Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (139 page)

Chapter Seven

do you think, monsieur?

est

belle,

'est-ce

the petite French dressmaker trilled for the countless time that afternoon.

Julia grimaced at the sound of the woman's ingratiating, high-pitched voice. For the past three hours, she'd been reduced to the role of a doll, standing at attention, draped in fabrics and pins in the middle of Paine's spare bedroom. The woman had immediately recognised Paine as her benefactor and had ceased

for anyone's

opinion but his. Indeed, Paine had been in charge all day, a fact that was growing increasingly annoying.

They'd slept late and, after breakfast, Paine had decided it was time to remedy the deplorable condition of her wardrobe. Actually, there was no 'condition' to remedy since she technically had no wardrobe beyond the robe of Paine's she'd worn for the better part of two days.

Two days! Those days seemed to have flown by, melding into each other, and yet two days hardly seemed

94

Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady

enough time to countenance all that had passed between her and Paine. She felt she'd known him for far longer than the space of a few days. She twitched and the dress-reprimanded her.

Julia rolled her eyes and appealed to Paine. 'How much longer will this take?'

Paine ignored her.
'Non,

rose, madame.'
He gave

a dismissing wave to the length of soft green muslin Madame held up to Julia's hair and gestured to a rose-coloured swatch instead.

'Ah!

monsieur!
the woman exclaimed.

'You have an excellent eye for women's clothing.'

Julia fought the urge to childishly stomp her foot. With all the aplomb she could collect, she said, 'I think we have enough for today.' She tossed her head and stepped down from the impromptu dais of a large square ottoman.

The woman gasped. She appealed to Paine.
'Mon-sieur,
we are not finished.'

Julia thought for a moment Paine would call her back, but he merely laughed, spearing her with a gaze that held myriad messages.

Julia waited for Paine in the sanctuary of his extraordinary bedroom. This gold-and-crimson room had become her refuge. It was

to think of how

little she'd been out of this room in the past two days, how little desire she had to leave this room.

But the dressmaker's visit was a sharp reminder that she had to do more about her situation than sit in Paine Ramsden's bedroom. The dressmaker was also a reminder that she'd uncharacteristically let someone

Scott

else take the reins. Since she'd landed in Paine's arms, he'd decided everything, from the course of action to be taken with Oswalt to the very colour and type of dress she'd wear. Was it really a good idea to let a virtual stranger plan her future? Aside from the pleasure he gave her, what did she know about him?

In some ways, Paine

was more than a

stranger. Not even the

she'd heard about him

had been accurate, so she didn't have gossip to fall back on. Paine

was a conundrum; for starters, it

seemed unlikely that a purported gambler would bother buying property and devote the time needed to turn it into a business venture. Such effort spoke of long-term commitments, something she didn't associate with gamblers who didn't look further than the turn of a card or the throw of the dice.

Further confusion arose from his foreign but noble outlook on intimate relations-an outlook that permitted copious amounts of sex, but with a strong sense of ethics that was currently

among members of the

English
ton.

The concept was intensely juxtaposed to that of the hypocritical
ton,
making it impossible for the English mind, steeped in virginal traditions, to countenance.

Julia doubted the rakes peopling the
ton
had the scruples to which Paine ascribed.

At the core of her conundrum was the reality she'd personally encountered in Paine. She'd deliberately gone

for a man who wouldn't take an interest in her affairs after the initial act was done. Instead, she'd

96

Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady

found a man who had his own reasons to stay inter-woven in the current events of her life. In a city of thousands, she'd managed to find the one man who wanted revenge on Oswalt.

Julia did not fool herself into

that Paine

allowed her to stay out of any romantic attachment. He let her stay because she could assist in his retaliation.

She was useful to him for that reason alone.

The rest of it-the love play, the instruction in intimate arts-meant nothing particular to him. He was a man used to a

code of conduct, a different

code of honour. The English gentleman's code of honour abhorred the deflowering of virgins. Apparently, foreign codes didn't abhor the deflowering so much as it abhorred a poor bedding.

It would be too easy to misunderstand his intentions, to view his actions through English eyes. She must be careful to remember how Paine saw the world or else she'd start entertaining impossible notions about a future with Paine Ramsden-a man who would be easier to love than he would be to forget.

She
would
have to forget him. Eventually, this gambit would end in some fashion and she'd have to move on. Paine

certainly would. He'd go

back to his cryptic lifestyle, his exotically conducted affairs and forget about the viscount's niece who had begged him to deflower her. The vision was a difficult one to stomach.

Downstairs, a door shut at the back of the house, signalling the dressmaker's departure. Within moments,