“I’ve never seenhimbefore!”
“Who?” Eugénie stepped over to one of the front store windows.
“The tall man with the broad shoulders and the most lovely wavy blond hair.” Cicely’s tone was all breathless anticipation. “He looks like a gentleman, as well.”
Eugénie stared at the man on the other side of the street. “I do not recognize him either.”
Cicely’s blue eyes had widened slightly, and her breath came a little faster. Eugénie raised her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head. Her friend was the biggest flirt she knew. Fortunately, all the gentlemen they knew here realized it was all done in innocence. A gentleman from elsewhere might not. “I thought you said you were not going to look at another man until you went to England for your Season.”
Her friend’s mouth opened and closed. “Icouldn’thave said any such thing.” Cicely glanced back out the window. “And even if I had, it wouldn’t apply tohim.”
Eugénie took her friend by the elbow. “Come, I need to buy paper for Maman.”
“Perhaps I can manage to bump into him,” Cicely said hopefully.
“More likely,” Eugénie responded in her most acerbic tone, “you’ll trip over your feet staring at him, or run into someone you don’t want to. How can you even think of men at a time like this? When my family is in so much difficulty?”
“Just because you are not . . . Oh, look.” Her friend came to a stop. “He’s going into your family’s warehouse.”
Eugénie jerked to a halt as well. So he was. What business had he there? Could that stranger be part of the reason the company was in trouble, or that Mr. Howden was lying? Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs as she fought down the fear that the business was indeed in difficulties. She took a breath and gave herself a shake. Even more reason to enlist Cicely’s help in discovering what was going on, and immediately.
As Will left the printer’s, he saw Andrew head down an alley between two warehouses. Hopefully his friend would be successful. Will made his way to Mr. White’s tailor shop. He was just about to enter the premises when a young woman, who appeared to be towing her friend down the street, ran into him. He put out a steadying hand and gazed down into the warmest brown eyes he’d ever seen. Curls the color of roasted coffee beans escaped from beneath her wide-brimmed hat, and for some reason, he couldn’t let go of her. A whole different kind of heat, unrelated to the climate, rose within him. God, she was beautiful. Her rosy lips pursed briefly before the ends curled up a bit. He’d never been so immediately struck by a woman in his life. Will took her hand, bowing over it as he felt along her fourth finger of her left hand. There was no indication of a ring under her gloves. He sent up a brief prayer.Please let her be a widow.
“Excuse me, ma’am.” He smiled. If she was amiss, she’d correct him. “I must not have been watching where I was going.”
Her eyes widened as she stared boldly back at him. When her lips parted slightly, it was all he could do not to kiss her. Feel their softness against his. Explore her mouth and the rest of her body.
“No,” she responded slightly breathlessly. “I believe it was my fault.”
A giggle caused her to glance away. The lady’s companion, the perfect picture of an English maiden—golden-haired, dressed in a froth of muslin and lace—giggled again, reminding him why he’d left home. He turned his attention back to the dark-haired woman, willing her to gaze into his eyes again, but the moment was lost.
She blushed and glanced at his hand, still holding hers. “My friend and I must be going.”
Unfortunately, he could no longer see her face, but her sultry, accented voice caused every muscle in his body to tighten. Who the devil was she, and when could he see her again?
“Sir.” Her tone grew colder. “I must insist you release me.”
Will was surprised at how hard it was to remove his hand. One by one, he peeled his fingers from her. “Yes, of course. Just making sure you were steady on your feet.” God. That sounded weak even to him. The plain fact was that he didn’t want to let go of her at all. Something about her made him want to pull her to him and ensure the woman knew she belonged to him.
It suddenly occurred to Will she was dismissing him. He couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. Or the last time he’d acted a complete fool over a woman. When she raised one well-shaped brow, he hid a smile and bowed again. “I’ll just be on my way.”
The woman inclined her head and continued down the street. Will watched her for a bit before entering the tailor’s shop. He had to discover who she was. The bell rang as he opened the door.
“Good day to you, sir,” a man said, in what Will thought might be a thick Danish accent.
Will glanced toward the darker interior of the shop, waiting for his eyes to adjust from the bright sun.
A stocky young fellow with light blond hair came from around the counter. “May I help you?”
Or at least that’s what Will thought he said.
“Yes.” The woman’s scent, one he’d never smelled before, lingered in the air, tantalizing him. He had to find her again. “I’m in need of new suits.”
The clerk smiled.“Hoop om indruk Juffrouw Villaret?”
That sounded something like a form of German. Drat, the man was deuced hard to understand, though Villaret sounded French, which would explain her accent. Will knew German, and the title sounded like Frau. Which would mean she’d been married. “Is that her name,FrauVillaret?”
The man grinned.
