Page 84 of A Rake's Redemption
“Don’t be coy.” Amelia gave an exasperated sigh. “You sent it to me, thinking I would agree to be one of your conquests. As if I would acquiesce to a rake?”
Alex ignored her haughty, harsh tone. Why had he ever thought her to be desirable? “For the record, I send a negligeeafterthe assignation, not before.”
“You assumed I would say yes.”
“I would never do that,” Alex said, careful to keep his own voice neutral. “Especially not with you.”
Amelia hesitated, apparently not sure if he was being sarcastic or not. He kept his face impassive.
“Then who sent it?”
“I have no idea,” Alex replied. “I will speak to Madame Dubois—” He paused as the door burst open and his brother walked in.
“What the hell is going on in here?” George’s face was nearly purple. “I will not be cuckolded in my own home with the Prince Regent present, no less.”
Amelia’s porcelain skin turned even paler. “It is not what it looks like.”
“No?” George waved a piece of paper in front of her.
Alex recognized it as her note. In his haste to cram it into a pocket, he must have missed and it fell to the floor. “I can explain…”
George turned to him with a sneer. “I am sure you can. You’ve always been able to explain your way out of things. Not this time.” He turned back to Amelia. “How long has this been going on? Since we married?”
She drew herself up to sit straight in the chair. “Nothing has been going on. If you will calm down and listen to reason—”
“Do not lie to me. I will not stand for it,” George nearly bellowed.
“If you want to keep this from turning into a scandal, you might lower your voice,” Alex said.
“Yes, George,” Amelia added. “We can explain.”
Her husband glared at her. “We?Wecan explain?”
She swallowed hard. “I mean, I can explain.” Amelia looked at Alex. “It would be best if you left us.”
He did not wait to be told twice. He turned to walk toward the door and then froze in place. Inis was standing in the doorway, looking at the negligee Amelia still held in her lap.
…
Alex wasn’t surprised the next morning when the butler announced George had arrived—at an unfashionably early hour—and waited for him in the front parlor. He’d expected something of the sort after last night’s incident.
He contemplated letting the esteemed duke cool his heels, but he didn’t need to bait George today. Since he’d left without having a chance to tell his block-headed brother that nothing happened, he might as well do so now and get the whole bloody mess behind him.
He just wished it would be so easy with Inis. She’d turned and run last night before he could explain. When he’d gotten to the ballroom, she was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Caroline. It was only after a half hour of searching everywhere that he found Brice, who told him both women had left.
Inis had not returned to Dansworth House, either. Alex had stayed awake until dawn waiting for her. His eyes burned from lack of sleep, and his head felt thick as a brick as he made his way down to the parlor.
“What was the meaning of your preposterous behavior last night?” George turned and flung the words at him as soon as he crossed the doorway.
The butler closed the door behind him discreetly, although Alex felt sure half the staff would probably find a reason to go through the hallway in the next few minutes.
He sat down and poured himself some tea from the service, added a lump of sugar, and stirred it. “I swear nothing happened between your wife and me.”
“And I should take the word of a self-proclaimed rake?”
“Think of me what you like,” Alex replied. “Did you give Amelia a chance to explain anything?”
“I listened.”
