Page 27 of A Lady's Lesson in Scandal
Millie’s throat ached. She swallowed hard. ‘No. I am well. Please, continue.’ If she let herself cry now, she wasn’t sure she would stop.
Philippa didn’t speak right away. She watched Millie with her keen eyes missing nothing until finally she nodded. ‘As you like. The Queen had some important information to share.’
Millie lifted her arms so Penny could pull the corset over her head and position it around her waist.
‘I’ll be careful, miss,’ Penny murmured as she carefully tightened the torture device, mindful of Millie’s wounds. Millie had to give the girl credit. She had recovered quickly from realising the duchess was a confidante of Queen Victoria.
Millie wheezed out a breath. ‘Pray tell, what did she say?’
Philippa’s sharp gaze speared Millie. ‘It would appear our little wedding party will be host to several likely candidates in our investigation. Our prime suspect, and the man we are tasked to focus on, is Lord Franklin St George. A baron, I believe, and someone you are acquainted with, which is immensely helpful.’
Millie’s shoulders tightened, but she forced her face to remain impassive. ‘I’ve known him since childhood, Your Grace. But I doubt he’ll want to speak with me. We have a… history. Not a pleasant one.’
Philippa rolled her eyes. ‘Must I remind you again to desist with the “Your Grace” nonsense? Your name is Millicent. Mine is Philippa. Hers is Penny. Let’s not be silly.’
Millie shook her head, her anxiety dissipating in the light of her mentor’s obvious disgust with titles. It didn’t escape her that Philippa’s dim view of social hierarchy was an opinion only the highest of the beau monde could afford to espouse. ‘Of course, Philippa. But my statement still stands. If our focus is Lord Franklin St George, I doubt I will be of much help to you. The man despises me.’
Philippa laughed; a rich melody filling the room. ‘There is a thin line between love and hate, Millicent. Don’t forget. I was a guest of Lord Bradford’s at Everly Manor as well. I saw the way St George stared at you during our fortnight of revelry. He despises you because he cannot have you.’
Millie snorted. ‘He already had me, Philippa.’ Her gaze flicked over to Penny, but the maid was busy shaking out the folds of Millie’s evening gown. A copper silk confection that almost perfectly matched her hair. The neckline would not be so scandalous on another woman, but with Millie’s generous curves, she would be lucky to keep her girls contained for the evening. Thinking back to her moment on the couch with Lord Drake, his hand caressing her breast, his mouth claiming her own, she felt suddenly overwarm. With an iron will, she pulled her thoughts back to the conversation. ‘Once Franklin plucked my bloom – as it were – his interest dissolved. He longed for a sweeter blossom. One with significantly more to offer in her dowry than myself.’
Philippa nodded. ‘Exactly. He abandoned you for a richer prize, but according to the Queen, that well has run dry due in no small part to St George’s penchant for gambling badly. Apparently, he has markers all over London. And then there are his mistresses. Three, to my counting. You are the one who gotaway, Millicent. And while he may have momentarily had your body, he never had you. Let’s be clear on that.’
She was right. Millie was infatuated with Franklin as a child, but it was the obsession of a silly girl. He never claimed her heart. Not really. And he never would. She hadn’t realised it until Philippa made her point.
‘You are very insightful, Philippa. It’s highly annoying.’
‘I know. But back to the mission. Franklin St George is desperate for blunt, but I also think he needs to prove his appeal. Specifically, by reclaiming the one girl he can’t have. You.’
Millie felt a hard ball of dread form in her belly. ‘I’m soon to be married, Philippa. I can’t possibly spend the week leading up to my wedding seducing another man.’
Philippa moved out of Penny’s way as the maid brought the dress to Millie. ‘You are soon to be married to a man you have no affection for. A man who holds no flame for you. What harm can come from innocent flirtation? It isn’t as though you are actually going to engage in an affair with St George.’
The thought was horrifying. Though she had once believed St George to be the most desirable man she’d ever known, the idea of pressing her lips against Franklin’s now made Millie want to gag in revulsion.
Instead, she imagined much firmer lips in a face divided by a ragged scar. She felt the rush of warmth between her thighs.
Absolutely not. The last thing I need to do is dissolve into lust over my ridiculous, pompous ass of a fiancé.
Thinking about what a fool she’d been with Franklin reminded Millie how lust could lead her down a path she had no wish to tread. While she might want to engage in her desire for the major general, the danger of giving herself to him – as she had almost done in the study like a completely besotted fool – would grant him a power he could wield over her without mercy. It was impossible. She had come far too close, but she wouldredouble her efforts at resisting him and focus her time and attention on what really mattered. Her mission for the Queen. If anything could douse wicked desires, certainly it should be thoughts of Queen Victoria’s displeasure at a failed mission.
Millie swallowed before lifting her arms and allowing Penny to pull the dress over her head. The maid settled it around her hips and began the arduous task of fastening a million tiny buttons.
‘Or am I mistaken?’ The mischievous glint in Philippa’s cobalt gaze made Millie pause.
Did the duchess guess at Millie’s growing fascination with Major General Drake? Surely not. Though Philippahadjust proven her skills at reading people. It really was infuriating.
Millie tried to keep her face impassive. ‘I’m merely suggesting I try to preserve my decimated reputation by not acting like a trollop. The beau monde already thinks me wanton. Do I now become an unfaithful wife before our vows are even uttered?’
Why was she fighting this? Pretending to have some kind of affection for St George might be the perfect way to get Drake to beg off. She didn’t imagine he would tolerate infidelity. But her whole body shuddered in revulsion at the thought. She couldn’t. Not with Franklin.
‘For a woman with no interest in her future husband, you certainly seem intent on sticking to your vows… Vows you’ve yet to say, might I add.’
Millie rolled her eyes. ‘I don’t believe St George has any interest in me, but if he does, I have no wish to throw myself at a man who rejected me the moment I spread my thighs.’
Penny made a strangled sound deep in her throat.
‘Sorry, Penny. I am honest to a fault, and St George is a disgusting, despicable, reprehensible bounder. In fact, youshould be very careful to avoid finding yourself alone with him. He is not safe, do you understand?’
