Page 75 of The Redemption of the Shrew

She huffed. “He did no such thing. Where do people get such notions? He’s known for not making improper advances toward anyone. He annoyed me—in fact, I became enraged at him—but that is nothing new.”

“I must admit, it did seem unlikely. If you were going to become someone’s mistress—not that I’m suggesting any such course of action, dear girl—surely you would choose the marquis over Hythwick.”

Gloriana laughed at that. “Definitely, but I doubt we should ever proceed past the stage of argument to more pleasurable activities.” She sipped her tea, wondering what it would be like to be in harmony with Philippe.

Absolutely wondrous, and also impossible.

“I shall do what I can to mitigate the effect of the gossip,” Mrs. Bridge said, “but you must learn to mend your temper, particularly in public.”

Gloriana nodded ruefully and said nothing—for the only person with whom she ever lost her temper, in public or in private, was Philippe de Bellechasse.

At last Mr. Bridge came into the drawing room. She gave him a speaking look, hoping he would read in it a desire for private speech. After a few minutes desultory conversation, she rose to go, and he escorted her from the room. “What is it, Miss Warren?”

“Last night, you said if I ever needed a favor . . .”

His eyes twinkled. “Am I about to regret those hasty words?”

“I hope not. It’s not exactly for me.” She glanced about, but no servants hovered nearby. “It’s for Lady Marianne Delfin,” she whispered. “Will you be at the Wellforth rout this evening?”

He raised his brows, and her heart sank.

“It’s nothing too dreadful. I merely need you to get a message from her to Freddy Barnham, and relay his response to her. You see, no one will suspect you of conniving at anything, merely because you happen to speak to both of them at the same party.”

“Ready to elope, is she?”

Thank heavens he had a quick mind. “She came to me today in great distress. Her brother is threatening to lock her up in the country to keep her away from Freddy.”

“We can’t have that. Barnham has become a dead bore on the subject of Lady Marianne. Tell you what—I’ll see if I can find Freddy at his club this afternoon. Gives him a little more time to plot and plan.”

“Excellent. But you’ll still be at the party to pass his response to Lady Marianne? And pass more messages later if necessary?”

“Of course. But will you not be there?”

“I’m afraid I must, because my role in assisting the elopement is to flirt with Lord Hythwick again.” At his incredulous glare, she added, “It’s a long story.”

“Then let us go for a stroll in the spring sunshine,” he said, “and you shall tell me all about it.”

~ ~ ~

“But why, Miss Glow?” Elspeth demanded, when Gloriana asked her to lay out an evening gown. “Your Philippe wants you to come to the Spotted Dragon tonight.”

“No, he doesn’t—not really.” Gloriana wished she wouldn’t call him hers—because most likely he wasn’t. Although in that note he’d written . . . She shook off such useless thoughts. “He’s being protective, but he’d rather I didn’t interfere with his plans.”

“Going to the rout sounds like interference to me,” she said. “He wants you to stay away from Lord Hythwick, and so do I.”

“The earl can’t ravish me at a party,” Gloriana said scornfully.

“He shouldn’t have been able to ravish you at the Dower House,” Elspeth said, “but he almost did.”

“I promised Lady Marianne I would be there. And Mr. Bridge too.” During their stroll that afternoon, she’d told Mr. Bridge the whole story—the attempted rape, the theft of the book, and their hopes of retrieving it—leaving out details he need not know, such as Philippe’s past as a thief. It had been such a relief to get it off her chest, and he’d been so outraged that she’d had to spend a half hour calming him down. But the result was a perfectly able protector for the evening. He would dance with her too, so she wouldn’t be alone by the wall, in the event the gossip was too damaging and people had already begun to turn a cold shoulder.

Now she found herself obliged to explain herself to her maid, as well. She told her about Marianne’s proposed elopement and Mr. Bridge’s promise of protection if Lord Hythwick should prove too odious. “I have three good reasons to go to the rout. First, because of Lady Marianne. Second, to assess and counteract the damage to my reputation. And third, to occupy Lord Hythwick just enough to keep him there as long as possible, so you and Mr. Turner and the marquis will have enough time to make your plans.”

“Maybe so, miss,” Elspeth said, “but I can tell you for sure, he won’t like it.”

~ ~ ~

Philippe’s only genuine rival for Gloriana’s hand was taking care of her tonight! He supposed he should be grateful, but instead jealousy and anxiety assailed him by turns. He should have forced his way into her house this morning and spoken to her directly. He should have apologized in person, not by way of a note. He should have swept her off her feet . . .