Regina sat silently on the coach ride home. She’d decided not to tell Lucy what had happened with the marquess in the conservatory. It would only worry the duchess and make her ask questions. Questions that might end with her wondering why Regina had been absent from the ballroom for so long. Lucy chattered happily until they reached her house to drop her off.
“I probably should be worried about your reputation, dear,” Lucy said, eyeing Daffin as she alighted from the coach. “But I suppose you couldn’t be in any safer hands than a bodyguard’s, now could you?”
Daffin shifted in his seat, while Regina merely forced herself to laugh and thanked the duchess for the attempts to find her a husband, however unsuccessful.
After Lucy left the coach, silence reigned. Regina stared out the window, trying to make sense of the evening’s activities. She’d been a fool to go into the conservatory in the first place. On the other hand, it had ended in an extremelyenjoyable kiss from Daffin. She couldn’t regret that. Only he’d called it a mistake. He’d called it a mistake and quickly escorted her back to the ballroom, where he’d encouraged her to enter one door while he went around to another so they wouldn’t be seen returning together.
She’d quickly found Lucy and made some inane excuse about where she’d been that she was certain the duchess didn’t believe. They’d left within the hour after it was apparent that Regina was quite through with her husband hunt for the evening.
She glanced across the seat at Daffin. The side of his face was illuminated in the soft candlelight from the lamp on the coach wall. He looked angry… or determined. His gaze was fastened out the window, no doubt searching for a runaway coach. Did he truly think their kiss had been a mistake? Did he have a sick feeling (in a good way) in his belly when he saw her? Or did that kiss mean nothing to him?Mistake. Mistake. Mistake. The word rang in her head. Sick feeling or no, Daffin Oakleaf obviously didn’t want her.
The coach pulled to a stop in front of Mark’s town house and Daffin’s shoulders relaxed.
“No trouble tonight,” Regina breathed.
Daffin nodded. “Not the kind I expected at least.”
***
The next morning, Daffin sat behind the desk in Grimaldi’s study. His friend had told him to use the room for any business he needed to conduct while staying at the house. Daffin was hunched over a set of papers, reading notes from another case in which a noblewoman had been targeted. In that case, it had involved ransom. Regina’s and Nicole’s circumstances were different. The intent clearly seemed to be to harm or to frighten… but perhaps he could learn something from theinvestigative techniques used in the similar case. The last thing he wanted was to put either lady in harm’s way, but how else was he to determine which of them was the target? After last night, he was beginning to wonder if either of them was. Perhaps the time of day mattered. He needed to take Regina out alone, during daylight hours.
Regina. His concentration was constantly interrupted by thoughts of her. A week ago, if he had been told he had something in common with Lady Regina Haversham, he would have denied it. Now he realized they had more in common than he guessed. She’d been a lonely only child in a house full of adults. She’d been an orphan. She’d surprised him with one revelation after another, culminating in the biggest revelation of all, the fact that she was an excellent kisser. He hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her last night, and that made him the worst sort of cad. The woman had just been accosted in the same room minutes earlier. He’d shown up as her protector, only to prove himself no better than the marquess. She’d been strangely quiet on the ride home. He hadn’t known what to say to her. But he knew now. He owed the lady an apology.
A light knock interrupted his thoughts. He glanced up to see Regina in the doorway. Today she wore a light pink gown that matched the color in her cheeks. She was gorgeous. He shook off his body’s immediate reaction to her.
She cleared her throat. “Excuse me. Nicole sent me.”
Daffin furrowed his brow. “Is everything all right?”
Regina took a tentative step into the room. “Yes, everything’s fine. She asked me to let you know she needs to go out this afternoon… to the dressmaker’s.”
“The dressmaker’s?” Daffin echoed.
“For a fitting,” Regina explained.
A fitting wasn’t something Nicole could send Regina to do in her stead. They would both have to go. So be it.
“Yes, Madame Duval,” Regina continued. “Her shop is on Curzon Street.”
Daffin nodded. “Ah, yes, I know the place. When would Nicole like to go?” He did his best to keep his tone entirely professional.
“She’s dressing now.”
“I’m ready, actually,” came Nicole’s bright voice from behind Regina.
The marchioness swept into the room with a smile on her face. “Good morning, Daffin. I know Mark wants me to stay home as much as possible, but I need new gowns for my confinement. I’m barely able to fit into my current ones.” She patted her belly. “Besides, there have been no carriage incidents for days. I’m beginning to think this entire thing is much ado about nothing.”
“I’ll call for the coach.” Daffin stood and brushed past the two women. This outing would give him something to concentrate on. Something besides his inconvenient attraction to Regina.
***
Less than an hour later, they stood outside Madame Duval’s quaint shop. Boughs of holly and fir were strung along the shop fronts on Curzon Street and groups of carolers sang on the corners. Daffin brushed past it all, alert for any sign of someone following them.
He’d kept a vigil the entire way to the dressmaker’s, glancing out both sides of the coach and scanning the street for any conveyance that seemed to purposely get too close. Somewhat to his disappointment, the coach ride had yet again been entirely uneventful. He’d like nothing better than totrack down the bastard who’d tried to hurt his friends, beat him to a bloody pulp, and send him off to gaol before Christmastide. Then the Colchesters would have peace of mind, and Daffin wouldn’t have to spend the holiday with them, intruding where he didn’t belong.
The three of them entered the shop where the smell of fabric and lavender surrounded them. The proprietress hurried forth to greet the marchioness and her cousin.
Nicole smoothed a hand over her middle. “I must go in the back for my fitting. Madame and I won’t be long.” She followed the dressmaker toward the rear of the shop. Regina made to join them, but Nicole shooed her away. “Stay out here, Regina. Keep Daffin company.”
