curved into an O of comprehension as the last piece fell into place. “Lady Lucinda Grey, you know that I hold every confidence in your ability to do anything you set your mind to, but this is no ordinary man you’re dealing with.”
“Oh, Amelia, I’m fully aware of that. But I’ve declined proposals from nearly every eligible bachelor in London. Surely I have one more refusal left in me.” The heat that had flared when the duke traced her bare skin with his fingertips lingered on Lucinda’s body and flared anew with the mere mention of him. Her awareness of just how unordinary the man was could not be denied but she wouldn’t, couldn’t, confess her weakness to Amelia.
Amelia squeezed Lucinda’s hand. “And the Furies, what do they have to say about your ambitious scheme?”
“They had their reservations,” Lucinda began, a wry smile curving her lips. “That is, until I told them that the duke is a particular friend of your husband’s.”
Amelia’s eyes flew wide with alarm. “You didn’t!”
Lucinda chuckled. “Really, they’re not that terrifying, are they?”
“You have to ask?”
Lucinda patted Amelia’s hand and stood, pulling her friend after her. “I’m only having a bit of fun, though Lord Northrop’s friendship with the duke may be of some help to me.”
Amelia flashed a wicked grin. “Leave it to me,” she said knowingly, then stopped. “But Lucinda, you will take care, won’t you? I’ve never considered fighting a duel, but to save you from the clutches of Iron Will, I would do so without question.”
Lucinda knew that despite Amelia’s light tone, her friend’s concerns were real. They matched the very ones taking shape in her own heart, and for the first time in her life Lucinda wondered whether she’d taken an irrevocable misstep.
“I know, and I would do the same for you without hesitation,” she answered. “But first …” She looked toward the counter where the exhausted clerk had arranged what was surely every last red ribbon in the shop’s inventory for their review. “I believe we have need of many red ribbons.”
How women could spend such a vast amount of time doing what amounted to child’s play was beyond Will. Lady Lucinda and Lady Northop had been occupied in Pomeroy’s for nearly an hour, leaving Will to loiter on New Bond Street like some young buck desperate for attention. “Purveyors of the finest ladies millinery, ribbons, and bows,” Will quoted, reading from the gilded scrollwork on the wooden sign above the shop’s entry.
He bit out a curse, muttering under his breath.
If someone had told him a fortnight ago that he would find himself within ten miles of such a ridiculous shop, Will would have laughed. And then, most likely, hit the man for having the temerity to suggest he’d dangle after a woman while she trolled the shops for fripperies.
But the incident in the park had been too near a thing for Will’s liking. Garenne wouldn’t take the failure lightly. Will’s unorthodox method of thwarting the Frenchman would likely fuel his determination to complete the mission.
Will planned to keep Lucinda under Young Corinthian guard day and night until the Frenchman was in custody and her safety assured. Which was why he found himself outside Pomeroy’s, wishing to God that Lady Lucinda had opted to spend her time at home in her parlor.
Still, the crowded avenue offered many shops in which a man of Will’s social and financial position could claim an interest. “Haberdasher, tailor, fanciful snuff boxes,” he recited as he surveyed the shops surrounding Pomeroy’s.
“Unfortunately,” Will muttered under his breath, “I couldn’t give a bloody damn about any of it.”
Still, anyone seeing him would have to agree it was plausible that he would be found at one time or another on New Bond Street, a fact that would not be lost on Lady Lucinda.
Lady Lucinda
. The taste of her lingered on his tongue. Her sweet surrender in the
“Oh, Amelia, I’m fully aware of that. But I’ve declined proposals from nearly every eligible bachelor in London. Surely I have one more refusal left in me.” The heat that had flared when the duke traced her bare skin with his fingertips lingered on Lucinda’s body and flared anew with the mere mention of him. Her awareness of just how unordinary the man was could not be denied but she wouldn’t, couldn’t, confess her weakness to Amelia.
Amelia squeezed Lucinda’s hand. “And the Furies, what do they have to say about your ambitious scheme?”
“They had their reservations,” Lucinda began, a wry smile curving her lips. “That is, until I told them that the duke is a particular friend of your husband’s.”
Amelia’s eyes flew wide with alarm. “You didn’t!”
Lucinda chuckled. “Really, they’re not that terrifying, are they?”
“You have to ask?”
Lucinda patted Amelia’s hand and stood, pulling her friend after her. “I’m only having a bit of fun, though Lord Northrop’s friendship with the duke may be of some help to me.”
Amelia flashed a wicked grin. “Leave it to me,” she said knowingly, then stopped. “But Lucinda, you will take care, won’t you? I’ve never considered fighting a duel, but to save you from the clutches of Iron Will, I would do so without question.”
Lucinda knew that despite Amelia’s light tone, her friend’s concerns were real. They matched the very ones taking shape in her own heart, and for the first time in her life Lucinda wondered whether she’d taken an irrevocable misstep.
“I know, and I would do the same for you without hesitation,” she answered. “But first …” She looked toward the counter where the exhausted clerk had arranged what was surely every last red ribbon in the shop’s inventory for their review. “I believe we have need of many red ribbons.”
How women could spend such a vast amount of time doing what amounted to child’s play was beyond Will. Lady Lucinda and Lady Northop had been occupied in Pomeroy’s for nearly an hour, leaving Will to loiter on New Bond Street like some young buck desperate for attention. “Purveyors of the finest ladies millinery, ribbons, and bows,” Will quoted, reading from the gilded scrollwork on the wooden sign above the shop’s entry.
He bit out a curse, muttering under his breath.
If someone had told him a fortnight ago that he would find himself within ten miles of such a ridiculous shop, Will would have laughed. And then, most likely, hit the man for having the temerity to suggest he’d dangle after a woman while she trolled the shops for fripperies.
But the incident in the park had been too near a thing for Will’s liking. Garenne wouldn’t take the failure lightly. Will’s unorthodox method of thwarting the Frenchman would likely fuel his determination to complete the mission.
Will planned to keep Lucinda under Young Corinthian guard day and night until the Frenchman was in custody and her safety assured. Which was why he found himself outside Pomeroy’s, wishing to God that Lady Lucinda had opted to spend her time at home in her parlor.
Still, the crowded avenue offered many shops in which a man of Will’s social and financial position could claim an interest. “Haberdasher, tailor, fanciful snuff boxes,” he recited as he surveyed the shops surrounding Pomeroy’s.
“Unfortunately,” Will muttered under his breath, “I couldn’t give a bloody damn about any of it.”
Still, anyone seeing him would have to agree it was plausible that he would be found at one time or another on New Bond Street, a fact that would not be lost on Lady Lucinda.
Lady Lucinda
. The taste of her lingered on his tongue. Her sweet surrender in the
Similar Books
