A Taste for Scandal by Erin Knightley Read Free Book Online

now, was she? The finger she had pointed at him so accusingly only hours earlier was now dangling limply at her side, innocent as could be.
    The two of them together were a study in contrasts, with his sister’s magnificent gown, intricate hair, and dazzling jewels highlighting Jane’s plainness. She had changed out of the lavender gown she wore when he saw her earlier, and now donned a simple white dress with a light purple ribbon beneath her bosom.
    He blinked. Good Lord, how had he missed what a generous bosom she had? The very tops of her breasts rose enticingly above the confines of her dress with every rapid breath she drew. Was she purposely drawing attention to her splendid assets? She must know how distracting they were. Dragging his gaze away, he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her.
    It was time to discover what the girl wanted. He didn’t believe her Little Miss Meek act one bit. Had she discovered his family’s wealth and decided to try to get a piece of the pie, so to speak? It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to take advantage of his family. Richard cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Yes, what brings you to our home, Miss Bunting?”
    She glanced up from the basket she had lifted from the floor and set on a side table. “A guilty conscience, my lord.”
    He might have been encouraged had it not been for the clear reluctance coloring her tone. One would have thought someone held a pistol to her back, for heaven’s sake. He already knew how she truly felt about him; there was no call for her to come to his home and further demonstrate the fact. “Is that so? I can’t imagine what you would have to feel guilty about. Surely you are not referring to the small matter of attempting to have a well-intentioned, innocent man arrested and thrown in gaol.”
    Evie pressed her lips together and glared icy blue daggers at him, but Jane simply lifted her chin and replied briskly, “Actually, I believe that is precisely the cause. Despite the utter havoc you wreaked in my shop and the pain you caused my cousin, I realize now it was your intention to help. I apologize for misconstruing your intentions.”
    If this was her apology, he’d hate to see her insults. “I can’t imagine why it would be hard to believe someone would try to help you, what with your sunny disposition and forgiving nature. Your mother must be very proud, I’m sure.”
    Fire flashed in her eyes, fierce and nearly instantaneous. Her nostrils flared like a riled stallion’s, and she pinned him with her almost emerald glare. “How dare you? You can hardly attest to my disposition, as at the very moment we first met, you were destroying my entire morning’s work, not to mention all the broken dishes and damaged cabinetry—none of which, I should point out, you have apologized for.”
    He had no doubt “apologizing” in her mind meant offering compensation. It may not have been spoken, but it hung in the air between them. “Perhaps I would have been more inclined to apologize for the mess in your store if you had been less inclined to call me a lunatic and besmirch my character.”
    “Perhaps if I had not been so shocked at the violent intrusion, I would have been in a more reasonable state of mind. As it was, you can hardly blame me for becoming upset.”
    How was it she possessed the unique ability to look at him as though he were a steaming pile of horse dung on the street? Benedict and Evie, who had observed the exchange much as one observed a tennis match, stood with identical looks of wide-eyed, surprised interest. This was not the time or place for any of this—they had a ball to prepare for, for God’s sake. “Did you really come all the way to St. James’s merely to argue with me, Miss Bunting?”
    She pressed her eyes closed and breathed out a long breath. Setting her flashing green gaze on him once more, she lifted the top of the basket, pulled out a napkin-wrapped bundle, and shoved it toward him.