Page 21 of Lady of Charade
“All right, that is the first time I believe I’ve ever said that to a woman. But rest assured, I will tell no one of this arrangement.”
“Will your family not notice when you are never home to sleep?”
He snorted and shook his head.
“I have my own lodgings, and my family didn’t even notice I was gone for two days when you were caring for me,” he said. “It seems, Miss Jones, that there is no one who cares more about my whereabouts and wellbeing than you currently do.”
She wrinkled her nose, and David was well aware that she was likely reflecting on the fact that she didn’t overly care, so what did that mean for everyone else?
“We will discuss this later, Mr. Redmond,” she said instead, and he smiled, knowing that was as near to victory as she would apparently admit.
“Very well,” he said, but then continued on another tack. “What about Lady Alexander?”
“What about her?”
“Have you thought about whether or not she might have a connection to the letter writer, your mother, or your father?”
“Oh no,” she said, shaking her head. “I met Lady Alexander… at another point in time. She is unconnected to the whole of it.”
He pursed his lips. “I am not so sure.”
“I am.”
“Very well,” he said, not wanting to push her on this, but deciding he would look into it himself. “We best not remain ensconced in here for too long — who knows what others may think of us.”
He winked at her, rose, and held out his hand to help her rise before leading her to the door.
Damn, Miss Jones.The more he tried to keep himself away, the closer he found himself to her.
CHAPTER10
Sarah waited for the barrage of warnings from her friends, and she was not disappointed when they arrived at her side but moments later. She hadn’t seen them at the party previously, but then Phoebe and Elizabeth usually arrived slightly later than many of the guests. Sarah was pleasantly surprised to find that even Julia was in attendance tonight. Eddie must have a race in London or some time away from the track.
“Do we even need to say anything?” Elizabeth asked as she approached and Sarah sighed, suggesting they sit around one of the provided tables before she began to tell pieces of the story — of Mr. Redmond appearing on her doorstep, her treatment of him, and what she had shared of her own life. Her friends looked surprised yet contemplative as she spoke.
“He may have a point,” Phoebe mused, and Sarah furrowed her brows.
“About what?”
“Lady Alexander,” she said. “I always have found it to be a rather interesting situation — that you would so coincidentally meet this woman who would agree to be your chaperone yet nothing more.”
“She enjoys her privacy,” Sarah said, defending Lady Alexander. “Besides, without her, I wouldn’t even find myself at any such parties.”
“Gabriel has been unable to find any untoward connections thus far,” Elizabeth said, before catching Sarah’s look. “I know, I know, you did not ask for him to look into anything regarding her. He was simply covering all possibilities. He was quite discreet, of that, I can promise you.”
“Well, I must thank you all for your support, anyway,” Sarah said, biting her lip before she felt a hand on her arm and looked over to Julia.
“I know I have not been around much, and for that, I apologize,” she said, and Sarah waved away her words, knowing well that Julia’s lifestyle did not allow for a great deal of time in London. “Please tell me if I am wrong about this; however, it seems that you and Mr. Redmond are somewhat… familiar with one another.”
Familiaras in the fact they had slept in the same room for two nights, that she had treated his injuries while appreciating the beauty of his body, and that he had perused her person wearing nothing more than a nightrail and wrapper? That he had remained in the room while she had changed from said nightrail into her muslin dress, her nerves jumping at every touch of fabric as it brushed over her body?
“Not overly,” Sarah answered, though she could feel warmth creeping up her cheeks. “We are acquainted, that is all.”
Time to change the subject, she decided.
“Julia, Eddie used to ride for the Earl of Torrington, did he not?”
“He did,” Julia confirmed. “That was when all of the scandal occurred, however, and the Earl has not been around the race track often since that time.”
