The LadyShip by Elisabeth Kidd Page B

in no good humour when—after searching the entire inn and coming around to the kitchen again—he finally uncovered Teddy and pulled him out of his corner, sleepy-eyed and apologetic and begging George not to squeal to Mistress on him.
    “Get up, you little beggar!” George enjoined him. “I’ll tell Mistress, all right—you’re here to work, you know, not to lollygag about.”
    He hauled Teddy to his feet, but Teddy tripped on the sill and fell against George’s leg, whereupon George boxed his ear and Teddy set up a howl that was heard in the coffee-room. Evans looked up with a scowl at the noise and sent Ivor, the larger of his two helpers, to investigate. Ivor, find ing small Teddy being mauled by George—whom Ivor con sidered a bully—yanked the ostler around by the collar and planted a facer on him, whereupon Teddy sent up another howl—this time from glee, but no less penetrating for that.
    This brought both Lucy and Elinor running to the kitchen, to find a scene of carnage before them. George lay on the floor bleeding from the nose. Ivor’s boot was planted firmly on his chest. Teddy huddled in a corner, and Flora was having hysterics on top of the table. Mrs Nash stood over all of them wielding a soup ladle. On Elinor’s entrance they all broke into incoherent speech at once.
    “Oh, Miss Elinor, I swear I only turned my back for a minute, and —”
    “It’s my doing, ma’am, he was hurting the little fellow—”
    “Too right it was your meddling, you great oaf! Let me up!”
    “Flora, do stop crying—no one’s hurt you!”
    Lucy gave a little cry and knelt down beside Teddy, who took full advantage of her tender heart to burst into tears. Elinor, not knowing where to turn first, was tempted to throw up her hands and dismiss them all on the spot, but realising that another outburst would only add to the chaos, she took a deep breath preparatory to plunging into battle.
    It was just at that moment, however, that the door from the kitchen to the garden opened, and a cold breeze swept over them. Rarely did anyone enter the inn by that door, so that it was a moment before they collected their wits to recognise the tall man standing before them. He was in uni form, and although this was much abused by travel and weather, it was still impressive—even apart from its being worn by a young man of noble proportions in an establishment that had little direct contact with the military. Heavy boots and a greatcoat, muddy at the hem from the road, half-concealed the uniform, and a tall hat shaded the face of this arresting stranger. But when he spoke, Elinor realised his identity with a gasp.
    “Here now!” he said, in the uncompromising accents of a veteran officer addressing a company of johnny-raws. “What’s all this, then?”
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    “ Good heavens! Ned!”
    Several minutes seemed to pass before Elinor recovered from shock at the amazing sight of her twin brother stand ing in—nay, filling—the kitchen doorway and assessing the chaos in the same manner in which he might have ap praised a battlefield after the opening cannonade. It must in fact have been only a few seconds that they stared at each other—during which time Teddy scrambled to his feet and out of Lucy’s suddenly relaxed grasp, Ivor hauled George to his feet and out of the kitchen, and Mrs Nash, sniffing the air, exclaimed suddenly, “My sirloin!” and dropped her la dle.
    Lieutenant Edward Bennett, late of the Second Brigade of Guards, pulled off his hat and grinned at Elinor. “Hullo, Nell! Is this how you run your celebrated post ing-house? I wonder that you have any guests left—let alone any that have succeeded in getting an uninterrupted night’s sleep!”
    “Oh, Ned!”
    Retrieving her scattered wits, Elinor ran into her broth er’s arms and found herself being lifted up and whirled around the kitchen between hugs. Laughing, she adjured him to let her go instantly, for his wretched coat was getting