When she reached the door, she turned to the duke, saying, “Good evening, your grace, and thank you again for showing me your collection.”
“No trouble at all, my dear,” Broughton assured her, smiling. “But aren’t you coming back to the sitting room? Con and Alex have a dandy puzzle going.”
Megan smiled. Her pupils had informed her that the duke was almost as fond as Con was of jigsaw puzzles, and he spent many an evening working on them with his sons.
“Thank you,” she replied honestly. “But I fear I am rather tired. I should retire early, I think.”
The fact was, she was rather fond of puzzles herself and would have enjoyed working on one, but she was coming to realize that the less time she spent with this family, the better. She was already liking them far more than was good for her. There was no point in making it any more painful when she had to reveal to them what Theo had done.
“Come, Miss Henderson, surely a little time spent relaxing would be good for you,” Theo said persuasively. “A card game, perhaps. Or Anna might be persuaded to play a few tunes on the piano. Or, if you prefer, Mother has been reading up on the educational ideas of Bronson Alcott, and I am sure she would love to discuss them with you.”
There was a twinkle in his eye as he said this, and Megan knew he was hoping once again to trip her up.
“Oh, yes,” she said, looking him straight in the eye, her chin going up challengingly. Thank heavens for that article she had written on the New England experiments in education. “The conversational method. It is quite interesting.”
“Hardly relaxing for Miss Henderson, Theo,” Reed put in. “Since she has spent her whole day educating the twins. No doubt she would welcome a few hours sans Morelands.”
“Of course,” Theo agreed easily. “I apologize, Miss Henderson. No doubt you have been staying up too late preparing the twins’ lessons.”
Megan shot him a daggerlike look, well aware of his jibe at her late-night activities, though she knew none of the others would be.
“Yes,” she replied smoothly. “And I have a long day planned tomorrow.” She turned back to the duke. “I would like to take the twins on an educational outing tomorrow, if that is all right with you, sir.”
The idea had just occurred to her, and it was, she thought, perfect. She had been longing to get out of the house. Used as she was to being out and about, chasing down her stories, the walls of Broughton House, elegant as they were, were beginning to feel rather restrictive. Besides, she needed to interview Julian Coffey, the other Englishman who had gone on the trip with Barchester, Theo and her brother. A trip to the museum where he was curator would serve both purposes, and she could do it under the guise of tutoring the twins.
“An outing, eh?” The duke smiled. “That sounds interesting.”
“Yes, it does,” Theo added, studying her. “Where are you planning to take Con and Alex?”
“To a museum,” Megan answered shortly.
“Museum?” Broughton’s smile grew. “That sounds quite jolly. I am sure the twins would enjoy it.” He paused, then added, his smile fading, “Um…are you quite sure you are up to it? The twins, you know, well…and you’re unfamiliar with the city.”
“Don’t worry, Father,” Theo said pleasantly. “I will volunteer to go along and keep an eye on Con and Alex.”
The older man’s face cleared. “That will be just the thing.” He smiled widely at Megan. “You should have no problem.”
“Thank you, your grace,” Megan replied with a smile for the kindly duke, but she turned a stony stare on Theo as she went on, “but it really won’t be necessary. The twins and I will be fine on our own.”
“No, I insist,” Theo replied, his affable tone underlaid by steel. The face he turned to her was as implacable as his voice. “Really, Miss Henderson.”
Megan’s smile was more of a grimace as she shot back, “No, please, Lord Raine, I will not allow you to put yourself out. I am quite capable of finding my way about a city.”
“I am sure you are. But as a gentleman, I cannot allow you. We shall take the carriage.”
“No doubt Con and Alex and I could take the carriage without your accompanying us. You needn’t bother.”
The other three people with them stood watching Theo and Megan with interest, their heads swinging from one to the other throughout their sharply polite exchange.
“Now, now, Miss Henderson,” the duke said, patting her arm and smiling benignly at her. “You must let Theo accompany you. It takes at least two people to keep an eye on Constantine and Alexander.”
“Of course.” Megan gritted her teeth and gave in with as much grace as she could muster. She could scarcely refuse her employer’s order, even one given as graciously as the duke’s. “Thank you.”
The look she turned toward Theo was anything but grateful. “We shall leave early.”
His eyes dancing with inner amusement, Theo gave her a short, precise bow. “I shall be ready.”
Damn the man! How could he manage to thwart her at every turn when he didn’t even know what she planned?
It was excessively frustrating. She didn’t want Theo to know that she was going to the Cavendish Museum, let alone have him accompany her there.
Megan itched to slap Theo’s smug face. Instead, she turned on her heel and swept away.
CHAPTER 9
Megan hurried the twins through breakfast the next morning, hoping to get out the door before Theo appeared. Much to her chagrin, when she and the boys came down the stairs, Theo was standing by the front door waiting for them, arms folded.
“Theo!” Alex cried out gleefully. “Are you coming with us?”
“Do!” Con urged.
“Yes, I’m coming. Didn’t Miss Henderson tell you?” He cast a wicked grin at Megan.
“I was not sure that you would be able to accompany us,” Megan retorted in a frosty tone.
“You doubted me?” Theo’s green eyes danced, and he leaned closer, murmuring, “Or did you just think that you could sneak away without me?’
“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Megan swept toward the front door, and the footman jumped to pull it open for her.
Theo and the boys followed.
Con cast an eye up at Theo and whispered, “Is she in a snit? She’s acting just like Kyria when she’s in a snit.”
“I’m not sure,” Theo replied. “Do you think an American snit looks the same as a British one?”
The three glanced at Megan, then back at each other, and nodded, bursting into laughter. Megan cast a sharp glance back at them.
No doubt Theo was enlisting her charges against her, she thought darkly. Well, let him. Perhaps she would be able to saddle him with the twins so she could slip away to talk to the museum’s director.
The ducal carriage stood in front of the house, the coachman waiting patiently to open the door and hand Megan up into the vehicle. The twins bounced in after her and plopped down side by side in their usual way on the seat across from her. This left Theo to sit down beside Megan. She managed with some effort not to turn her head to look at him.
“Where are we going?” Theo asked cheerfully. “The British Museum?”