Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (140 page)

Scott

97

Paine's footfalls sounded on the steps and shortly afterwards the bedroom door opened.

'Julia, love, you have the patience of a flea!' he proclaimed in high spirits. 'That is Madame Broussard, the finest dressmaker in the city by many accounts. One does not order her about like a common servant. She might leave pins in your gowns.'

Paine came to sit beside her, pulling the tails of his shirt out of his trousers' waistband. 'But you were right. That was enough for the day. I didn't think I could stand another minute of looking at your delectable body clad in nothing more than a shift. I thought my trousers would burst.' He tugged on her hands. 'Come, relieve me, Julia.

show you "the splitting of the bamboo". You'll it.'

He looked boyish and carefree; it took an enormous amount of will power to resist. 'Wait, Julia shook

her head. 'We need to talk. It's been two days and I'm no closer to knowing what my future holds than I was the night I walked into your club.'

Paine shrugged and lay back on the pillows, hands behind his head. 'Go ahead, then, talk,' he offered expansively.

'What's the meaning of all this?' Julia began. 'What's the purpose of all the gowns? Why am I staying here?

What's to become of me? This is not what I had planned at all.' She could hear the frustration rising in her voice and resented it. The last thing she wanted to do was sound like a hysterical girl.

Paine tried for humour. 'Well, I will want my robe back at some point in the future.'

98

Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady

'Not funny. Really, tell me, what am I doing here?'

Paine sat up. 'You are staying safe until I have all my pieces in place, Julia. Oswalt is dangerous. We cannot rush out and challenge him. He's too smart for that. I have asked my investigators to make inquiries about Oswalt's business. We need to know what he is up to and plan accordingly. I've asked for inquiries about your uncle, too. I know you say he's an honest fellow, but I am a bit more cynical.'

'Inquiries! I did not give you leave to pry into my family's private matters,' Julia protested, further exclamations silenced by the soft press of his her lips.

'As for the dresses,' Paine went on, overriding her dismay, 'we'll need the

of the ton, some of

them at least, for what I have planned. I mean to reclaim my good standing.'

'Good lord, that could take years!' Julia cried without thinking.

Paine chuckled. 'Again, your trust in me is overwhelming, my dear. I think you'll see it will only take a matter of weeks.'

'And you'll be wearing the dresses while you reclaim this good standing?' Julia probed wryly, not following his logic in its entirety.

'You'll be by my side, Julia. You're the key to my reform. The influence of a good woman's love is a powerful source of conversion.'

'I haven't converted you,' Julia said carefully. man who knew such

expressions and methods for

like 'splitting the bamboo' was in no way

Scott

reformed. 'When did you decide on this story?' Here was yet another example of Paine

managing ways.

'Yesterday afternoon when I was taking care of some correspondence, I started thinking about it. Today, somewhere between the blue silk and the green muslin, it all seemed to come together. The
ton
will like the story, it's a fairy tale come to life and it will make a good explanation for how I turned up with you.'

eyes glinted with the excitement of the drama.

'We'll tell everyone it was love at

sight. When I saw

you, I knew my erring days were over. It's a plausible reason for being together and it will give me a valid excuse to keep you close. Once Oswalt learns that you're with me, the game will be fully engaged. He'll stop at nothing to have you back. We just have to draw him out into the open and expose him for what he is.'

Julia recognised the plan wasn't quite that simple.

They needed the
ton
to accept them, or rather to accept Paine, so that there would be support for exposing the issues with Oswalt. That support would be needed to bring Oswalt down. Apathy could be a powerful non-weapon. If no one cared enough to buy into their cause, the status quo would remain the norm. That norm would see her wed to Oswalt, the contract with her uncle upheld. For Julia, that outcome was unacceptable.

'And until then?' Julia asked, moving back towards the bed.

'Until then, all we have to do is pretend we're in love.' His eyes were mesmerising in their persuasion.

Who could resist those blue eyes, dark with desire? 'Are

100

Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady

you ready to split the bamboo?' he whispered, nipping at her neck with soft kisses.

'I see this has nothing to do with trees,'

managed to flirt between

'No, not trees, love, but it has everything to do with your deliciously long legs.' Paine moved and knelt before her on the bed, running a hand down the length of one leg and gently lifted it over his shoulder. 'Make your legs into a raised V for me, Julia. We'll start with the "yawning position" and take our "bamboo" from there.' He leaned forwards to kiss her mouth. 'And no quips about the "yawn" being boring. I assure you it is not. In fact, it's quite exciting.'

'Why?' Julia murmured.

'You'll find out,' Paine

in cryptic reassurance.

After that, she had no more thought for questions.

Julia gave herself over to Paine's exotic instructions. In the wake of his persistence and passion, Julia found it wasn't hard to convince herself his plan made sense.

Neither was it hard to do her part and pretend she was in love with him. As he knelt before her and showed her how to alternately raise her legs to his shoulders, thus

'splitting the bamboo', she suspected she was already half way there.

There was no question of Julia going to the gaming hell with him, although it was the devil convincing her of that. He might have been able to take one night away from the club, but he could not afford to be absent another night. Not only would it deprive him of valuable