What was he on about now?At her puzzled expression, he said, “I won’t cause any trouble.”
That remained to be seen, but she’d made up her mind.
“I can give you the name of a reputable tailor always mentioned in the papers as clothing the finest gentlemen. Obviously, there are some here on Bond Street, but you’ll find equal quality and a better price on Savile Row.”
“What about your wardrobe?”
Hardly able to believe she was going along with this, she said, “I’ll ask my mother about a modiste and whether it is too late.”
“Come out of there, Mr. Carson,” came Felicity’s voice at that moment. “No respectable fiancé would do such a thing.”
“Fiancé!” she heard Charlotte exclaim, followed by her ear-piercing whistle of happiness.
“Please go. As soon as she learns we are not engaged, my mother will be pleased I am to attend a Season.”
The American smiled again, and his gray-blue eyes seemed to deepen in intensity. “Then you are really going to help me?”
“If you are truly willing to pay for my wardrobe, and if my sister deems it acceptable to let us partake in the amusements of the nobility, then yes, why not?”
***
GREER HADN’T EXPECTEDthe toffee-maker to acquiesce as easily as she had. However, discovering her sister was a duchess proved his luck was holding.
He left the shop, past the watchful eye of the girl’s mother and the curious gaze of her sister, and headed directly to Savile Row and the recommended tailor. As it turned out, the same establishment had clothed the infamous Beau Brummel himself, and Greer knew Miss Rare-Foure had sent him to the best place.
Within a few hours, he had paid for a splendid new wardrobe, with the first suit being ready in a week. Upon returning to his hotel, the luxurious Langham at Portland Place, so pleased was he by the day’s accomplishments, Greer didn’t even mind taking Miss Sylvia for a walk. His mother’s cat tried to bite him in the elevator on their way to the closest greenery, but he was used to that. In his cabin on the journey across the Atlantic, he’d found himself the object of her feline ire on more than one occasion. He supposed since their arrival in England, he had been neglecting the cat somewhat.
“Stop fussing,” he ordered, dashing across Mortimer Street, and making sure her collar and leash were secure, before he set her down at the base of a tree in Cavendish Square. Strange to think she was the last connection to his deceased mother and his life in America. His next thought was how he would like to introduce Miss Rare-Foure to Miss Sylvia and hoped she liked cats.
Chapter Four
Beatrice hadn’t thoughtshe would enjoy this part of the Season so much, the fussy preparation part. However, following the seamstress into the dressing room of Madame Solit’s shop while her mother and Mr. Carson waited close by, she felt very much like a real debutante — even if, at twenty, she was a few years beyond the dewy age of coming out.
Naturally, her mother had insisted on accompanying them. Felicity now understood the situation and the agreement Beatrice had made—to help the American in exchange for an escort and a wardrobe. Infuriatingly, however, her mother continued to speculate upon possible romantic feelings springing up.
“I would say this is very kind of you, Mr. Carson,” Beatrice heard her mother from the other side of the dressing room curtain, “but I think it is money well spent on the woman who will inevitably become your wife. If you are wishing to move up in the social world, then having a well-dressed bride is a necessity.”
