To Surrender to a Rogue by Cara Elliott Read Free Book Online

enough of such distractions. This was neither the time nor the place to address such complex conundrums.
    Looking around, she saw that the clerk was still engaged with a customer in the alcove crammed with turpentines and linseed oils. By the sound of the discussion, he was likely to be occupied for some time.
    "How hard can it be?' she murmured, edging around the thick rolls of raw canvas. Though her practical knowledge of art was rudimentary at best, she decided to go ahead and make the choices on her own. The clerk could correct any egregious errors when she went to pay for the items.
    Burnt sienna, alizarin crimson, cerulean blue... Ales sandra hesitated over the large selection of watercolor paints. Each hue—neatly formed cakes of dried pigment-offered a puzzling variety of what looked to be identical cubes. After a quick look at the prices, she arched a brow. Clearly there was quite a difference. Some were very cheap, while others were hideously expensive.
    Bending down for a better look, she shifted a step to catch the light—
    As her backside collided against a well-muscled pair of thighs, she heard a muffled grunt and clatter of mixing tins falling to the floor.
    "Oh, I am .so sorry—" Her apology ended abruptly as she spun around.
    Lord James Jacquehart Pierson arched a brow. Shaded by the cluttered shelves, his expression appeared nearly as dark as the paint pigment labeled "Mars Black'
    How apt, thought Alessandra, repressing a wry grimace—seeing as they seemed to be in a constant state of war with each other.
    "What's going to hit me next?" He glanced around warily, as if expecting a salvo of cannonfire to explode from behind the containers of oxgall. "Is your daughter lying in ambush by the buckets of gesso?"
    "Isabella is at home," she replied softly. "So you are safe from further attack, sir." Ducking her head, she began to pick up the fallen items. "And despite what you think, I did not deliberately knock into you. The aisle is narrow, and the shadows make it difficult to see."
    "I suppose you are once again going to accuse me of lurking in a dark corner in order to spy on you," he said gruffly.
    Alessandra felt her mouth quiver. Given their recent encounter at Sir Henry's country estate, Jack had every reason to think of her as a Harpy. Still, his sarcasm hurt As for his shockingly rude comments of last night...
    Biting her lip, she didn't answer but continued to gather up the last of the spilled items.
    "That would be unfair," he continued in a low voice. "But I do deserve a ringing setdown for my behavior last night Please accept my apologies."
    "Yes, of course," she said quickly. Where, oh where, was her dratted list? Setting aside her basket, she began a search of the nooks and crannies beneath the shelves. All she wanted was to retrieve the paper and beat a hasty retreat She would come back later, when her cheeks were not colored a bright cadmium red.
    "What's this?"
    Alessandra suddenly realized that Jack was on his knees beside her, helping to gather up the tins.
    "My list" she said curtly, trying to snatch it from his hand.
    He drew back and studied it for a moment "I didn't know you were a painter, Lady Giamatti."
    I'm not" she admitted. "The supplies are for my daughter, who is beginning lessons with a drawing master this week."
    A faint smile played on his lips as he handed over the paper. "I hope the fellow is deaf."
    She knew the comment was meant half in jest, but given her unsettled mood, it struck a vulnerable nerve. .
    "For pity's sake, sir, she is only a child," she said tightly. "A child! All children make mistakes and misbehave. That does not mean Isabella is—how did you put it-—a spawn of Satan." Sweeping up the last tin, she set it back in place with a force that rattled the metal. "Just ask your friend Lord Hadley. He gets along perfectly well with her."
    Jack sat back on his haunches, his spine straight as a ramrod, his jaw steeling to a razored edge. The swirl of dust and