Page 532 of From Rakes to Riches

He hadn’t planned it.

That was his defense.

In fact, if he’d given the matter a moment’s forethought, he surely would’ve had her placed in one of those ten other bathing tubs.

Surely.

Wouldn’t he?

Because he’d vowed to stay away from Gem, and he’d succeeded this last week.

Inviting her to bathe in his rooms was the very opposite of keeping away from Gem and letting her do her job.

Of course, he could leave. He could easily walk out of this room and go to his study and leave her to bathe in peace…

But he couldn’t.

Not with her bathing—naked—thirty feet away, no matter how many closed doors stood between them.

Flimsy…cheap…Those were the adjectives someone might use to describe his excuses.

But he thought he could live with them.

He grabbed a tight cylinder of paper and strode to the table at the opposite end of the room. He set the tumbler of brandy down and then unrolled the paper until it lay flat, placing weights on the four corners to prevent the edges from curling. While he had Gem up here, they might as well discuss Epsom in further detail.

A faint sound drew Rake upright, ear cocked.

A voice…a woman’s voice…soft, raspy, direct…

Hervoice.

Through the closed doors of dressing and bathing rooms came a muted, “Hello?”

Every muscle in Rake’s body tensed.

He should send for the maid… He should send for the maid…He should send for the maid.

A few weighty beats of time ticked past. “Your Grace?”

He heard it plain in her voice.Confusion.

Well, he was confused too.

At himself.

A few more seconds of silence ticked by.

And he knew why.

He waited for the inevitable.

“Erm, Your Grace?” she called out, louder, firmer.

“Yes?” He knew precisely what her next words would be.

He crossed the room and opened the dressing room door. So he could hear her better, he told himself.

Flimsy…cheap…

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