The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress Read Online Free PDF Page B

prisoner until dawn. He would not treat her like one.
    “So,” he said instead. “You have a cat. Does it have a name?”
    “Egui,” she mumbled against her teacup.
    Egui? He frowned. Odd name for a cat, but who was he to judge? He wasn’t stable enough for a pet.
    “Does Egui always enjoy ripping cloth to shreds?”
    She lowered her teacup in horror. “He ate your cravat? ”
    “No, of course n—” Or had he? Xavier gritted his teeth. He’d placed his wadded-up cravat on the counter next to the shredded towel when he’d brought the tea tray into the parlor. What were the odds it was still where he’d left it? “One moment.”
    He rose on stiff legs and marched into the kitchen. His jaw clenched when he caught sight of his cravat. Wonderful.
    Egui, two points. Xavier, none. His cravat now resembled a linen octopus. With a discarded hairball instead of eyes.
    He returned to the parlor and dropped heavily back into his chair. “Yes. Egui ate my cravat.”
    She winced. “He eats... everything. He’s a very peckish cat. His other favorite pastime is hide-and-seek. I recommend locking your bedchamber if you intend to sleep.”
    “Delightful,” he murmured. “And to think they claim dogs are a man’s best friend.”
    She took a dainty sip of tea. “He’s more like... family. I’m afraid I’m stuck with him.”
    And now Xavier was too, because his unplanned houseguest thought of the beast as family. Ravenous, demented family.
    This couldn’t continue for long. He needed a plan.
    He also had a thousand questions, but no wish to interrogate her. Perhaps he wouldn’t have to. A young lady like Miss Downing was unlikely to have ulterior motives. Although he was hard-pressed to come up with a rational explanation for her presence, and under such unlikely circumstances.
    “I couldn’t help but notice you brought luggage,” he said presently. “But no chaperone. Or carriage.”
    She flashed a nervous smile over the rim of her teacup. “It’s the funniest thing. You’re right that I have no chaperone, but I did rent a hack. The driver refused to take the horses any further than the Dog & Whistle due to the ice and snow. For the same reason, the innkeeper was completely without rooms to let. My driver accepted a pallet in the mews, which of course wouldn’t do for a young lady. So I walked here. But don’t worry. It was less than a quarter mile.”
    Something was funny, all right. Xavier tapped his fingers together. “I’m so glad there’s a reasonable, not-remotely-questionable explanation for dragging a cat and a trunk through a snowstorm to a bachelor’s private cottage. Your brother will love to hear this.”
    She jumped. “You know Isaac?”
    He stared at her. “Why do you think me incapable of remembering people?”
    She cleared her throat. “I would prefer you didn’t mention this visit to him, that’s all.”
    “I would prefer not mentioning it to anyone. Come morning, the snow will melt enough to return you to the Dog & Whistle and commission a driver willing to take you right back home to London.”
    Her shoulders relaxed. “I can stay the night? Here?”
    He held up his palms. “Did you expect me to offer the mews?”
    She beamed at him. “I knew you wouldn’t. You’re too steadfast and honorable.”
    “I’m too what? I’m nothing of the sort!”
    “Of course you are. You’re a soldier and a hero. Anyone would be safe in your company.”
    “You’ve no idea what being a good soldier means. I’m a bringer of death and destruction. And the worst person of my acquaintance. You shouldn’t be anywhere near me.”
    She shook her head. “That was during the war, whilst defending innocent civilians from Napoleon’s tyranny. The very definition of heroic.”
    He raked a hand through his hair. If only he were the kind of man she painted him to be. “The point is, you shouldn’t be here. You’re a well-bred young lady with a fine reputation, and if we are quite lucky, you might