Page 49 of The Duchess’ Modiste

“It is no matter, my lord, we can fix this.”

“I’m sorry, I . . .” Leo stood back. His hands felt clammy, and the guilt was growing by the second. Above him, there were footsteps. Evidently Chloe had heard the sound and was on her way done now.

This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? To see Chloe!

Yet now the only thing Leo could think of doing was escaping. He had interfered in a way he should not have done, and it left him feeling dreadful.

“Please, give my warm regards to Chloe. I will come back another time to see her.” He headed for the door.

“But she will be here any second—” Miss Baker’s words were cut off as Leo stepped out of the door and closed it. He could have sworn he caught sight of skirts upon the stairs, of Chloe hurrying down, before he darted off down the street, rushing through Covent Garden as quickly as he could.

“You fool. You great fool!” Leo snapped at himself in anger, marching so fast that people around him noticed, curious by the stranger who was walking so quickly. Even a paper boy flogging newspapers jumped out of Leo’s way, eager not to get in his path.

Leo didn’t know for how long he had been walking, and he barely noticed in what direction he was striding. All he could think of was getting away from the shop. The more he walked, the more he was horrified by what he had done.

It wasn’t just jealousy that had made him tell that lie. It was fear. Plain fear that he could lose her to another gentleman, one who might persuade her to consider marriage and love after all. He could have sworn his heart thudded slower in his chest now, heartbroken, at the prospect of Chloe marrying another.

His imagination seemed intent on tormenting him and as he walked, he pictured Chloe at an altar, but she wasn’t walking toward Leo, she was walking to another unknown gentleman.

Chapter 18

Chloe

“What was all that noise?” Chloe asked as she stepped off the staircase and into the shop. The door to the shop had just closed, and a tailcoat flapped through the gap, though she missed the face of the bearer of that tailcoat. Whoever the gentleman was, he seemed eager to leave. She watched as he hurried off down the street.

Turning her focus to the shop, Chloe found Gretchen by the counter, with her hands on two bouquets of flowers. Rosaline was in the shop as well, staring at a table that was now something of a mess.

“Rosaline? Gretchen?” Chloe’s words seemed to shake them out of trances, for they had both been staring at the shop door in equal alarm.

“What a to-do, Miss Green,” Gretchen said with a sigh and leaned back on the counter, still clutching the flowers.

“It’s always interesting when I come to see you, Chloe. That can’t be denied,” Rosaline said with a small and rather baffled laugh. She shook her head, with her eyes still on the window, as if she thought the gentleman that had left would return at any moment.

“Would someone care to tell me what has happened?” Chloe asked, looking around the shop. “Right now, you are both doing an excellent job of impersonating statues.” Her wit brought them out of their trances. They both looked at her. “Rosaline?”

“I came to tell you of my promenade with Lord Gloucester yesterday, but I was far from the only one who wished to see you.” She nodded her head at the flowers in Gretchen’s hand.

“What are all these?” Chloe moved toward Gretchen who proffered the flowers.

“Gifts from two gentlemen,” Gretchen said. “They left cards.”

Chloe slowly took the cards out of the flowers to see the names of both gentlemen: Lord Appleby and Sir Wallace Painter. Both were men she had met in the shop as of late, when they had come in accompanying their sisters. Chloe sighed, trying not to look too disappointed.

“Why didn’t they wait? I would have come down to speak to them.”

“Well, your third admirer sent them away,” Rosaline said, with a mischievous smirk as she continued to tidy the table that was something of a mess.

“Thirdadmirer?” Chloe said, as her eyes rested on the table.

Was it Leo? Did Leo cause this mess?

Chloe was about to step away when Rosaline looked up from her tidying with another smile.

“Lord Felton seemed rather eager to see you and was disappointed to find other gentlemen here.”

“He told a lie!” Gretchen gasped at the words, as if they told of a great sin. She looked down at the flowers in her grasp in firm admiration. Once more Gretchen tried to pass them to Chloe, but Chloe didn’t take them. Her mind was caught up in other things now.

“Lie? What lie?” Chloe asked.

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