Free No Ordinary Mistress (Entangled Scandalous) by Robyn DeHart Page B

sight much, so perhaps I can be of assistance with distracting him.”
    “Then it is settled,” Remy said.
    “Until tonight,” Harrison said. He nodded and left the room.
    Remy walked over to Emma and pulled her into an embrace. “You look beautiful.” Then he kissed her, gentle and pleading, the kind of kiss intended to show her how much she meant to him.
    “I don’t need the practice,” she said, pulling free of his arms. “I can play the part of your mistress without your heated kisses.”
    “I didn’t kiss you to practice. I kissed you because I wanted to. Get used to it, sweetheart.”
    …
    This was more like the balls she’d heard about from her mother. Men in black with bright white cravats, women in beautiful gowns with matching dancing slippers and gems, and a tower made up entirely of champagne glasses. The glittering ballroom fluttered with people and noise. Rose topiaries and ferns lined the ballroom and the wall of opened balcony doors. The cool night breeze set the curtains swaying with the music.
    Standing here she could see how her mother had been seduced into this world. It was beautiful, luxurious, and comfortable. But to Emma, it simply wasn’t worth trading her soul. In that world, men always left, and women wept.
    She turned her attention to the conversations around her. The women directly behind her chatted endlessly about the weather and the girls who had just been introduced at Almack’s. There were two gentlemen to her right discussing their latest horse purchases. She cut a glance at Remy as he surveyed the room. His hand rested at the small of her back, making a claim to everyone in the room that she belonged to him. She should have felt controlled or as if she were a piece of property, but instead, she felt protected and cherished. It scared the hell out of her.
    He led her further into the ballroom. “We still have a quarter of an hour before we’re supposed to meet her.”
    “Do you know your way around these gardens?” she asked.
    “I’ve been here before, but it’s been a while.” He eyed her, then smiled. “Would you walk with me in the gardens, Miss Masterson?”
    “Are you flirting with me?”
    “Always.”
    She wanted to be with Remy, accept whatever arrangement he’d come up with for their relationship. She knew, though, that eventually, he’d tire of her, find a younger, prettier woman to seduce. She’d seen her mother cry for that very reason again and again. “There are other women here,” she said.
    “Indeed? I hadn’t noticed. In any case, I’m here with the most beautiful.” Together, they exited through the balcony doors and walked down the steps to the gardens. They were to meet Penny near the rose garden. The brisk, night air swirled around them, and Emma rubbed her arms.
    The gardens, while not overly large, were full and flourishing. Obviously, the Rigleys took great pride in their flowers. They rounded a lilac bush and found a trail that led directly to the rose garden. Much to Emma’s surprise, Penny was already there, sitting on a bench and waiting. She stood abruptly when she saw them approach.
    She smiled weakly. “Thank you for meeting me.”
    “We want to help you in whatever way we can,” Emma said.
    “You make such an attractive couple. Be happy you have found each other. Not everyone gets to marry the one they love.”
    It was on Emma’s tongue to correct the woman, but she remembered that for all intents and purposes she was to look as if she loved Remy. It wasn’t hard to do, and evidently she was either doing a wonderful job of playing the role or a terrible job of hiding her true feelings. Nevertheless, she simply nodded and said, “Thank you.”
    “I am risking much to see you,” Penny said. “But I felt it was important to give this to you. Eric, that is Lord Comfry, entrusted it to me, and I suspect he’d want me to give it to someone trying to find his killer. You will do that, will you not?” She held a book in