Page 13 of Love and the Shameless Lady

She didn’t want to, but she complied. “It is supposed to be a secret.” Were all her secrets to be uncovered, one by one? “From strangers, that is. The locals all know.”

“I am no longer a stranger, and whether you like it or not, Miss . . .”

“Warren,” she grumped. “Desdemona Warren, but kindly continue to call me Daisy.”

“Warren,” he repeated meditatively. “A relative of Lord Garrison, perhaps?”

“He is my cousin.”

He raised his brows. “Is that so? I shall shortly visit him and his charming wife at Garrison House. A weeklong party with a few friends.”

“How pleasant for you,” she said, trying to stifle her envy.

“Shall you be there, Miss Warren?”

“Daisy,” she retorted. “Definitely not.”

“You are not welcome at your cousin’s house?”

She hunched a shoulder. She didn’t know the answer to this question. Miles had never been unkind to her, but in return she had not visited his estate since her ruin. “I don’t wish to embarrass them and their guests.”

“This becomes more interesting by the minute, Daisy. Whether you like it or not, your quality distinguishes you from the bumpkins hereabouts. Why, may I ask, is your identity a secret?”

She didn’t much care what the Frenchman thought of her, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed explaining herself. She hoped he wouldn’t suddenly decide she was fair game. He was an attractive man, attractive enough to be the hero of a novel, but she’d only thought of him that way once or twice, and only because she’d been imagining how her heroine felt. “Because I am a ruined woman.”

“But from a family known for its many scandals.” His expression was far too amused. And rather warm, damn him.

“Yes.” She always locked her door, but now she would also have to check that her gun was loaded and make sure her knife was handy. What a nuisance.

He chuckled. “Life would be tedious without a scandal now and then, and in your family, it is hardly surprising. That does not explain why you are obliged to become a servant.”

“It is a matter of choice, not obligation. I choose to live here, and I choose to work, and I don’t choose to explain myself to every stranger who passes by, which is why I would prefer that my circumstances be kept a secret. And now, I have business to attend to.”

She stood and left. On the way indoors, she met Sir Julian emerging with two tankards. She glared at him and stormed past.