Boy and lady stared at each other.

Harry put the kettle on for tea.

She recovered first. “I’m Lady Georgina Maitland from the manor. What’s your name?”

The boy merely stared.

“Best to nod when a lady talks to you, lad,” Harry said.

She frowned. “I hardly think that’s necessary.”

But the boy tugged his forelock and dipped his head.

Lady Georgina sidled into the room. She’d thrown a bed linen over her gown from the night before. Harry remembered he’d torn the bodice. “Do you know his name?” she whispered in his ear.

He shook his head. “Would you like tea? I don’t have much else. Some bread and butter.”

Lady Georgina brightened, whether at the offer of food or something to do he wasn’t sure. “We can make toast,” she said.

Harry cocked an eyebrow, but she’d already found the bread and butter, the knife, and a bent fork. She hacked at the bread and sawed off a shapeless lump.

All three of them stared at it.

She cleared her throat. “I think cutting may be more of a man’s job.” She handed the knife to Harry. “Now, don’t make the slices too thick or they won’t toast and they’ll have that awful spongy bit in the center. And it’s important they’re not too thin or they’ll burn, and I detest burnt toast, don’t you?” She turned to the boy, who nodded his head.

“I’ll do my best,” Harry said.

“Good. I’ll butter. And I suppose”—she looked critically at the boy—“you can toast. You do know how to toast bread properly, don’t you?”

The lad nodded and took the fork as if it were the sword of King Arthur.

Soon there was a pile of crusty bread, dripping with butter, in the center of the table. Lady Georgina poured tea, and the three of them sat down to break their fast.

“I wish I could just stay here,” she said, licking butter from her fingers, “but I suppose I shall have to return to the manor at least to dress properly.”

“Did you leave word to have the carriage come for you?” Harry asked. If she hadn’t, he would lend her his horse.

“I saw a carriage this morning,” the boy piped up.

“You mean waiting on the drive?” Lady Georgina asked.

“No.” The boy swallowed a huge mouthful. “It was going up the drive at a gallop, fair flew by, it did.”

Lady Georgina and Harry looked at each other.

“Black with red trim?” she asked. The color of Tony’s carriage.

The boy reached for his fifth piece of toast and shook his head. “Blue. All over blue.”

Lady Georgina gave an exclamation and choked on her tea.

Harry and the boy stared at her.

“Oscar,” she gasped.

He raised an eyebrow.

“My middle brother.”