Page 52 of A Rake's Redemption
Alex grinned at her. “Because I am a rake?”
She was glad it was dark enough that he didn’t see her blush. Her thoughts had been dashing wildly in the opposite direction. “Ye do want to present me as an aristo, nae? ’Tis my reputation to consider.”
“Well put,” Alex said, smothering his grin and turning it into a smile. “The precaution is already taken. Our footman stands guard in the hall. It is not uncommon to have one do such.” He tilted his head and eyed her. “Would you like me to part the curtain as well?”
“Nae,” Inis said and hoped she didn’t sound too eager. “I mean…light would pour in from the hall and make seeing the stage difficult.”
“That is true,” Alex said and pulled one of the chairs for her. “And I believe the play is about to begin.”
A warm shiver slid down her arm from where his hand brushed her bare shoulder. For a moment, she thought he’d deliberately let his fingers linger against her skin, but when she looked at him, he’d already turned and moved to his own seat.
“What are we going to see?” Inis asked as the curtain opened.
“The Theatre Royal is doing William Shakespeare this month. He is one of the great English bards.”
She knew who Shakespeare was since the Royal Theatre of Dublin had once done a performance ofRichard III. But she could not admit that in her present guise. “A bard? Did he wander the countryside with a harp and sing ballads?”
“Not quite. He wrote plays and headed an acting troop called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men based at the Globe Theatre here in London.” Alex smiled at her. “Tonight’s play isA Midsummer Night’s Dream.It’s a comedy, so I hope you enjoy it.”
They grew silent as the curtain opened with a couple discussing their upcoming marriage in four days. The Duke of Athens and his Amazon queen seemed to be in love, unlike the arranged marriage Inis had barely escaped. The contrast grew sharper when a man entered with a complaint to the duke that his daughter, Hermia, did not want to marry Demetrius, the husband the father had chosen for her.
Inis felt an instant empathy for the girl, especially when her father said he had the right to put her to death if she didn’t obey him. At least, her uncle hadn’t madethatkind of threat. That the duke in the play offered Hermia an alternative life as a nun didn’t set well with Inis, either. Why were those the only two choices a woman had? To marry the person chosen for her or to spend the rest of her life in a convent? By the end of Act I, she was somewhat mollified by Hermia and Lysander’s decision to run away together.
“Are you enjoying the play?” Alex asked.
“Aye, but I doona see anything funny about it,” Inis answered.
“Just wait. You will.”
…
Alex had hoped no one would venture to their box during the intermission after Act III, but he should have known the ladies of thetonwould be too inquisitive to accept him—or more accurately, Inis—not putting in an appearance in the main lobby.
The first to pop her head inside the curtain was Lady Compton, which was no surprise. The woman liked to be the first with fresh gossip. Her husband, a baron, had probably retreated to the sanctuary of the gentlemen’s lounge as he usually did at any social event. He needed the fortification of a stiff whiskey to endure his wife’s incessant prattling.
Alex stifled a groan as Ladies Linford, Dalton, and Caldwell all pressed behind Jeannette Compton. Christ. Was the whole damn R Club ascending the steps?
“You were not planning to hide this exquisite creature from us, were you, Lord Ashley?” Lady Compton asked, pushing the curtain aside and stepping in. “How naughty of you to keep her all to yourself when we are simply dying of curiosity.”
“I…we got caught up in discussing the play,” Alex said.
“Surely you will be polite enough to introduce us?” Jeanette asked.
Alex bit back a retort that apoliteperson would not have burst into a private box, but that wouldn’t deter this group. They had the look of a pack of hungry wolves. Alex sighed. “May I present Miss Inis O’Brien.”
Four pairs of eyes focused on Inis, assessing her. To her credit, she managed to sit quite straight, her hands folded in her lap, although Alex thought her face had paled. He leaned forward to shield her. The ladies suddenly smiled, which didn’t fool Alex at all.
“Which character do you favor?” Melanie Linford asked Inis mildly. “I find Lysander to be quite amusing.”
“Demetrius is a much better prospect,” Beatrice Dalton said.
Vanessa Caldwell waved a hand indifferently. “They are mere suitors. I say Theseus, the duke, is the best prize.”
“You would,” Beatrice commented wryly. “You are married to an earl, after all.”
Jeannette glared at all of them. “Perhaps we should give Miss O’Brien an opportunity to speak.”
Four pairs of eyes refocused on Inis. “I like Puck,” she said.
