Wedded in Sin by Jade Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

where females were concern, was that he became completely and totally infatuated. Rock-hard infatuation complete with heart palpitations and myriad schemes intent on bedding the woman.
    He would succeed. He always did, but it never lasted. Eventually his mind would find a way to dismiss the woman’s brilliance. No person—male or female—could withstand critical scrutiny for long. In time, flaws would appear, and his mind would gleefully seize upon them, holding them up like dirty laundry. The infatuation would fade, and he would once again return to his normal world filled with trivialities and soul-eating boredom.
    But that was for the future. In the present, he was flush with his infatuation, both for the woman and the rather weak mystery of her evil solicitor. And even more fortunate was her position in life. She was unmarried and of a class that would allow him to dally with her without repercussions. Perfect!
    So while he went about solving her problems with the solicitor, he could bed her to their mutual satisfaction until his mind ferreted out her flaws. And then, the interlude would be over. He would return to his normal life, and she to hers with the added benefit of a restored home after he brought the solicitor to justice.
    An excellent plan, he decided. Suddenly the next couple weeks were looking rather exciting. Sadly, it likely wouldn’t last more than that amount of time. Possibly less than a week. He was, after all, extraordinarily intelligent, and therefore able to spot flaws very quickly. But Miss Shoemaker was also pretty and the day was rather fine. He would do his best to focus more on bedding the woman than finding her flaws. Probably as soon as tonight, after he exposed the solicitor to the proper authorities. She would naturally be grateful to him and therefore easily seduced.
    It was all quite logical, and he was eager to get on with it. To that end, he pasted on his most brilliant smile and began his seduction of the pretty shoemaker with the even prettier mind.

Chapter 4

     
    The dress shop seemed quiet, but Penny guessed that was because all the activity was in the back workroom. Helaine’s notoriety as the new Lady Redhill had brought scores of new customers to their door. But as she was gone on her honeymoon, the rest of them were scrambling to keep up. Helaine’s mother was doing her best as the new front woman—the person who greeted the guests, talked to them about what they wanted, and in general tried to sell them things. Fortunately, she was pretty good at the task, enticing people to prepay for a special design once Helaine returned. Others accepted the lower-cost option of an existing design in the sketchbook, but with some tiny alteration in color or embellishment. That could be created immediately once the customer had been measured.
    Which meant that almost all the work from the measuring, through the cutting, and on to the sewing was done by Wendy Drew, the seamstress and co-owner of the dress shop. Penny hadn’t a clue how the woman kept up. She’d been working nonstop since Helaine’s wedding two weeks ago and had even been induced to bring on an apprentice. Sadly, Tabitha wasn’t very capable, and Penny very much feared she wouldn’t last. But she was an extra pair of hands, at least, and so for now, she was welcome.
    Penny hesitated on the shop’s steps, knowing that she was bringing extra work to her already overburdened friends. But there was no help for it. She had nowhere else to turn. Still she couldn’t push through the door until Mr. Morrison touched her elbow.
    “Hesitation is against all logic. If you have decided, why wait?”
    “I wasn’t hesitating,” she lied. “I was…I was…Oh, bother,” she snapped, then she pushed through the door.
    She didn’t look behind her to see if he was following. Or smirking. She merely went through the front room to the back workroom, where Wendy was snapping orders at the sobbing apprentice and Helaine’s mother