An Unconventional Countess (Regency Belles of Bath 1)

‘You’re welcome.’

‘Only... I’m afraid the situation involves her again.’ She seemed to come to a decision, beckoning for him to come closer before pointing around the edge of the pillar. He looked dutifully. Her apprentice was standing next to a market stall at the far end of the street.

‘She told me she was unwell. A headache.’

‘And you didn’t believe her?’ Samuel pulled back, feeling vaguely ridiculous to be peeking out from behind a pillar in broad daylight.

‘No. She’s been acting strangely for days and she’s a terrible liar. I could tell that she felt bad about deceiving me, too, so I knew something was going on.’

‘So you closed up your shop and followed her? That doesn’t sound very good for business.’

‘Some things are more important.’ She gave him a narrow-eyed glance. ‘I expect you think that it’s nothing to do with me.’

‘I wouldn’t say that exactly...’

He made a face. In his personal opinion, what her employee did in her own free time was nothing to do with her, let alone him, but if the girl was supposed to be working, then it wasn’t strictly speaking her free time...and it was Miss Fortini’s business that she’d been lied to. Frankly, he was starting to think that her assistant was more trouble than she was worth, but Miss Fortini obviously cared about her. Most employers would have dismissed her on the spot for lying.

‘What is it that you suspect her of?’

‘I think that she’s come to meet someone.’

‘Someone being Mr Hoxley?’ He frowned, already anticipating the answer.

‘Yes. He’s been in the shop every day this week. I know he’s your friend, but...’

She let the words trail away, although Samuel didn’t finish them. Instead, he took a farther step back into the shadows, thinking. He hadn’t seen Ralph since the evening he’d practically manhandled him out of Sydney Gardens, delivering a stern lecture about his behaviour on the way. He’d warned him off visiting the shop on Swainswick Crescent again, too, although he’d stopped short of actually threatening him. They’d been close companions once and he hadn’t wanted to ruin the memory of their friendship entirely. Unfortunately, it seemed that he’d been too easy on him.

‘I’m sure it’s all perfectly innocent in Henrietta’s mind,’ Miss Fortini went on, ‘only she has romantic ideas.’

‘Is that so terrible? Surely a few romantic ideas are a good thing?’

She gave him a look that implied she’d expected better. ‘I live in the real world, Captain, as I’m sure so do you. Gentlemen like Mr Hoxley don’t marry girls like Henrietta. He might offer to set her up as his mistress, but that’s all.’

Samuel arched an eyebrow, thinking it was a good thing he’d grown up with his grandmother or he might have been shocked to hear a woman speak about mistresses quite so openly. Not one of the well-bred young ladies he’d met in the Pump Rooms that morning would have ever contemplated using the word. Quite a few had probably never even heard of it.

Miss Fortini, on the other hand, stated it as a matter of fact, which, he had to concede, it probably was. Ralph’s position as the third son of a minor baronet meant that he needed a rich wife and, unfortunately for his nymph, a shop assistant was never going to be that.

‘There!’ Miss Fortini uttered a sudden cry of dismay, pointing down the street to where the man in question was just now swaggering around the corner. Samuel leaned forward again, half appalled, half intrigued by the scene. Surely even Ralph wouldn’t conduct a liaison in one of Bath’s most famous streets? His reputation was disreputable enough, but this was outrageous even for him.

‘He’s walking right past her!’ Miss Fortini whispered indignantly, seemingly afraid of being overheard despite there being at least ten feet and a dozen people between them and Ralph. ‘Oh! He’s looking this way!’

She shifted backwards, the rounded curve of her bottom bumping forcefully against Samuel’s groin before she spun around and flattened herself against the pillar, her eyes wide with a look of alarm. ‘Do you think he saw me?’

‘I don’t think so.’ Although he’d certainly see him, Samuel thought, if he didn’t move completely into the shadows, too. He could hardly have made himself look any more conspicuous in his naval uniform. There was nothing he could do but take a step closer towards Miss Fortini, bracing his hands on the pillar on either side of her waist.

It was a slender waist, he observed, though not so slender that he was afraid she might snap in a strong wind, flaring out into perfectly proportioned hips. She was reasonably tall for a woman, too, with legs long enough that when she’d stepped back against him he’d found it momentarily hard to think straight, a flood of heat rushing straight to the lower part of his body. He was still feeling somewhat befuddled now since the front of his trousers was only a few inches away from the legs and hips in question and their close proximity was doing nothing to diminish the effect.

Fortunately, Miss Fortini appeared blissfully unaware of his body’s reaction. Unaware of him altogether, in fact, so taken up with the idea of saving her friend that she seemed oblivious to the impropriety of their position. He had her pinned up against a pillar in broad daylight, for pity’s sake! A swift glance over his shoulder showed there was no one else under the covered part of the colonnade, but anyone who cared to look deeper into the shadows would take him for the rake, not Ralph. And how he was supposed to care about that when her breasts were heaving so tantalisingly close to his chest he had no idea!

‘What’s happening?’ she whispered, her large brown eyes darting from side to side as if she could somehow see behind her. ‘Is he going back to meet her?’

‘Mmm?’ For a moment, Samuel had no idea what she was talking about, his gaze transfixed by the flawless bow shape of her mouth. He hadn’t paid her lips enough attention before, he chided himself, distracted by her many other attractive qualities, but now he found himself wanting to explore them in slow and intimate detail.

‘Is he going back to Henrietta?’

‘Oh...wait a moment.’ Samuel gathered his scattered thoughts with an effort, sucking in a deep breath before stealing a look around the edge of the pillar. ‘No.’ He frowned. ‘He’s walking this way and she’s following him. They must have arranged to meet like this.’ His frown deepened with every word. It was typical of Ralph to flaunt his position so blatantly in front of the girl. He seemed to be stopping every few seconds to speak to some acquaintance or another, making her wait each time. It was just the kind of egotistical, self-aggrandising joke that he would enjoy.

‘I need to do something!’ Miss Fortini started forward, but Samuel kept his arms in place, restraining her against the pillar.