Read Online Miss Frazer's Adventure by Alexandra Ivy - Free Book Online

way to some damnable lecture or tea.
    It was utterly unlike her to remain in her chambers so late.
    Was she still abed? Perhaps too ill to arise?
    It would hardly be surprising. She had, after all, been shockingly foxed. For a woman unaccustomed to such indulgence, she might very well be suffering from a thick head.
    Or worse.
    He wavered briefly. It was the thought of that “or worse” that abruptly hardened his features and put his feet into motion. The stubborn woman had not even possessed the sense to bring a maid on her hasty flight to London. Who would know if she were in need of assistance?
    Entering the hotel, Luce halted in the public rooms long enough to demand a tray loaded with steaming black coffee and a small platter of buttered toast before sweeping back up the stairs. He ignored the raised brows of the various guests as he carried his burden carefully down the hall. What did he care if others considered that carrying a tray like a common minion was beneath him? He had never given a damn what others thought of him. A gentleman willing to enter the rather disreputable trade of shipping could not afford to worry over trivial gossip.
    It was not until he actually reached Kate’s door that he realized his dilemma. Glancing at the precarious coffee perched on the tray, he gave a sudden grimace. Damn and blast. How the devil did maids manage? Surely they did not possess an extra arm that they kept tucked out of sight?
    Unable to conjure a means of performing his task with any grace, Luce at last raised his foot and kicked the door by way of a knock. There was a long silence before he could at last hear the sound of the handle turning, and the door was slowly cracked open. He did not await an invitation or even the opportunity for Kate to realize what was occurring. Pressing his shoulder against the wooden panel, he pushed his way through the opening, his lips twitching as Kate scuttled backward with a small squeak of surprise.
    â€œLuce, what the devil are you doing?”
    He regarded her rumpled appearance with a stab of sympathy. She was still attired in the wrinkled silver gown of the night before, her hair in tangles and her face tinged with an unpleasant hint of green. Thankfully, she did not appear to be suffering from anything more serious than a wretched hangover.
    â€œGood morning, my dear,” he murmured, walking to place the tray upon a low table next to the window. Then, sweeping open the curtains, he turned to regard her with a smile. “It is a beautiful day.”
    With a tragic moan at the sudden spill of light into the shadowed sitting room, she regarded him with a jaundiced expression.
    â€œBeast,” she croaked.
    He chuckled as he placed his hands on his hips. “Lovely to see you, as well. Are you ready for breakfast?”
    She shuddered at the mere mention of food. “No. I feel wretched.”
    Luce allowed his gaze to travel over her rumpled form. “You look even worse.”
    â€œOh . . .” She began, only to raise a shaking hand to her lips. “I am going to be sick.”
    Having already predicted the natural conclusion to her night of revelry, Luce was swift to pluck her into his arms and carry her to the adjoining chamber.
    â€œI feared I might find you in this condition,” he murmured as he carried her past the bed and toward the muslin screen in a far corner.
    â€œPut me down,” she demanded in weak tones.
    â€œIn a moment.” Moving behind the screen he bent to gently place her on the floor beside the chamber pot. “You might as well make yourself comfortable. You are going to be here for some time.” He met her gaze with awry smile. “Call me if you need me, I will be just outside.”
    He softly crossed back into the sitting room as she moaned, although he left the door open to hear if she called out. It might have been years since he had become deliberately foxed, but the memory of the morning after