Beauty Tempts the Beast (Sins for All Seasons #6) - Lorraine Heath Page 0,59

yours, Lady Jocelyn. Apologize.”

“Or you’ll do what, precisely?”

He leaned back against the door. “I can stand here all day barring your way. While you need to hasten to another dressmaker in order to get work started on your new trousseau. A simple ‘I’m sorry’ will suffice.”

Lady Jocelyn glanced back over her shoulder. The fury distorting her lovely features should have ignited Althea on the spot. Her mouth went askew, flat, tight, pinched. She squeezed her eyes shut, opened them. “I apologize.”

“As do I. I wish you nothing but happiness with Chadbourne.”

For a moment the woman was blinking so much that Althea thought she might be fighting tears. But when Benedict opened the door, she was through it in a blur, her faithful servant trailing quickly after her.

Ignoring the stares of the few remaining customers and staff in the shop, Althea turned to Beth. “I’m so sorry. Let me know the value of her trousseau and when I have the means in three months, I’ll pay you for it.” She was rather certain it would take at least a quarter of the extra she was going to earn by meeting his deadline.

“Don’t worry yourself. The clothing will be put to better use. I doubt she would have worn anything more than once.” She took Althea’s hand, squeezed it. “To be honest, I’m glad to be rid of her. She kept changing her mind about what she wanted, but only after we’d finished making what she’d asked for. It was becoming tiresome.” She looked over Althea’s shoulder and clapped her hands. “All right, ladies, back to work. The entertainment is over.”

Now it was Althea blinking back tears at the simple kindness. Once she’d taken so much for granted, and she no doubt wouldn’t have appreciated the manner in which a hardworking seamstress—who was dependent on the goodwill of others to earn her living—had stood up for her.

“Hopefully, everything went better before I returned here,” Benedict said, having moved closer, distracting Althea with his presence. For which she was grateful. She’d never shed a tear in public and certainly didn’t want to begin now.

“Everything was lovely,” she assured him. “I’m quite looking forward to seeing all the frocks completed.”

His assessing gaze held a touch of sorrow. “I recall you telling me that a Lady Jocelyn had once been your dearest friend. That particular Lady Jocelyn?”

She merely nodded, for what more was there to say?

“Now she’s to marry the man who threw you over.”

“So it would appear.”

She was grateful he left it at that. They bid their farewells and headed out into the rain. Or would have if an elaborate blue coach with red trim hadn’t been waiting and a footman hadn’t immediately opened a door when they emerged. Benedict’s hand came to rest against the small of her back as he urged her forward. “Is that for us?”

“Yes. Inside. Quickly.”

The footman assisted her up, and she settled against the plush interior. The vehicle rocked as Benedict joined her, sitting opposite her.

“How did you come to have this?” she asked as it launched forward.

“It belongs to my brother Aiden. I was visiting with him and asked to borrow it to spare you getting soaked.”

“I appreciate your thoughtfulness as well as your insistence that Lady Jocelyn apologize.” She looked out the window at the sheets of rain, listened as it pattered the roof of the carriage, lulling her into a place of calm and quietness, completely opposite to the tenseness she’d felt in the shop.

“You are extremely skilled at displaying haughtiness,” he said quietly as though he, too, found the atmosphere peaceful and was loath to disturb it. “I must admit I very nearly clapped when you offered her your condolences.”

She gave her head a little shake. “I was already fuming because she’d threatened to deny Beth payment. I was going to skulk out after announcing that Beth would be making nothing for me, but then the sweet woman stood up for me and the lady I’d once been came to the fore and I couldn’t let Lady Jocelyn go unchallenged.”

“Beth will be paid for that trousseau.”

“It shouldn’t come out of your coffers.”

“It won’t. Lady Jocelyn’s family will pay, one way or another. I simply need to know who her father is. Or her eldest brother. Whoever sees to her care.” He shrugged. “Or perhaps I’ll have Chadbourne pay.” A bit of malice and glee wreathed his smile. “I like that idea better.”

She looked at his large gloved hands folded over his thighs. “When you