Never Had a Dream Come True (22 page)

“Isn’t that your fiancé outside?”

Penny looked through the window to where Mina pointed, and she nodded with a pleased smile. “Yes, that is Thomas. Is there a door there? I would rather not have to go back through the other room.”

Mina took a few steps farther into that side of the shop. “Yes, there is another door in the next room, and it leads back into the street.”

“Penny!”

Thomas’s happiness over unexpectedly meeting her was evident, and it soothed the edginess Rake’s outrageous flirting had created in her.

“Are you visiting the seamstress?”

“Yes, Lady Anna has decided to honor us and our engagement with a masquerade ball, and I needed something to wear.”

“A masquerade ball?”

“What is it with men and masquerades?” Penny laughed. “When Lady Anna came up with the idea yesterday, most of the Darling men looked like they had taken a sip of Almack’s infamous lemonade.”

Thomas blushed. “I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful. It’s just that…I don’t really…” He pulled his fingers through his windswept blond hair and took a deep breath. “Damn it, Penny, it’s a bloody masquerade! I sort of detest those.”

“Me too,” Penny admitted. “I tried to talk her out of it, but she was quite determined, and in the end I couldn’t refuse such generosity.”

“Thank you, my dearest Penelope,” he breathed with relief and put his hand softly against her cheek. “For you I will clench my teeth together and stoically endure such a horrendous evening.”

They laughed lightly together, two friends in perfect harmony. Everything with Thomas was easy; they were a match made in a sensible heaven, and their life together would be serene and without surprises.

She thought of the man of her dreams, who currently was spending his time flirting with seven very eager ladies in the shop behind her. Life with Rake would never be dull or lonely, but it wouldn’t be a calm road. There would be more bumps than she would ever be able to count, but she knew it would be worth it—if he only loved her.

And there was the sum of everything.

If Rake loved her, she wouldn’t let anything or anyone stand in the way of their mutual happiness—as long as it meant his ring on her finger.

But if he didn’t… Or if he did but chose not to act upon it… Then she would continue with life as it was, including marrying her friend Thomas and being perfectly and sensibly content.

“Would you like to join me for a cup of tea at the inn? I have most of my errands done and would really like to sit down for a while, and what could be better than having you sitting next to me.”

He looked like a small child waiting for a present, and right then she would have given anything to be able to tell him yes, but she had things to do herself, and if Rake would stop flirting with the seamstresses she might even get her errands done.

“Sorry, old chap, but today she’s mine.”

Thomas stiffened as a cold voice interrupted their conversation, and Penny could tell he hadn’t forgiven Rake completely yet for the slight yesterday morning. Slowly he turned and met the dark, inscrutable eyes of his antagonist, who stood surrounded by women excited at the prospect of a fight between two dashing gentlemen.

Penny looked from Thomas’s frowning face to Rake’s cold and arrogant one and knew she had to do something before they disgraced themselves in front of everyone on the street.

“Thomas, I can’t go with you to the inn today. The duchess has ordered Rake to help me with the choice of my dress, and later we are meeting with Jamie for tea. Another time, perhaps?”

Thomas tore his gaze from Rake and looked down into her eyes. She tried wordlessly to convince him to humor her this time.
No more drama, if you please.
For once he seemed uncommonly perceptive, as he gave her a small smile. “I wouldn’t dream of intruding on your plans. Perhaps I could come and visit you tomorrow afternoon? Say five o’clock?”

“Please do. I would be honored.”

“We all would be deeply honored,” Rake drawled behind her, and she could see Thomas tense again. Quickly she put a hand against his cheek, just as he earlier had put his against hers.

“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t mind him. He’s just being a pain in the…you know.”

Thomas bent his head until his forehead almost touched hers. “For you, my dearest wife-to-be, anything.”

“Enough time wasted,” Rake said as he grabbed Penny at the waist and dragged her back toward him and the shop. “Let’s get the bloody dress ordered, shall we?”

And without letting Penny tell Thomas farewell, other than a wave and a glance she managed over her shoulder, he barged into the shop again with her in tow, Mina closely following. Penny could do nothing but acquiesce. This time Rake didn’t care about flirting with the seamstresses. Instead he sat down on a chair and looked at her pointedly.

“What?” she asked, when she could no longer stand his staring.

“Do you have any preference? Any disguise you find more alluring?”

“Oh.” So she was supposed to have ideas, was she? “I don’t know. I have never been to a masquerade. I wouldn’t know what costume to choose.”

Rake leaned his head to the side. “A siren, maybe, just emerged from the water to seduce men into forever and ever lusting for her.”

There was no doubt he spoke of the time at the lake, and Penny blushed. “No,” she chided, embarrassed. “That’s not a disguise anyone would believe for me.”

Rake grinned wickedly. “I would.”

“But this is not for you. This is for Thomas and for our future together.”

“No, my love. This is for you and you only. I don’t care about Boring Saint Thomas and the rest of his life. All I care about is you.”

Why did he say things like that?

Her silly heart immediately skipped a few beats, stupidly believing he meant something with the endearing words. But she knew better.

“All you care about is being obnoxious toward your mother, because she wanted me dressed as something too dramatic.”

She tried to look as bland as possible so he couldn’t see how affected she had been by his words.

For a moment he looked vulnerable, as if her cold cut of his sweet words had hurt him more than she thought possible. But just as quickly the moment was over and the forever wicked libertine leered at her.

“You know me too well.”

“A shepherdess, maybe?” Mina’s voice was heard behind them, and Rake lifted an amused eyebrow toward her.

“So the maid wants to join the discussion? Please do, but then you would have to come up with something better than a common shepherdess. For all I know, half the women there will be dressed as shepherdesses. Quite boring.”

“Oh, I would love to be a shepherdess if it’s the most common outfit. I would blend in.”

“Penny, for goodness’ sake.” Rake snorted. “You have to stop hiding behind everyone else. You are such a beautiful woman, but for some reason you are determined to never let anyone know about it.”

“I don’t hide.”

“Yes, you do. You hide behind anyone who takes more place than you.”

“I do not. I’m just not as interesting as other young ladies, and that is the sole reason for me not being seen.”

Rake shook his head and gave her a knowing look. “You, my love, have always hidden behind others, mostly behind your sister and Fanny. For some reason, you don’t seem to think you are worth the interest, and I think you have succeeded so well with persuading yourself of this that you have made everyone else believe it, too.”

“Thomas sees me.”

“Of course he does. I’m sure you are the living image of the perfect woman to him. How can you not be? You are a beautiful girl with extremely good local connections but without a too-interfering family. You also love to read and, amazingly enough, don’t mind listening to him rant about his—in his mind—intellectual tidbits.”

“Rake,” Penny gasped, outraged over his crude words, and immediately the look in his eyes changed from arrogant contempt to smoldering lust.

“Penny,” he breathed, not hiding the passion he felt for her. She wondered if it was only the presence of Mina and the gaping seamstresses that held him back from kissing her senseless.

With this thought she doubted the trip had been such a good idea after all. Maybe she and Rake needed time apart, to be able to think straight regarding the situation between them. As it was now, both were unable to think about the future when so often interrupted, she by her heart’s erratic bouncing and he by his constant lust.

Soon she would be married to Thomas, and then it would be too late for them, too late for love. Unfortunately, Rake didn’t seem to realize this. Instead he behaved as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened during the past year, as if life as they had known it would continue into eternity and beyond.

Mina, who must have sensed Penny’s desperation, took a step forward. “Lady Penelope, if you go dressed as a shepherdess, maybe Mr. Bedford could go dressed as a shepherd?”

“What a wonderful idea.” Penny clapped her hands together. “I will send Thomas a note about it as soon as possible.”

Rake wandered to the table and rummaged through the delicate fabrics, to the seamstresses’ distraction. “I think going as a sheep would suit him better.”

“Rake!”

He sent her a grin over his shoulder, and she shook her head, defeated. “You just can’t help yourself, can you? You must slander poor Thomas through the gutter even if you know he is better than that.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I only tend to be a bit selfish regarding my belongings and don’t like him thinking he can strut in and take whatever he wants without my consent.”

Oh. So now she was one of his belongings, was she? She shook her head again, but this time she wisely let the subject be. He was, as always, too logically illogical for her to ever be able to make him see her side.

“Ah!” he finally exclaimed, and held up a thin white fabric which almost seemed fluffy. “This will be perfect.”

Penny frowned at the frilly fabric. “Really? For what? Not a shepherdess, I presume?”

He laughed at her. “Of course not. You are not a simple shepherdess, my love, you are my angel. And as such you will be clad at the upcoming masquerade.”

“An angel?” She stared at him, astonished over his choice of costume.

“Yes, my love. An angel. It will be perfect. Boring Saint Thomas can still go as a sheep if he likes, or he can dress up as the saint we all think him.”

“He will not go as a sheep.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. It would have meant no need for a costume at all, and I think he would have appreciated that.”

The seamstresses giggled as they rushed over and saved the delicate fluff from Rake’s large hands. The next hour was later only a blur in Penny’s memory, as orders and ideas flew around her like bees around a jar of honey.

Without once asking for her opinion, Rake decided how the dress should be made, and after measuring Penny, Mrs. Frazer and her girls said they would come to Chester Park with the almost-finished dress in a week’s time for the final fitting.

“Mother plans to hold the ball in about a month, so your dress will be ready in good time,” Rake said as they walked down the street again toward the inn, closely followed by Mina. “I must admit I feel quite satisfied with the result. You will look divine.”

“I hope so,” she agreed, a bit uncertain. “It was a lovely fabric, and Mrs. Frazer seems quite competent.”

“You will be perfect.” Rake chuckled. “Beautiful enough to be awe-inspiring, but not a knockout as was mother’s wish.”

“Thank you for stopping her. I saw this vision of me walking in dressed like a rosebush just to satisfy her need to shock her guests.”

He laughed loudly at her joke. “That would have done it, I’m sure. Please do tell me if you change your mind and choose to honor my mother’s wishes, because I wouldn’t want to miss you dressed as a rose.”

“Bush,” she clarified with a feigned haughty voice. “A rose
bush
, if you please.”

“Ah.”

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly before placing it in the crook of his arm, and she felt an overwhelming urge to press herself closer to his side and lean her head against his arm. It was amazing how easily he made her feel her place was here at his side. She belonged there with her hand on his arm. She only wished he would realize it too, before it was too late.

“There you are. Finally.”

Jamie didn’t look pleased with life when they came up to him outside the inn. He stared sourly at them from under his hat and ushered them, without proper greeting, through the door, almost knocking poor Mina to the ground.

“Bloody hell, Jamie, what’s your problem?” Rake said as he was pushed down into a chair that, fortunately, happened to be empty.

“Nothing. I just want my tea. You!” He waved to Mina and gave her one of the most condescending looks Penny had ever seen. “You can go and make sure there will be some tea and sandwiches brought here as soon as possible.”

Mina’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything, simply shaking her head in Penny’s direction before doing as asked.

“I like that girl,” Rake mused as he watched the maid scurry away between the tables.

Without warning Jamie stood and reached across the table to grab Rake by his cravat. “Don’t you ever,
ever
touch that girl. She’s off limits.”

If she hadn’t been so shocked over Jamie’s brutish behavior, Penny would have laughed out loud over the ridiculous expression of astonishment gracing Rake’s handsome face. But the obvious anger which seemed to ooze out through every pore in Jamie’s body kept her serious.

“Bloody hell, brother, what’s your problem?” Rake grunted as he ripped his once perfectly folded cravat out of his twin’s hands. Jamie took a confused breath and sat down again.

“Oh, God, Rake, I’m sorry. I-I just haven’t been myself lately, and I-I wasn’t…”

“Thinking?”

Jamie sighed. “No. I just…”

”Thought I was going to make love to the girl here on the table?”

“No!”

Rake arched an eyebrow, and the air went out of Jamie.

“No. Of course not. It’s just that she… She’s a bit special, and I just want…need…to protect her.”