Noble Destiny Read Online Free Page B

summers in his lifetime, was tall and broad enough in the shoulders as to cause the uninvited widows to lick their lips in anticipation of the pleasure to be found in his bed, and held the title of seventh earl of Carlisle, all of which made him fair game in the eyes of women of the ton , particularly those in the market for a husband.
    â€œBatsfoam?”
    â€œYes, my lord?”
    â€œI have a peculiar prickling sensation on the back of my neck.”
    â€œAgain, my lord?”
    â€œYes, again. Any sign of her?”
    The butler trailing behind his master paused long enough to briefly scan the street. He sighed as he turned a lugubrious face to Carlisle. “South-southwest, my lord. In a pink phaeton of such a virulent color that merely looking at it has given me a sharp pain on the left side of my head.”
    Dare muttered an expletive and lengthened his stride. “It must be Mrs. Benton. She’s been trying to catch my eye for the last three days. How close is she? Do you think we can make Dunbridge and Storm before she catches up to us?”
    Batsfoam, hired originally as a butler and now by a regrettable lack in the earl’s fiduciary standing, secretary, valet, and draftsman, squinted against the afternoon sun and gauged the distance to the solicitor’s office. “Doubtful.”
    â€œBlast!”
    The butler’s shoulders drooped even more than was normal in his habitual slouch. Dark of eye and hair, with skin the shade and texture of an unripened lemon, Batsfoam moved through life at the center of a seemingly perpetual cloud of gloom. “We’re doomed. It’s no use, my lord, you must sacrifice me and leave me behind. My leg will only hold you up.”
    Dare immediately slowed down, turning to cast a questioning glance at his employee. A sergeant in his unit when they served in the 12th Light Dragoons, Batsfoam had done his part to keep England safe from Napoleon, but it had cost him his lower right leg. “Dammit man, why didn’t you tell me your leg was aching? I would have hired a carriage.”
    Batsfoam shrugged a shrug that spoke of servitude, unworthiness, and emotions too depressing to be put into mere words. “I am but a lowly servant, my lord. I live to fulfill your slightest whim. Your commands are my commands. It is with the profoundest pleasure, nay ecstasy, that I am able to martyr myself upon the altar of your happiness.”
    â€œIn other words,” Dare replied, his arms crossed over his chest, “you’d like me to hire a hack.”
    A momentary lifting of the ever-present gloom indicated that Batsfoam would like just that, but just as quickly his usual dour, murky, abysmal expression returned. “I would not dream of imposing on your lordship in any such manner. Indeed, it would give my life the utmost meaning if you allowed me to throw myself before the razor-sharp pounding hooves of Mrs. Benton’s approaching team, sacrificing, as it were, my frail and feeble mortal frame so that you might escape without suffering such unpleasantness as might be experienced in having to tip your hat to her.”
    The earl rolled his eyes. Batsfoam had been with him for more than seven years, and despite the man’s tendency to speak with significantly less than the respect due him, Dare wouldn’t ruin the pleasure his servant found in being utterly and completely wretched. “It’s good to see you in such a happy mood for a change, Batsfoam. Such a frolicsome, carefree attitude suits you. I must remember to dock your wages a few quid just to keep you from bursting into song on the stair in the morning as you go about your duties.”
    The corners of Batsfoam’s lips twitched, but he had steely command over his expression and quickly pressed his mouth into its normal grim line. “As you desire, my lord. Alas that these frivolous few moments of jocularity are about to end with the imminent arrival of a lady . What