
They continued in chilly silence, Maxie studiously ignoring his presence and Robin thinking hard. Even though he had only known her for an hour, he knew better than to try to change her mind. This was not someone easily swayed from her course.
She might reach London without incident, but the odds were that she would meet trouble along the way. Even if he weren't fascinated by her, he would be very reluctant to permit a female—and an undersized one at that—to make such a journey.
The conclusion was inescapable.
As the woods began to thin at the edge of Wolverhampton, he remarked, "There is really no help for it. As a gentleman, I shall have to escort you to London."
"What!" Maxie sputtered, coming to a stop in the middle of the track to stare at him. "Have you run mad?"
"Not in the least. You are a young woman alone in a foreign country. It would be quite dishonorable to let you continue alone." He stopped also and gave her his most trustworthy smile. "Besides, I have nothing better to do."
Her expression equal parts of outrage and amusement, she said, "What qualifies you as a gentleman of honor?"
"Gentlemen do not work. Since I do not work, therefore I must be a gentleman."
Maxie laughed. "You are the most absurd creature! That logic wouldn't convince a babe in arms. Besides, even if you don't work, surely you can't just take to the road on impulse."
"But I can. In fact, I have already done so."
She surveyed her companion. He was no more than average height, and while that made him almost a head taller than she, his elegant frame did not look designed for brawling.
"You appear not only harmless, but downright ineffectual," she said as she resumed walking. "I am more likely to have to protect you than vice versa. I have spent much of my life on the road and know how to take care of myself. I do not need or want an escort, no matter how honorable your intentions."
When he smiled, she said tartly, "For all I know, I would be in more danger from you than from any hypothetical highwaymen."
An offended expression crossed his mobile face. "The lady doesn't trust me."
"I can't think of any good reason why I should." She cocked her head to one side. "Are you an actor? You are constantly performing, and actors are often without work."
"I've played many roles," he admitted, "but never on a stage."
She should have realized that; if he had tried the theater, he would have been wildly successful if only because of the females who would pay for the privilege of gazing at him. "Have you ever done any kind of useful work? Or are you purely a lily of the field?"
"Work fascinates me," he protested. "I can sit and watch it for hours."
She struggled, with little success, to keep a straight face. "I see there is no getting any sense out of you." Deciding to try another tack, she added, "I might reconsider if you have enough money to buy us coach tickets to London, but I can't afford to feed two people. I may not have enough for mysel
f."
That gave Robin pause for a moment. Then he brightened. "I am not in funds at the moment and my banker, alas, is in London. However, I can conjure money from the air when necessary."
Before she could retreat, he reached under her hat.
His fingertips grazed her ear. Though his touch was light, her skin prickled with awareness. As she caught her breath, unnerved, he moved his hand in front of her face to show the shilling that had materialized in his grasp.
"Not bad," she allowed, "but sleight of hand is not in the same class as turning lead into gold."
"Sleight of hand!" He looked offended. "We are speaking of magic, not mere trickery. Give me your hand."
Amused, she stopped walking and did as he requested. He placed the shilling on her right palm and folded her fingers around it, his clasp warm and strong. "Make two fists and I will magically move the shilling to your left hand."
Obediently she did as he asked. He made several graceful passes in the air, murmuring unintelligibly as he did. After a final flourish, he said, "There, the shilling has moved."
"You need practice, Lord Robert, because the shilling is still in my hand." She opened her fingers as proof, then gasped.
Lying on her palm was not the single coin he had given her, but two. "How did you do that?"
"Very well." He grinned, dropping his showman's manner. "True, it's only sleight of hand, but I'm fairly good at such things. I've often done conjuring to earn food and lodging when my pockets were empty."
Her companion was definitely a shiftless vagrant, albeit an entertaining one. Maxie handed back his two shillings. "This has been very pleasant, Lord Robert, but why don't you return to your nap in the forest and leave me alone?"
"The roads are public." He pocketed the coins. "Since I have decided to go to London, you can't stop me."
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. What he said was quite true. Unless her unwanted escort actually assaulted her, which didn't seem imminent, he had as much right to the highway as she did. And if he chose to walk the same road at the same pace, what could she do about it?
She thought of the dogs that had sometimes followed her and her father. Like a dog, Robin would soon get bored and fall away, since charming wastrels had a span of attention somewhat shorter than that of the average mongrel. All she needed was patience.
Chapter 3
The Chanleigh Court morning room was full of choice little objets d'art, but having come nearly three hundred miles, Desdemona Ross wasted no time in admiration. "What do you mean. Maxima has gone to London to visit me?" she inquired, her thick auburn brows rising. "I am not in London, I am here in Durham. Against my better judgment, I might add."
Lady Collingwood gave her sister-in-law a frosty glance. "Read her note for yourself." She took a folded sheet of paper from her desk and handed it over. "The ungrateful chit decamped in the middle of the night three days ago."
Desdemona frowned as she read. "Maxima says I invited her for an extended visit, which simply isn't true. I came north to meet her, with the idea that she could return with me if we got on well, but I had not suggested that in writing."
"Maxima is a most unaccountable creature, not at all civilized or gently bred." Lady Collingwood gave a bored shrug while she evaluated her sister-in-law's clothing. Desdemona had a talent for dowdiness that amounted to genius. Looking attractive must be against her bluestocking principles.
Then again, perhaps Desdemona was wise to go about swaddled in dark concealing cloaks and bonnets. Her flaming red hair was hopelessly ungenteel, and deserved to be pulled back ruthlessly. And her figure... there was no way that figure would ever be fashionable, either.
With a smug thought for her own undeniable elegance, Lady Collingwood continued, "Bolting off at midnight to catch a mail coach is exactly the sort of thing one would expect of her. For that matter, so is lying." She yawned delicately behind her hand. "Really, Desdemona, you're fortunate to have missed her. It amazes me that Maximus dared bring her to Chanleigh. She belongs back in the forest with her savage Red Indian relations."
"As opposed to staying with her savage English relations?" Desdemona said with lethal sweetness. "Her mother may have been a Red Indian, but at least her family wasn't in trade."
Althea Collins flushed at the gibe, for she had spent years attempting to forget where her father had made his money. Her furious retort was forestalled by the entrance of her husband.
"Dizzy!" Lord Collingwood said, his long face showing pleased surprise. "You should have written that you were coming. It's been too long since you visited."
In spite of the twenty-year difference in age and no physical resemblance whatsoever, Desdemona and her brother were fond of one another. She rose to give him a quick hug, feeling him flinch at the demonstrativeness. She had known that he would flinch, just as he had known that she would hug him anyway. It was long-established family tradition. "Apparently I should have arrived three days ago, Clete."
His lordship looked pained. He didn't like the nickname any more than Desdemona liked being called Dizzy.
Formalities completed, she favored her brother with a scowl. "I came to see how my niece was faring, only to be told that she has run off with some story about visiting me."
He frowned as he realized the implications of his sister's presence. "Why aren't you in London waiting for Maxima?"
"Because I didn't invite her," Desdemona snapped. "Apparently the poor girl was so miserable here that she ran away in the hope that I would treat her better. What kind of care have you been giving your brother's only child?"
"Maxima is not a child—she's a woman grown, only a few years younger than you," her brother said defensively. "She did not consult my wishes before vanishing."
"I'm surprised she had money for the coach fare," Desdemona said. "I thought that Max was virtually penniless when he died."
There was sudden silence while the Collingwoods exchanged glances. "You're right, she had little money," her ladyship said, a line appearing between her brows. "I had to pay for her mourning clothes when Maximus died. We have been taking care of her, though she's shown precious little gratitude."
"If she was expected to be grateful, no wonder she left." Desdemona swung around to her brother again. "She may be a woman grown, but she is a stranger to England. Anything might happen to her, particularly if she is walking to London."
"Good God, surely she would never consider such a thing." Lord Collingwood halted, his face reflecting uneasiness. "This morning I noticed that my old map of the London road was not in my desk. I assumed that someone must have borrowed it."
"Apparently that is exactly what happened. Since she and Max spent much of the year roaming the wilds of New England, a journey to London must have seemed quite tame." Desdemona gave up trying to hold her temper. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves! Surely Max had a right to believe that his daughter would be safe here at Chanleigh. Instead, you drove her away."
Collingwood flushed. "I thought Maxima was happy here. I was planning to present her in London with the girls, but never pressed the issue. It didn't seem appropriate to talk about her future until she had recovered more from the loss of her father."
Desdemona fixed her sister-in-law with a gimlet eye.
"Did you make her welcome, too, Althea? No snide little comments about her background? Did you order a proper wardrobe for her, introduce her to the young men of the neighborhood?"
"If you were so concerned about the little savage, why didn't you do something yourself?" Lady Collingwood said with the anger of the guilty. "You could have visited anytime these last four months, but all you did was write a few letters."
"We've been working for a Parliamentary bill that would protect apprentices, and since we were finally making progress I was unable to leave London," Desdemona said uncomfortably. "But you're right, I should have done more. I thought she would be safe here until I had time to come north."
"There's no point in recriminati
ons," Collingwood said, hoping to head off a major altercation. "The important thing is to get Maxima back here safely."
"How do you intend to accomplish that?"
After a moment's thought, her brother gave a relieved nod. "I know just the man to send after her. Simmons is in Newcastle now. I'll send for him and explain what needs to be done. With luck, Maxima will be home in no time."
"Send for your man if you wish, but I'm going after her myself," Desdemona said tightly. "Someone in the family should care enough to try. What does she look like?"
Lord Collingwood started to say that his sister was being absurd, that such matters should be left to those with experience. A glance at Desdemona's set face made him decide that it was easier to let her go. After all, his sister was an independent and worldly widow, attended by her servants. How much trouble could she get into?
* * *
The miles and the afternoon rolled by, and Maxie's unwanted companion showed no signs of boredom. He didn't flag from the brisk pace she set, either. Occasionally Robin made an entertaining comment on the passing scene and they would converse a bit. Sometimes he whistled, very musically. Maxie had to admit that his presence made the miles go more quickly.
They left the forest and joined a wider road with more traffic. It was coming on to dinnertime when they entered a quiet, gray stone village. Robin gestured at an inn called the King Richard. "Shall I buy you dinner? Anything you like as long as it costs less than two shillings."
Maxie gave him a cold stare. "You may stop if you wish, but I intend to continue. Have a pleasant journey, Mr. Anderson."
"Andreville," he said, impervious to the snub. "Anderson is too common to impress anyone. Are you sure you don't want to stop? While I have enough food for another day, a warm meal would help us make it through a cool night."
"There is no us, Mr. Andreville," Maxie said in a doomed attempt to maintain formality. "We are two individuals who have chanced to travel the same road for a few hours."
"You still don't take me seriously, do you?" Her companion seemed unfazed by the observation. "People seldom do, so you're in good company. Very well, cold food it is."