Roen set the chair down and put himself in it. “You only got the dress today?”
“Yes, but according to Mrs. Fish, Miss Headley has been in the shop several times to look over the fashion magazines. She decided on this yesterday. Mrs. Fish didn’t tell her that she wasn’t going to make the gown herself, so there was no intent on Victorine’s part that her dress would end up in my hands.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Then we’ll see, won’t we? I’m not going to sabotage my work. What would I do? Fashion the dress so a single pulled thread unravels all of it?”
Roen’s expression brightened. “Could you do that?”
She threw a towel at him. “No. I couldn’t. And I wouldn’t if I could.”
“It was only a thought.”
“Yes, and you’ve had your wicked share of them today.”
“I know.” He draped the towel around his neck. “Here’s one I believe you will approve. I spoke to Ellie about a housekeeper and cook for us. She thought it was a splendid idea, by the way. Splendid. That was her word for it. She also used it to describe my idea about you working alongside me.”
“Mm-hmm. So she has a recommendation?”
“She does. What do you think of Fedora for the position?”
“Fedora? She’d never agree.”
“Because of me, you mean.”
Lily nodded. “I only think that because of what you and Ben have told me.”
“What if she did agree? Would you accept her?”
“She has Ellie’s recommendation; naturally I would accept her.”
“Then it’s done.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “Done?”
“Uh-huh. Out of concern for Fedora’s comfort, Ellie sat with me when I proposed the position. I thought that leaving Ellie and the familiarity of the hotel would be a sticking point, but after briefly consulting with Ellie in private, she came back to me with her answer. That left the final decision with you, and you’ve agreed. Done.”
“You engineer everything, don’t you?”
Roen shrugged modestly. “It’s a gift.”
“It is,” she said, serious. “It truly is.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Lily lay naked under the blankets. Roen had told her to take off her nightgown but had neglected to say specifically how she should do it. When he refused to turn back the lamp, she slipped into bed and wriggled out of the garment while he stood beside the bed and chuckled at her modest performance.
“Not what I had in mind,” he said, grinning, “but the end result is still the same.” He reached for the lamp, but instead of extinguishing the flame, he turned the wick up so the light was marginally brighter.
“Roen!”
“Well, if I’m going to do things to you, you should be able to see them.”
“You are a dreadful man.” She paused, looked at him askance, and asked, “What sort of things?”
“I’m not sure yet. I haven’t been thinking it about all day. I left that up to you. Suggestions?”
“Oooh! I think I might actually loathe you.”
