“Perhaps you could tell us where you work?” Alex inquired.

Emma looked at him blankly.

“You do have a job somewhere? You weren’t planning to eat all those eggs yourself?”

Oh, blast, she’d forgotten her masquerade again. “Um, I work for the Earl and Countess of Worth.”

Alex knew the address and instructed his coachman. Sophie kept up a steady stream of chatter during the short time it took the carriage to reach the Blydon mansion.

Emma nearly ran out of the carriage.

“Wait!” Alex and Sophie called out in unison.

Sophie reached her first. “I must thank you properly. I’ll have nightmares for weeks if I don’t.” She reached up to her ears, quickly took off her diamond and emerald earrings, and thrust them into Emma’s hands. “Please take these. It’s just a small token, I know, but perhaps they will help you if you’re ever in need.”

Emma was dumbfounded. She couldn’t very well tell this woman that she was the only heir to a giant shipping business, but at the same time, she could see that Sophie desperately needed to give something to Emma to show her thanks.

“God bless you.” Sophie kissed Emma on the cheek and climbed back into the coach.

Emma turned to the coachman and took the eggs from him. She smiled at Sophie and headed toward the mansion’s side entrance.

“Not so fast, love.” Alex suddenly appeared at her side. “I’ll carry these in for you.”

“No!” Emma said, a little too sharply. “I mean, I’d really rather you didn’t. Nobody will mind that I’m late once I explain about Charlie, but they won’t like my bringing a strange man into the kitchen.”

“Nonsense,” Alex said, reaching for the eggs with the supreme assurance of one who expects his orders to be obeyed.

Emma backed away from him. All hell would break loose if he escorted her into the house, and Belle—to whom he’d most likely already been introduced—started calling her by her true name. “Please,” she pleaded. “Please just go away. There will be trouble if you don’t.”

Alex thought he saw true fear in her eyes and wondered again if she was being mistreated. Still, he didn’t want her to get into any trouble on his account. “Very well.” He bowed curtly. “It has been a pleasure knowing you, my dear Meg.”

Emma turned and scurried into the service entrance of the mansion, feeling Alex’s hot gaze on her back the whole way. When she finally burst through the door into the kitchen, she felt as if she’d been delivered from purgatory.

“Emma!” everyone cried out in unison.

“Where have you been?” Belle demanded, hands on hips. “We’ve been worried sick about you.”

Emma sighed as she placed the bag of eggs on the counter. “Belle, couldn’t we discuss this later?” She glanced pointedly at the servants, whose mouths were visibly agape as they stared at her unashamedly.

“All right, then,” Belle agreed. “Let’s go upstairs right now.”

Emma groaned. She was suddenly exhausted, and her head was pounding once again, and she didn’t know what to do about those cursed earrings, and…

“Oh my heavens!” Belle shrieked. Emma, her irrepressible and energetic cousin, had fainted dead away.

Chapter 3

Alex stood in front of the Blydon mansion staring at the servants’ entrance. He’d seen a look of sheer panic in Meg’s eyes before he’d agreed not to accompany her inside. He scowled, worried that she might be punished for returning so late from the market. Although he’d met the Earl and Countess of Worth on several occasions, when it came right down to it, he didn’t know much about them. He had no idea what kind of household they ran. Some of the ton treated their servants abominably. And although he refused to believe he felt anything other than lust for Meg, he was terrified that she might be turned out or beaten. He had a strong urge to march right into the Blydon kitchen and make sure that Meg was being treated like the heroine she was. Alex sighed, slightly irritated at the extent of his concern. He wasn’t at all sure that she’d completely recovered from her fall. All he really wanted to do at that moment was take Meg into his arms, carry her up to her room and tuck her into bed with a nice cold compress on her head. He groaned at the vision he was painting in his mind. If he managed to get her tucked into bed, he doubted that he’d be able to stop himself from climbing in beside her.

“Alex!” Sophie poked her head out of the carriage. “What are you waiting for?”

Alex tore his gaze away from the mansion. “Nothing, Soph, nothing at all. I’m just a little concerned about Meg. Do you suppose she’ll be all right? What kind of people are the Earl and Countess of Worth?”

“Oh, they’re lovely. I’ve met them several times at parties.”

“So have I, brat, but that doesn’t make them paragons of virtue.”

Sophie sighed and rolled her eyes. “If you ever spent more than one minute at the parties that Mama and I force you to attend, you’d know that the Blydons are simply wonderful. They’re very kind and not at all stuffy, Mama is extremely fond of Lady Worth. I think they have tea together at least once a fortnight. I don’t think we have to worry about Meg now that we know she works here. I cannot imagine Lady Worth allowing anyone to be mistreated in her home.”

“I hope you’re right. We owe Meg a great deal. It’s the least we can do to see to her welfare.”

“Don’t think I don’t know it, dear brother. I intend to call on Lady Worth this week to tell her how Meg saved Charlie. I am certain that she will not allow such bravery to go unrewarded.”