Season For Surrender (A Danby Family Novella Book 2) by Julie Johnstone Read Free Book Online Page B

hiring a man she barely
knew was Nick’s responsibility. Lillian had her face turned to the window. Nick
cleared his throat to get her attention, but when she remained turned away he
spoke. “Lillian.”
    She looked at him with her vibrant green
gaze, and his chest did that odd tightening again. Absently, he rubbed it. “Do
you think it’s wise to hire a man you barely know?”
    “He’ll be sweeping floors, not dealing
with my money or anything really pertaining to the theatre, so I don’t see the
harm. Besides, he needs to earn a living to care for his daughter. If I don’t
give him this chance mayhap he’ll try to sell the child or abandon her.”
    Glancing back out the window, Lillian
shuddered and Nick forced himself not to move across the carriage to her seat
and wrap his arms around her. She had to be thinking of her past and what her
father had done to her. His throat constricted with foreign emotions. He
admired Lillian’s strength and how she’d managed to pick herself up and keep
going after all that had happened to her.
    He tugged on his collar. The need to
protect Lillian had to be what was making him feel so odd. What else could it
be? He’d known her for little more than a day and couldn’t possibly care for
her. Nor did he want to care for her. Disgruntled, he glared out the
window in silence until the carriage pulled to a stop in front of Madame
Marmont’s dress shop.
    Determined to distance himself from the
bewitching creature he would soon be marrying, he allowed his coachman to help
Lillian out of the carriage. When Nick opened the door to the dress shop for
her, he kept his gaze straight ahead and didn’t look at her until they entered
the shop and Madame Marmont came out to greet them.
    As the Madame walked towards them her
gaze locked on Lillian. When Madame Marmont frowned, Nick belatedly remembered
Charlotte telling some story about her being rather snooty about the clientele
she wished to serve. Apparently, the French seamstress, though a commoner
herself, only wished to have the richest, most titled women in her shop.
    That protective urge Nick struggled to
control roared to life as Madame Marmont gazed at Lillian with an ever
deepening scowl. Nick suspected the woman saw the frayed gown Lillian wore and
not the beautiful woman behind the clothes.
    “Might I help you?” The seamstress’s
voice held a hard note of condescension.
    Nick clenched his jaw to avoid spewing a
few choice words at the woman. Instead, he nodded toward Lillian. “We’re here
to purchase a gown.”
    Madame Marmont gave Lillian a cool
appraising look that made Nick want to throttle the woman. When Lillian stepped
backwards as if she might retreat, Nick grasped her by the hand and gently
pulled her to his side. He stared at the seamstress for a long, silent moment,
until she fidgeted. Satisfied she was starting to feel uncomfortable, he spoke
slowly so she wouldn’t miss a word he said. He didn’t want her to forget this
moment. “You may be able to help us if I deem your materials worthy of my
future wife.”
    Madame Marmont’s eyes rounded. “And who
may you be?”
    He pressed his lips into a smile. “I’m
Baron Edgeworth and this is Miss Lillian Lancaster, my betrothed.”
    Madame Marmont’s lower jaw dropped open,
which pleased Nick immensely, but he wasn’t quite finished with the patronizing
French woman yet. “I had planned to buy a wedding gown and an entire new
wardrobe for Miss Lancaster.”
    Lillian gasped and the seamstress’s eyes
nearly popped from her head. She cleared her throat. “You had planned
to?”
    “Yes. You heard correctly. I don’t like
the attitude you displayed toward my betrothed, and the only thing keeping me
from walking out the door and going to another dress shop is the fact that I
have a busy afternoon planned. However, if you don’t bring Miss Lancaster all
your best, most expensive fabrics to choose from and fawn over her as if she is
the next Queen of England,