twined in his thick black hair as if he’d been trying to pull it out. A decanter of brandy and a glass were beside him.
The sight of him looking so woebegone had a steadying effect on Reggie. Guilt helped her pull herself together. While she had been having the sweetest time of her life, the person who meant the most to her in all the world had been worried sick. And she hadn’t even rushed back here. She’d taken her time, enjoying every moment spent with Nicholas. How could she have been so selfish?
“Tony?”
He looked up in shock. Then surprise washed over his handsome features, and relief. He hurried to her and gathered her into his arms, squeezing so tightly she thought her ribs would crack.
“Good God, Reggie, I’ve been half-baked with worry! I haven’t been in such bad shape sinceJames took you with him to—well, never mind that now.” He set her away from him so he could look her over. “Are you all right? Have you been hurt?”
“I’m fine, Tony, really I am.”
She looked fine too. No rents in her gown, no curls out of place. But she had been gone for three bloody hours, and the things he had imagined happening to her…
“I’m going to kill him first thing in the morning, as soon as I find out where the bloody hell he lives!”
So that’s why there had been no pounding on the doors, Reggie realized.
“It was all perfectly innocent, Tony,” she began, “a mistake—”
“I know it was a mistake, Reggie. That idiot driver of yours assured me of that. He kept insisting Montieth would bring you back at any moment, that he and Lady Eddington were, ah…that they…well, I think you know what I mean. Oh, bloody hell!”
“Yes.” Reggie grinned at his discomfort. “I do know what you mean.” Then she hastened to work him round. “The poor man thought you and his—”
“Don’t say it! And that’s no excuse anyway!”
“But can’t you imagine his expression, Tony, when he saw that he had the wrong lady?” Reggie giggled. “Oh, I wish I could have seen him.”
Anthony frowned. “How is it that you didn’t see him?”
“I wasn’t there. He left me at his house and went to the ball. You see his only intent was to make Lady Eddington miss the ball. You can understand how shocked he was when he saw her there. He didn’t know who the devil he had locked up in his house.”
“He locked you in his house?”
“But I was perfectly comfortable,” she assured him quickly. “And so you see that I wasn’t with him all this time—very little time in fact. No harm was done, and he brought me back here safe and sound.”
“I can’t believe you’re defending him. If I had known where he lives, he’d be dead by now. The fool driver didn’t know. I sent a man round to the clubs to make inquiries, but because of that blasted ball the clubs were nearly deserted. By the time my man got back to report that he hadn’t learned anything, I was bloody well ready to hie myself off to Shepford’s to find someone who could give me that scoundrel’s address.”
“And then Uncle Edward would have been alerted that I wasn’t with you, and all hell would have broken loose,” she finished for him. “It’s a good thing you didn’t do that. This way no one knows I haven’t been here with you all evening. Which means that all that is left to do is decide whether I should stay here or return to Uncle Edward’s house. What do you suggest?”
“Oh, no you don’t, my girl.” He saw right through her ploy. “You are not going to get me to forget about this.”
“If you don’t, then I am ruined,” she said quite seriously. “Because no one will ever believe that I spent three hours in Lord Montieth’s house and came away with my virtue intact. It is intact, by the way.”
He glared at her. “Then I won’t kill him. But he will be taught a lesson he richly deserves.”
“But no harm was done, Tony!” she insisted passionately. “And—and I don’t want you to hurt
The sight of him looking so woebegone had a steadying effect on Reggie. Guilt helped her pull herself together. While she had been having the sweetest time of her life, the person who meant the most to her in all the world had been worried sick. And she hadn’t even rushed back here. She’d taken her time, enjoying every moment spent with Nicholas. How could she have been so selfish?
“Tony?”
He looked up in shock. Then surprise washed over his handsome features, and relief. He hurried to her and gathered her into his arms, squeezing so tightly she thought her ribs would crack.
“Good God, Reggie, I’ve been half-baked with worry! I haven’t been in such bad shape sinceJames took you with him to—well, never mind that now.” He set her away from him so he could look her over. “Are you all right? Have you been hurt?”
“I’m fine, Tony, really I am.”
She looked fine too. No rents in her gown, no curls out of place. But she had been gone for three bloody hours, and the things he had imagined happening to her…
“I’m going to kill him first thing in the morning, as soon as I find out where the bloody hell he lives!”
So that’s why there had been no pounding on the doors, Reggie realized.
“It was all perfectly innocent, Tony,” she began, “a mistake—”
“I know it was a mistake, Reggie. That idiot driver of yours assured me of that. He kept insisting Montieth would bring you back at any moment, that he and Lady Eddington were, ah…that they…well, I think you know what I mean. Oh, bloody hell!”
“Yes.” Reggie grinned at his discomfort. “I do know what you mean.” Then she hastened to work him round. “The poor man thought you and his—”
“Don’t say it! And that’s no excuse anyway!”
“But can’t you imagine his expression, Tony, when he saw that he had the wrong lady?” Reggie giggled. “Oh, I wish I could have seen him.”
Anthony frowned. “How is it that you didn’t see him?”
“I wasn’t there. He left me at his house and went to the ball. You see his only intent was to make Lady Eddington miss the ball. You can understand how shocked he was when he saw her there. He didn’t know who the devil he had locked up in his house.”
“He locked you in his house?”
“But I was perfectly comfortable,” she assured him quickly. “And so you see that I wasn’t with him all this time—very little time in fact. No harm was done, and he brought me back here safe and sound.”
“I can’t believe you’re defending him. If I had known where he lives, he’d be dead by now. The fool driver didn’t know. I sent a man round to the clubs to make inquiries, but because of that blasted ball the clubs were nearly deserted. By the time my man got back to report that he hadn’t learned anything, I was bloody well ready to hie myself off to Shepford’s to find someone who could give me that scoundrel’s address.”
“And then Uncle Edward would have been alerted that I wasn’t with you, and all hell would have broken loose,” she finished for him. “It’s a good thing you didn’t do that. This way no one knows I haven’t been here with you all evening. Which means that all that is left to do is decide whether I should stay here or return to Uncle Edward’s house. What do you suggest?”
“Oh, no you don’t, my girl.” He saw right through her ploy. “You are not going to get me to forget about this.”
“If you don’t, then I am ruined,” she said quite seriously. “Because no one will ever believe that I spent three hours in Lord Montieth’s house and came away with my virtue intact. It is intact, by the way.”
He glared at her. “Then I won’t kill him. But he will be taught a lesson he richly deserves.”
“But no harm was done, Tony!” she insisted passionately. “And—and I don’t want you to hurt
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