Page 38 of A Touch Wicked
Hell, Jeffries probablyheardit from the corridor. Emma had not exactly modulated her volume.
“Interesting,” Mr. Grey said thoughtfully. “You don’t look ill, Miss Dumont. Irritated and distressed, perhaps, but being forced to converse with my brother has a tendency of causing that. Speaking from experience.”
“Why are you here, Richard?” James snapped at him. “As you can see, I’m busy.”
“Well, I’m not,” Mr. Grey said with a grin. “And Miss Dumont doesn’t seem particularly keen for your company.”
Maybe Emmawasgrowing ill. She felt a headache coming on. “Quite right. I’m still leaving.”
“No, you’re not,” James argued.
“Yes, I am.”
Mr. Grey watched their exchange with some amusement. “Ah, I see I’ve come in the middle of a lover’s quarrel.” At James’s glare, he chuckled and gestured to Emma’s suitcase. “Shall I help you with that?”
Emma said, “Yes,” at the same time James said, “No.”
“The lady wants my help, so I’m obliged to listen,” Mr. Grey said, taking her suitcase. “I’ve a carriage outside that can take you to your destination. Would you like me to tell the driver?”
Emma let out a breath and looked away. Where would she go? Her funds were limited. She had twenty pounds, which would be enough to rent a room, but she knew James would come searching for her. Her accent, looks, education, and mannerisms limited her options.
“I’ve changed my mind, sir,” Emma said. “If I may have my suitcase back, I think I’ll walk.”
At this, Mr. Grey’s charming smile disappeared. “It’s growing dark and it’s pouring out, sweetheart.”
She lifted a shoulder and forced a smile. “It’s London, and you’ve no reason to feel guilt. We’re strangers. My suitcase, if you please.”
“Emma.” She shut her eyes at James’s soft, resigned voice. “You don’t have anywhere to go, do you?”
“I’ll find somewhere,” she said through her teeth.
“Let Richard take you to a hotel. I’ll pay for a room for as long as you need.”
Didn’t he understand that she didn’t want to be obligated to him? That she wasn’t his responsibility?
“And you’ll have the key, won’t you?” Emma said softly, not caring anymore that his brother was there to hear everything. “You wouldn’t call me your mistress, but that’s how I’d end up being one. Obligated to you, unable to pay you back. And if I decided to leave and disappear, what then? You’d stop me using the precise argument you’re using now.”
“Emma—”
“Stay at mine,” Mr. Grey interrupted with a hint of exasperation. “If it will cease this endless squabble. Kent could go on for days.” Before Emma could protest, he put up a hand. “And before you say no, I’ll add that plenty of ladies have liked it well enough in the past. They’ve informed me it’s stylish.”
“Yourlovers, you insufferable lout,” James snapped. “I doubt they take the time to appreciate the decor.”
“Well, at least one of them did. She performed some interior decorating back home in Germany, didn’t speak much English, but was very talented at—”
“I’ll do it.” Emma massaged her temples. “For god’s sake, I’ll stay with you if I may exit this foyer in the next ten seconds.”
Mr. Grey’s face broke into a gorgeous grin. “Excellent. You can let me know if my decor is as stylish as they say.”
Chapter 21
“Imiss having you at the house, you know,” Alexandra said to Emma the following week. She lifted her teacup and sipped. “Now if I finish pages at three in the morning, who do I have to pester? No one.”
Mr. Grey’s town house was lovely, and her stay had been quiet and restful. Much of that was owed to the fact that Mr. Grey was often absent. Though Emma knew he worked, she began to suspect that Mr. Grey had taken a hotel room elsewhere.
When she did see him, he treated Emma patiently. Not once had he asked about her relations with his brother. Indeed, he’d asked nothing personal at all.It’s my own philosophy, he’d told her on the carriage ride.Women are welcome to tell me anything they’d like about their own lives, and I’ll listen. Until then, I consider it none of my bloody business.
At some point, she could no longer intrude upon his kindness. She had already looked into booking passage back to France, but had decided to settle on beginning life anew in America.
