Page 18 of Eight for Losing, One for Loving

“Not in the least,” she said briskly. “There’s room for an army in that thing,” she added, nodding at the bed.

“Well, certainly fifty dozen roses, at least,” he remarked.

She laughed at that and glanced back at him. “Do you hate it? I find the effect quite charming.”

“It’s not to my taste, but if it pleases you, I am in alt, sweet,” he said, wondering how far he could push his luck with the pet names. He had promised to treat her as he would his mistress, after all. She had apparently decided to ignore such endearments, for she made no remark, only untying her bonnet.

“I wonder if the excellent Mrs Caruthers could do something with my frock?” she asked, looking at the dust and creases upon the fetching gown with dismay.

“Why don’t you take it off and I’ll have Jenny see to it when she comes back with the wine?” Leo said, a challenging glint in his eyes. Now, surely that would get a reaction, he thought, bracing himself for the fallout. None came.

“Very well,” she said, casting her discarded bonnet down on the bed with her gloves. “You’ll have to help me, though, for the buttons are all in the back.”

Leo froze, certain he must have misunderstood as she undid the short jacket and laid it over the back of a chair. She stood waiting, her hands on her hips. Leo stared at her. She couldn’t be serious. Could she?

She glanced over her shoulder at him a moment later, her expression one of impatience. “Well? What’s wrong? Have you forgotten how to undo buttons? From what I hear, you’ve had practise enough.”

“No,” Leo said carefully, his heart beating too fast, and what exactly had she heard? “Have you forgotten I’m not your maid?”

She looked back at him again, giving him a swift look up and down. “No. I’ve not forgotten. Rachel is much smaller than you, but at least twice as wide. I’m simply not that forgetful.”

“Really?” he demanded incredulously, temper rising now. What was she thinking? “For you seem to have forgotten who you are. Have you taken leave of your senses? You are alone in a bedroom with a man.”

“No, I’m alone in a bedroom with you, Leo. That’s quite different,” she said coolly, not looking at him.

Leo reared back as if she’d slapped him. “I beg your pardon? What the devil is that supposed to mean?”

She let out a long-suffering sigh and shook her head. “Oh, good heavens, I meant no insult to your manly pride. I only meant that I trust you. I know you would do nothing I did not wish for you to do, and we are to be here all night, and you did order a bath. Did you suppose I would get into it fully dressed?”

“No,” he said, somewhat mollified. “I supposed I would get Jenny to help you undress and make myself scarce while you bathed.”

“Ah. Then you only offered to give her my gown when she returns to rile me,” she suggested with the lift of one eyebrow.

Leo shrugged, feeling like a boy caught with his fingers in a biscuit tin.

“And when you bathed?” she asked with interest, for they both knew she could not go downstairs unescorted. “What was your plan for that eventuality?”

“I assumed you would look the other way,” he said irritably, though if he were entirely honest, he’d rather hoped she might peek.

“I see. Well, Jenny and Mrs Caruthers are clearly run off their feet, so you may help me,” she said, turning away from him once more. He wondered if he detected a tremor in her voice, but she looked entirely cool and poised. He, on the other hand, was not. The idea of laying his hands on Vi and undressing her was doing terrible things to his composure. Before he could decide how or what to do with the vexing woman, there was a knock at the door.

He opened it to find Jenny bearing a tray. “Your wine, sir. Mrs Caruthers said it’s Mr Caruthers’ best. An excellent Portuguese hock, medium dry, from Bucelas,” she recited, obviously having been told just what to say.

“Thank you, Jenny. How long until dinner?” Leo asked.

“Missus said it will be up directly, so I reckon about ten minutes.”

Leo nodded. “My wife needs her gown freshened up. Can you…?”

Jenny, who he had noticed regarding Vi’s stylish outfit with obvious interest, nodded at once. “Yes, sir. I can see to it. Should the lady like me to assist her?”

“She would,” Leo said at once and with relief. “And is it possible you have something suitable to lend her? We did not expect to be away overnight, you see.”

“Oh,” Jenny said, this apparently not so simple a request. “I have something I can lend her, I suppose, but it’s not very fine, I’m afraid. Not what she’ll be used to.”

“It will be perfect,” Leo assured her, opening the door. “Come in and I shall leave you ladies to your tasks. Call me when all is in order,” he said with a wink, making the girl blush.

“Yes, sir,” she said with a giggle, carrying the wine inside as Leo made himself scarce.