“You might be,” a deep voice said with authority and conviction.
Spinning around, she wasn’t surprised to find Finn leaning negligently in the doorway. She couldn’t remember if she’d closed the door in her excitement, not that it would have mattered. He had a way about him of moving stealthily and silently.
“You could change your mind about attending our soiree the night when all the ladies will be arriving to see what we’re offering,” he said, not giving her a chance to offer any sort of excuse for why the gown was unnecessary. “Besides, it’s been made now. I doubt Beth would find any of her other clients in want or need of it. It wouldn’t be fair to her to refuse it.”
“But the cost—”
“It’s a gift.”
“You’ve given me so many already.” Rescued her from women who would do her harm, men who would do worse. Lodgings, an occupation, a return of some dignity.
He shrugged. “Then what’s a small bit more?”
She didn’t know how she would repay him for all his kindnesses. “Yes, all right.”
At least he had the good graces not to gloat, but she could see that her response pleased him. And pleasing him seemed to please her as well. She made a shooing motion with her hand. “Off with you. I need to try everything on to see how well it fits.”
“I could stay and offer a second opinion on how well everything fits.”
She nearly burst out laughing at his innocent expression. “Don’t,” she whispered instead.Don’t make me fall in love with you all over again.
They’d changed once, and they would change again, and she didn’t know how one remained in love when people constantly changed. Success would change them, failure would change them more. All the trials, tribulations, and challenges that life would throw at them—even without her family to muck things up—would eventually alter them.
He seemed to know what she was asking, what she was referring to, because he did little more than bow his head slightly, step into the hallway, and pull the door closed behind him.
“You’ll need to hire a maid to help you dress,” he told her an hour later after the dressmaker left and Vivi returned to his office wearing the light gray frock. He’d spent that time imagining her climbing in and out of each piece of lace and silk, envisioned helping her with the process, his cock becoming so stiff he’d feared he might have to take himself in hand just to get it under control—the inconsiderate bugger. Not that she was aware of his unconscionable state since the front of his desk provided a barrier from prying eyes, or any eyes for that matter.
“I suppose I shall,” she said as she took her place at the desk beside his. At present, his favorite place for her to be if he couldn’t have her in his arms. “Beth and her girls assisted me with getting into this. Very little additional sewing was needed on any of the clothing, merely a tuck here and a tuck there. She’s very skilled.” She twisted around, facing him, placing her elbow on her desk, her chin in her palm, very much resembling his pose, he realized. “She told me what you and your family did for her.”
“We’ve little tolerance for men taking advantage of their positions.”
“I’ve always felt safe with you. You won’t press me on what I’m not willing or ready to give.”
“There’s no pleasure in taking what isn’t freely given.” He grinned wolfishly. “Doesn’t mean I won’t test you to see where the boundaries are.”
“You’re a stubborn scoundrel.” She studied him for a minute, and he thought she might get up, come sit on his lap, and show him she was willing to stretch those boundaries, perhaps break them completely. “So you’re going to hire Robin to deliver these invitations?” She patted the stack on her desk.
“I am. He can start tomorrow.”
“He’s a bit young to be traipsing all over London.”
“I’ll borrow Mick’s carriage again. The driver can make certain Robin gets all the addresses correct. He likes to feel important, and he’ll deliver them with a great deal of earnestness.”
“How did he come to live in the tavern?”
“Gillie found him sleeping on the stoop one morning and took him in. He’s an independent bugger though, convinced his mum will come for him at the tavern.”
“Did you ever think your mother—the woman who gave birth to you—would come for you?”
He shook his head. “I had my mum. Ettie Trewlove. The woman who took me in. She loved me. I wanted for nothing more.”
“I wonder if most children are curious about their mothers.”
“I suspect it depends on whether or not they’re content where they are. It’s funny. Gillie and I never gave much thought to the people who were responsible for delivering us to Ettie Trewlove’s door. Mick and Aiden, however, care a tad too much. It worked out for Mick. I don’t know if Aiden will be as lucky.” And that bothered him, knowing his brother was striving to forge a relationship with their...fatherwasn’t the correct word. The man who had spilled his seed into their mothers.
“You have another brother—Beast. How does he feel about it?”
“Not really sure. He keeps his thoughts to himself for the most part.”
