Page 62 of Love and the Shameless Lady

“In our home, it shall be.” Julian took her hand, squeezed it gently, then raised it to his lips. Daisy blushed.

“How very mawkish,” Gloriana said. “It’s the book Melinda was raving about yesterday, isn’t it? Not to my taste at all, and scandalous as well, judging by what Melinda described, but I’m not surprised. It reminded me of the stories you wrote when we were children. They were quite good, apart from the romantic bits.”

“You liked the romantic bits!” Daisy said.

“I was a child,” Gloriana snapped. “I didn’t know any better.”

With difficulty, Julian bit back a caustic remark. How strange. His habit, due to family custom, was to suppress such comments almost before they occurred to him.

Gloriana stood. “This book of yours is likely to cause another ghastly scandal.”

Julian rose as well and answered before Daisy had a chance. “I doubt it. We don’t know who has the information, but if he is trying to kill Daisy because of something in the book, causing a scandal doesn’t make sense. Most likely he wishes to conceal something, not reveal it.”

Gloriana ignored him. “I understand why you wish to remain here, Daisy, although I’m not convinced it’s necessary. Sir Julian could protect you equally well elsewhere. However, I know better than to argue with Miles, and Sir Julian is so love-bitten as to be useless. I see that I must handle this disastrous situation myself.”

“How?” Daisy stood too, sounding uneasy. “What do you mean to do?”

“All I need is a few days without scandal, so he has no opportunity to change his mind . . .” Her voice trailed away, and a feverish light appeared in her eyes. “I have an idea.”

On that cryptic utterance, she left.

“Oh, dear,” Daisy said. “I wish I could just leave.”

“You are perfectly correct. Neither Lord Garrison nor I will allow you to do so.”

“You were eavesdropping!” she said. “You should be ashamed.”

“Only for a few moments. After that it became intolerable. Her behavior is childish and unforgivable.”

“It seems that way, but mostly she’s just . . .” Devious.I should have remembered that earlier. But what could possibly be devious about marrying Lord Hythwick? “Stubborn.”

“To the point of folly.”

“Sometimes. You don’t know her, so I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Good, because I’m not the least bit interested in doing so. She and Hythwick can make each other miserable, and good riddance.”

Daisy shook her head, trying to imagine Gloriana going through with such a foolish marriage, and failing. But her pigheaded cousin seemed to have made up her mind.

Well, there was no point dwelling upon it, Daisy decided. She had enough problems of her own. “I suppose you think you could stop me from leaving.”

“Not without physically restraining you, but between us, Lord Garrison and I could make enough noise and bother to reach the entire county. Then there really would be a scandal.”

“Odious,” was all she said, because she truly didn’t mind his eavesdropping, nor the fact that she was more or less powerless to do as she chose. Perhaps it was because she didn’t really wish to leave. Perhaps it was that she knew Sir Julian meant well.

She wished she didn’t like him so much. Wished she could forget last night’s kiss. Wished the little things he did—wiping off the flour and kissing her cheek, kissing her hand as well—didn’t feel so intimate. So very right.

“As it is, you are betrothed to me, and that will have to be good enough for Gloriana and her pompous earl.”

Daisy sighed. “I wonder what she is going to do about my presence here. I don’t trust her to just let it be.”

The bustling sounds of an arrival reached them.

“It seems her guest is already here, so she has no time to make an alternative plan,” Julian said.

But no, a glance out the window showed that the arrival was none other than . . . She stared. The new arrival descended from his carriage, resplendent in glossy boots, yellow pantaloons, and a coat of superfine, and was followed by a familiar French valet, who twitched his master’s coat into place and proffered his beaver hat. “It’s Mr. Bonaventure!”

“Ah,” Julian said. “I meant to warn you, but it slipped my mind. Mr. Bonaventure is actually the Marquis de Bellechasse. While traveling amongst the common people, he uses the pseudonym to conceal his aristocratic background.”