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He had intended to leave his interference at that, but the neatened dressing table only made the discarded breeches still on the chair look untidy.

So he folded them and went to put them away in her wardrobe, but the contents of the wardrobe exploded outward as soon as he opened the door.

He would have stuffed it all back in as she had done but then everything would end up horribly creased, so he spent the next fifteen minutes folding everything properly.

Then when even the sight of all her clothes finally neatly stacked still bothered him, he organized them according to purpose.

It did not take that long because she hadn’t brought that much with her.

Her few evening gowns were all grouped together and hung up.

Next came her traveling dresses and pelisses.

Then day gowns and finally, so that she could reach them easily, her two riding habits, blouses, and breeches were put at the other end so that he could stand her riding boots in the space beneath.

As he did not need the torture that would come from intimately knowing her underthings, he closed the door on that heap of trouble and set to work on the bed. He was in the midst of plumping one of her pillows when the door opened, scaring them both.

“Why are you in my room!”

“Thank God you’re back!” He gestured for her to close the door. “And where the blazes have you been till this time!”

She frowned, her face flushed. “Having Constance with cognac.”

“I’m sorry?”

She frowned some more and rubbed her forehead. “I’ve been in the library.” Her tongue seemed to have some difficulty with all the R s in the word “library.” “Drinking cognac with Constance .” She nodded, pleased that she had finally put those words in the right order.

“Till almost two in the morning! How much cognac did you drink?”

She reached for the mattress before she sat on it, looking delightfully befuddled as she blinked at him.

“Enough to call your mother Constance but not quite enough for you to take advantage, so don’t get any ideas.

” She pointed a swaying finger at him that dropped to his crotch.

“The last idiot who tried to take advantage now sings like a soprano. And I broke my brother’s nose once with just one punch. ”

“Duly noted.” Although it was hard not to get ideas when she was seated on a bed less than a foot away from him.

“I didn’t come here to take advantage of you.

” He replaced her pillow on the bed and, as she had done earlier, raised his right palm.

“You have my solemn pledge on that.” But he wouldn’t mind if she decided to take advantage of him.

She stared at the pillow and then at her dressing table. “Did you come here to tidy?”

“No.” And now he felt silly for his obsession with order. “I came in here to hide from Miss Maybury and tidied up while I waited for you as something to do.”

“But why are you hiding from Miss Maybury in my room?”

“Because Miss Maybury has laid siege to my room.” He pulled a horrified face. “In her nightgown . And I don’t want to be ruined.”

Her lovely eyes widened. “Oh dear.” And then she was incensed, shooting up from the mattress. “The brazen hussy! What an awful thing to do!”

“I was hoping you would get rid of her for me.”

“Consider it done.”

She was halfway to the door with murder in her eyes when he caught her hand—because something else wasn’t right. “Why were you drinking cognac with my mother?”

“Because she asked me to.”

“Why?” His mother was up to something, he could smell it. Although, being his mother, it would be unusual if she wasn’t poking her nose into something.

“Because she knew that my story about Juno and the subsequent swooning was codswallop and she wanted to know what really happened.” She sighed and swayed a little. “I had to tell her the truth.”

“How did she react?” If his mother was going to put a flea in his ear tomorrow about cutting short that awful ride, forewarned was forearmed.

“She found it hysterical and poured us both another drink.” Lottie patted both her flushed cheeks.

“Cognac is heady stuff, isn’t it? I’ve never had it before—but I liked it.

” Her anger at Miss Maybury forgotten, she smiled.

“But it has made me a bit loose-lipped, I’m afraid.

” Doubtless exactly as his meddling mother had intended when she’d plied her with it.

“And I accidentally told her about the incident with Lord Chadwell’s son—and then how you and I first met in Hyde Park.

She found both of those stories hilarious too.

” She patted his lapel, looking all contrite and tipsy and adorable.

“I’m sorry, Guy, but she knows that I threatened to horsewhip you. ”

Suddenly, he didn’t care about that. “What incident with Lord Chadwell’s son?” Jealousy coursed through him. Had she and he—

“He’s the one who now sings soprano,” she said with a sage nod, and the jealousy was replaced with outrage for her. “And then got me dismissed.”

“Then I shall be having words with him the next time I am in London!” Stern words before he wiped the floor with the libertine. “How dare he take advantage of you, the disgusting scoundrel.” The red mist had descended. “I’ll go tomorrow and—” She pressed a finger to his lips and giggled.

“I don’t need you to protect my honor, Guy, because he picked the wrong woman to try to take advantage of.

I have four brothers, remember, so know how to fight dirty if the need arises and believe me, I did.

One of the advantages of being taller than the average woman is that your legs can kick higher and I sent a couple of things south that are meant to hang north.

” She sniggered through her fingers. “I blackened the fool’s eye, too, and made his nose bleed and all with just this elbow.

” She waggled it. “He got his just deserts. I was honestly more upset at his father for dismissing me as I really liked being the governess to his daughters. But then, when all looked doom and gloom, your aunt hired me and here I am.” She patted his lapel again with a slightly soppy grin.

“So all’s well that ends well. And speaking of libertines, I suppose I should go and deal with your prospective debaucher so you can get some sleep.

” She stood straighter and pasted back on her angry face. “Give me five minutes.”

She marched out, ready to do battle, and he had to usher her back. “Rather than cause a scene and wake the whole house up, it might be better to use diplomacy and tact first. Quietly.”

“Spoilsport,” she hissed with an insulted flick of her head. “As if a grumpy, vexatious curmudgeon like you even knows the meaning of those words.”

Guy left the door open a crack so he could hear the exchange, ready to leap out at any moment if he was needed. Especially if Lottie read her the riot act, which was a distinct possibility after too much cognac.

“Good evening, Miss Maybury.” Thankfully Lottie started politely. Not too loud but loud enough that if the conversation continued, others would hear it. “What are you doing wandering this hallway? Are you lost? Only this is the family wing and your room is over on the other side of the house.”

“I… um… must have taken a wrong turn after my visit to the kitchen.” Miss Maybury’s whisper was fainter. “After I fetched myself this hot milk.” He had known that was a blasted prop!

“This house is a maze, isn’t it?” Lottie again. “It took me days to learn my way around.”

Miss Maybury said something else which he couldn’t discern and then Lottie played a blinder. “Allow me to show you the way… No, it is no trouble at all… Hurry up, we don’t want poor Lord Wennington, or one of the other fathers, seeing you in that nightgown, now, do we?”

Then it went quiet, so he assumed that she had saved the day and paced the small room for a few minutes while he awaited her return.

Lottie came back with a smug smile on her face. “She’s back in her bedchamber and I might have accidentally awoken her mother next door by talking too loudly, so you are safe for now. At least from Miss Maybury.”

“Thank you.”

She tilted her golden head in the direction of his room. “But in case one of the others gets ideas, I shall be a good chaperone and escort you back.”

They walked side by side in companionable silence, a journey that was far too short for Guy, who was rather enjoying tipsy Lottie.

“Make sure you lock yourself in.” Her soft whisper felt intimate as they reached his door at the end of the hallway.

“And because I wouldn’t trust Miss Maybury not to pick it, maybe slide a heavy piece of furniture in front of your door too and we’ll think of a more reliable debutante deterrent tomorrow. ”

He nodded but wanted to touch her instead, so clasped his hands behind his back. “Thank you, Lottie, and…” Would it be wrong to suggest they go downstairs for another nightcap? YES! Wrong and reckless and much too dangerous! “… good night.”

“I like being Lottie again.” She beamed at him. “Does that mean that you conceded our race before I’ve had the opportunity to beat you?”

Lord, but she was beautiful in candlelight. Beautiful and oh-so- tempting he could barely stand it. “Of course not, Miss Travers, that was just a slip of the tongue.”

“Of course it was.” She gave him a playful push.

“For heaven forbid you forgive and forget until you have squeezed every drop out of my penance. That you even insist on penance is churl- lish .” She stumbled over that last syllable and chuckled some more.

“Bloody cognac!” He liked loose-lipped Lottie a great deal too.

“Good night, Guy.” She turned, then turned back.

Went to say something and, to his complete shock, took two steps forward and pressed her mouth against his instead.

He could taste the cognac on her lips, reminding him that she wasn’t sober, and cursed the gentlemanly manners ingrained in him that forced him to stand passive rather than haul her into his arms like he wanted.

Perhaps not completely passive as, while his arms remained nobly locked by his sides, his mouth responded.

He was only human, after all, at least that is how he justified his restrained participation.

Lottie, on the other hand, was anything but restrained and bestowed upon him a hungry, thorough kiss, an intoxicating promise of more that was way too short.

Then, no sooner as it had started but it stopped and she used his chest to push herself away.

She blinked at him in shock, her breath as reassuringly ragged as his was, her fingertips going to her lips where he hoped he still lingered.

“What was that for?”

“I think I am a tiny bit drunk.” She bit her lip, her eyes both stunned and shimmering with need. “Perhaps a lot drunk and getting drunker by the second.”

“Cognac does that.” God dammit. “Best you go sleep it off before you lose your head completely.” Or he lost his.

“Yes… undoubtedly.” She edged backward, her expression befuddled by the potency of the impromptu contact, just as he supposed his was. “Good night, Guy.” She spun on her heel then and picked up her skirts, offering him one last indecipherable look before she scurried away. “Sleep tight.”

Guy watched her go and then leaned back on the solid door for support as he choked out an ironic laugh. Exactly how the hell was he supposed to sleep now that all he could taste was Lottie and cognac?

And, as the return of the painful bulge in his breeches could attest, the former was definitely headier than the latter.