Page 32 of Three Weeks with a Princess
“You have nothing to be nervous about. Everyone will adore you. Now, give me your skirt and I’ll finish this all up by tomorrow.”
Amy obediently untied her skirt and stepped out of it, leaving her clad only in her shift, stockings, and stays.
“Where’s your wrapper?” Lia asked. “You’ll catch a chill if you wander around dressed like that.”
“Bloody hell, I left it in my dressing room. I’d better fetch it before Mr. Lester sees me going about half-naked. He’s a bit of a prude, which is odd considering his missus. Not that Mrs. Lester hasn’t gone right respectable since she married him,” Amy added hastily, flapping an apologetic hand.
The comment was another reminder that her mother’s past was not yet forgotten. Though Lia had kept mostly to the Lester town house and the theater, gossip had already started to circulate about the arrival of a new Notorious Kincaid. Needless to say, Mama was not pleased. When Mr. Lester had tried to console his wife by pointing out that Lia’s addition to the company would likely boost ticket sales, that argumentation had gone over as well as could be expected—which was to say, not well at all.
As Amy hurried out the door, she collided, bosom first, with a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a deadly scowl on his handsome face.
Hell and damnation.
Jack’s hands shot out and grasped Amy by her bare shoulders. The dancer wobbled dramatically and clutched at his waistcoat, as if she would fall flat on her backside without his support. Because Lia knew Amy could balance on the toes of one foot with no trouble at all, she had to swallow a snort.
“Oh, la, thank you, kind sir,” Amy trilled. “I would have taken quite the tumble if you hadn’t caught me.”
Jack blinked down at her, looking befuddled. Then the scowl returned, and it grew even more severe as he took in Amy’s generously displayed charms.
“I’m happy I prevented so unfortunate an occurrence.” His tone suggested the opposite as he tried to extract himself from Amy’s deathlike grip.
“And who might you be, sir?” the dancer asked with a flirtatious smile. “A new patron for our little company or a member of our illustrious board? I do hope so.” She gave his waistcoat a little stroke, as if checking out the goods. “You would make a fine addition, I’m sure.”
Because Jack was now directing his scowl in Lia’s direction, she was tempted to leave him to his fate. Still, hewasJack, and he’d come to her rescue numerous times over the years. “He’s a friend of mine, Amy. A good friend,” she added pointedly.
The girl cast a shrewd glance at her, then relinquished her grip. “So that’s how it is, eh? Forgive me, love. I didn’t know you had aspecialbeau.”
Jack’s expression had now become an interesting combination of outrage and alarm. Lia started mentally bracing herself for the forthcoming scold. It was sure to be a ripper.
“He’s not a special beau,” she said, trying to minimize the damage.
Amy’s eyebrows went up in an incredulous lift.
“Never mind,” Lia said with a sigh. Trying to explain her relationship with Jack wasn’t worth the bother; Amy wouldn’t believe it anyway. “This is the Marquess of Lendale. Lord Lendale, allow me to introduce Miss Amy Baxter, a member of my stepfather’s company.”
“A pleasure,” Jack replied in a tone so clipped Lia was tempted to smack him.
“Don’t look very pleasurable to me,” Amy said with her usual fatal candor. “But I’m sure our Lia can find a way to sweeten your mood.” She finished up that bon mot by giving Jack an exaggerated wink.
“Oy, Amy, my love,” came a welcome interruption from out in the hall. “Are you in the green room?”
“In here, Bertie,” Amy yelled back.
A moment later one of the musicians stuck his head through the doorway. “A few of us are popping out to the pub for a bite before rehearsal. Fancy joining us?”
“Yes, please,” Amy replied.
Bertie was not the least bit nonplussed by Amy’s half-naked appearance. Most of the members of the company were used to seeing each other in various states of undress and never blinked an eye. It had taken Lia a few days to get used to it, but she now realized that the men in the company were fiercely protective of all the women, even if morals on occasion did tend to get a bit wobbly.
One glance at Jack’s face, however, signaled that she had work to do when it came to explaining how tame her new life was, despite appearances to the contrary.
Amy disappeared with Bertie, leaving Lia with the ignoble urge to slink out after her friend. Unfortunately, Jack was blocking the doorway with his tall, muscular frame.
Might as well bull through it, old girl.
“You’re looking well, Jack,” she said brightly. “It’s lovely to see you.”
“Really? You’ve been assiduously avoiding me for a week now.”
