Her chaperone’s eyes opened wide. “Truly?”
“Yes.” In fact, her temples were starting to throb. “Luckily, I didn’t speak with many gentlemen tonight so only one or two will be disappointed if we leave.” She glanced down at her reticule — or where it should be. Her wrist was bare! And there was only one place the bag could be.
On the Viscountess of Chandron’s bed!
Chapter Nine
“Lord M__ was seen entering the Hanover Square home of Lady W__ AGAIN this week! Is it possible the two are coming to some understanding? Or is our rakish earl merely enjoying a widow’s company without being caught in a parson’s mousetrap?”
-The Morning Post
Earlier than usualfor polite society, at half past eleven in the morning, Jasper had his driver stop outside the Worthington house. His footman delivered his card with the message he was waiting outside. Although knowing it was rude to drop by uninvited and demand an audience — not to mention announce one’s intent to wait in one’s carriage — neither infraction of civility deterred him for a moment.
He knew, if home, Miss Sudbury would agree to see him.
Within minutes, he was standing in the deceased earl’s drawing room. He was struck by how recently he’d been there, sharing a kiss with her. Yet, it also seemed as if it were long ago when he still thought her a delightful innocent.
He paced the room. Old Worthington’s young widow wasn’t wasting his money on redecorating, for it looked a little dated if not shabby unlike the homes of many of his peers, who were forever changing the décor in order to be utterlypink of the mode.
Yet it was comfortable and strangely full of little bunches of flowers. More posies in one place than he’d ever seen outside a flower stall littered the surfaces. He might have noticed a few scattered around when he’d been invited to dinner, yet his attention had been all on Miss Sudbury.
Glancing at the sofa, he recalled exactly how comfortable it had been when he’d had her in his arms.
And then the door opened, and she entered.
He let her curtsy, thinking it a little too deep at this stage. Moreover, her demure gown didn’t afford him a view of her cleavage, not with some dreadful filmy thing lying across her décolletage. Ridiculous waste of a fine bosom, which, in his opinion, ought to always be on show for men to admire as much as decently possible. Elsewise, why be a beautiful woman with such splendid breasts?
Bowing shallowly in return, he nearly apologized for showing up unexpectedly but restrained himself. After all, the last time he’d barged in on her, her skirts were up and a man was trying to—
“Are you well?” he asked into the silence.
“Yes, thank you. And you?”
Jasper frowned. He’d been referring to her experience of the night before, not a general inquiry into her health.Was she going to play coy?It didn’t suit her, nor would he allow it. Best to get right to the crux of the matter.
“Why were you upstairs last night, in the Chandrons’ private space?”
