Last Chance for Paris - Merry Farmer Page 0,3
the lack of gentlemanliness around him as he was certain she was.
“Allow me to help,” he told her as he reached her side. He turned and boomed at the men closing in on them, “Back off at once!”
It was no surprise to Louis that the half dozen or so men crowding around the twins did exactly that. They stumbled away, turning their attention to Lady Briarwood and the dancers, all of whom were enjoying themselves beyond measure. Louis spared a disapproving glance for Lady Briarwood before focusing his energies on the dark-skinned woman and the twins.
“Please allow me to escort you to safety,” he said, extending a protective arm toward the three women.
The dark-skinned woman dodged out of his way, still glaring at him as though he were the one who wanted to humiliate her the way the other men had tried to, but the twins rushed into his protection.
He began to escort them away, but the dark-skinned woman stopped him with, “Leave them alone. You’re as bad as the others.”
Louis’s heart squeezed in his chest. Her voice was as lovely as her form, with just a hint of a French accent and a taste of something even more exotic. “I am terribly sorry,” he said, nodding to her with as much deference as he could muster in the current situation. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Sinclair, a friend of Lord Addlebury’s. Please allow me to take you and the misses McGovern to safety.”
The woman’s expression flickered to uncertainty. A gentleman in the audience laughed, drawing her attention, then causing her to snap her head toward Lady Briarwood—who now had her skirts lifted and was giggling like mad as she imitated the can-can dancers. Louis’s face heated at the sight.
“Right.” He shifted, moving the misses McGovern toward the dark-skinned woman. “You keep an eye on these ladies and I’ll retrieve Lady Briarwood.”
The dark-skinned woman opened her mouth to protest, but Louis didn’t give her time. He strode to the side of the stage, pushing a few drunken men aside, and extended a hand toward Lady Briarwood.
“My lady,” he shouted above the din. “I think you should come down now.”
Lady Briarwood exclaimed wordlessly, dropping her skirts in a hurry and rushing toward the edge of the stage. “Good heavens. Lord Sinclair.” Her face grew redder by the second, and she clapped a hand to her cheek. “If I had been aware someone I knew was in the audience….”
She let her words fade as Louis reached up for her, frowning as he was certain Asher would frown if he knew what his sister was up to. Lady Briarwood was clever enough to let him grasp her around the waist and lift her down from the stage. As soon as her feet were on the ground, Louis whisked her back through the restless audience—some of whom booed as Lady Briarwood was taken away. The dark-skinned woman had already started pushing the twins through the crush of people toward the door to the lobby.
By the time they made it into the relative calm of the lobby, Louis’s ears were ringing from all the noise.
“I must say, that was exhilarating,” Lady Briarwood said with a laugh. “I’m only sorry it ended so soon.”
“My lady, we should return to the Château de Saint-Sottises at once,” the dark-skinned woman said with a scolding look.
“Oh, Solange,” Lady Briarwood laughed. “I don’t know whether to resent your mothering or to thank you for taking such good care of me.”
Solange. It was a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Louis let it sink into his psyche for a moment before saying, “Please allow me to escort you home.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Solange started to say.
“What a lovely offer,” Lady Briarwood answered over her. “One I accept. We’re so much more likely to reach the palace in one piece if we have a proper escort.”
“And to stay out of even greater trouble,” one of the twins murmured to the other.
Louis was certain the twins had the right way of things. He hailed a cab, then helped each of the ladies inside with the sort of gentlemanly consideration that the patrons of the Moulin Rouge had denied them. He climbed in last, and was forced to squeeze himself into a seat with the lovely Solange.
“I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience,” he apologized when it was clear from Solange’s expression that she wasn’t at all happy about the arrangement. “I do hope we reach the palace quickly so that you