Further, I always prefer to take my own carriage, as you quite know.
Sincerely,
Lottie, neither sorceress nor beloved
His response was hasty.Jenkinson brought her a new note within the hour. And although she told herself to allow the missive to sit, unopened and unread, for at least fifteen minutes, she scarcely lasted two before she tore it open.
My darling L.,
Never think you are not a sorceress, for you have surely and thoroughly bewitched me, along with my daughter and her vagabond of a hound. Forgive me for the blunt clumsiness of my previous invitation. Having been intruded upon by a slavering dog bearing a pig trotter and a wayward child playing a game of chase-chase, I had to make haste.
Allow me, I beg of you, a second opportunity to cure my mortal ailments with the elixir of your presence this evening. Will you please accompany me for dinner tonight? Also, if you please, I would prefer the discretion of my own conveyance to your John Coachman.
Yours,
B.
His dramatic flairhad her chuckling despite herself. The man truly was charming when he wished to be. And for some reason, he wished to be today. With her.
Peril lies ahead, warned her mind.Proceed at a very great risk to your own welfare.
Experience was the truest form of authority. She knew better than to continue whatever it was between herself and Brandon. And yet…
And yet, there was another part of her that longed to be desired. To be charmed and wooed and seduced. Brandon wasn’t engaged to another woman yet, after all. What could be the harm in one more dinner, perhaps another wicked interlude, before they inevitably parted ways?
She bit her lip.
Paced the floor.
Wandered to the window and looked down at the familiar sights below, vaguely aware of the jangling of tack as horses and carriages passed.
Paced some more.
And finally sat down to jot her reply.
Brandon,
We shall agree to disagree on the matter of whether I am a sorceress—decidedly, I am all too woefully human—however, I will forgive you for commanding me to dinner. I will join you this evening. However, I remain quite firm on taking my own carriage.
His next replyarrived as quickly as the previous one had.
L.,
I insist upon the carriage. I shall see you this evening.
B.
The audacity of the man.He was taking for granted that she would simply accede to his wishes. And the worst part of all was that he was correct in his assessment. She would. Because as much as he teasingly referred to her as a sorceress, he had a similar effect upon her. The man had clearly addled her mind.
“Will there be a reply, my lady?” Jenkinson asked, hovering at the periphery of Lottie’s preferred salon.
“No,” she decided, adding Brandon’s latest missive to the stack she was already keeping, tied together neatly with a satin ribbon. “There won’t be. But we do have a change of plans for this evening. I’ve just received an invitation to dinner. Please lay out my gold silk.”
Jenkinson’s brows rose only the slightest hint at her announcement. Lottie didn’t know if the reaction was down to her choice of dress or her sudden reversal of schedule. Either way, her lady’s maid was nothing if not loyal. She dipped into a curtsy.
“Of course, my lady.”
Absently, she thanked Jenkinson, watching her bustle from the room to see about preparing hertoilette. The gold evening gown was one she had deemed too scandalous to wear, for the almost shocking expanse of her bosom it left bare. Almost to her nipples. She had worn it precisely once, standing before her looking glass on her way to a ball, and decided it must never be worn in public, lest she wish to tear her reputation entirely asunder.
