Free An Invitation to Sin by Suzanne Enoch Page B

an interesting afternoon.
    Unfortunately for Mr. Mullen, though, probably half of Trowbridge already knew Zachary was in the area by the time he and Caroline emerged from the shop. The sisters ranged up and down the street calling for him and for Caroline, though he heard his name uttered much more frequently.
    "For heaven's sake," she muttered. "Silly geese." She waved her free arm. "Grace, Susan, we're right here."
    In a second they were surrounded again, all of them noisily blaming Caroline for stealing him away. "Ladies," he broke in, "I'm merely here to tote purchases." With a glance at Caroline's dubious expression, he relieved her of the sketch pads. "Allow me to put these and your packages in the barouche, and then you can show me the next sight."
    The mound of cloth bolts and bonnets, in addition to the heavy clay and paper, nearly broke him, but he managed to make it to the carriage and the waiting driver. Together they stowed the purchases in the back compartment and fastened them down. That done, he turned around to find all the girls watching his backside. He could include Caroline in their number, though her interest was probably purely artistic.
    "Shall we?" he suggested as he rejoined the group.
    "Oh, the bakery!"
    "No, the sweet shop!"
    "I still need a new brooch for my shawl!"
    So this was how he was supposed to prove he could be patient and responsible, though where the young ladies were concerned, it was definitely his patience being tested more than any sense of responsibility. Shay and Melbourne would be laughing to split their sides if they knew what he was up to. Still, at least the Witfeld household was more lively than the community he was likely to find in Bath.
    Offering an arm to each of the twins and finding that he still preferred the company of the sister who only seemed to want to hear about art, he inclined his head. "Lead away, ladies."
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    If she hadn't feared how far it would push even Zachary Griffin's definition of professional behavior, Caroline would have banged her head against the sketch pad. "Joanna, please don't stand right in front of Lord Zachary," she said, hoping no one could hear her teeth grinding.
    Joanna glared over her shoulder. "We're chatting. I can't very well stand behind him to talk. It wouldn't be polite."
    Blowing out her breath, Caroline stood and, for the fourth time, dragged her stool through the grass to a new location. Usually she practically had to resort to bribery to get any of her sisters to sit for her while she sketched; today, none of them would leave.
    Zachary Griffin sat on a stone bench in the midst of the Witfeld sisters and held court. Of course it probably didn't look all that regal and haughty to him—he was no doubt used to being fawned over, the focus of absolutely everyone's attention.
    "Which profile do you prefer?" he asked, putting his fingers to his chin and turning his face to the left and then to the right.
    "If you're speaking to me, I'm trying to sketch your hands," she said succinctly. "I don't need your head."
    "Caro!" Julia chastised. "Don't listen to her, Lord Zachary. I think both profiles are very handsome."
    The duke's brother, though, gazed at Caroline as he chuckled. He'd done a great deal of looking at her, first this morning in town, then during luncheon, and so far during the entire time they'd been out in the garden. She didn't know how he managed it without appearing to ignore her sisters, but every time she caught him looking at her, all she could think about was how he'd kissed her, and how it still made her face warm. And he liked her laugh, of all things.
    "So tell me, ladies," he drawled, "does Miss Witfeld speak to all her portrait subjects in such a… direct manner?"
    "No," Violet offered, shaking her head. "She's usually very professional."
    Wonderful . He and her own sisters had her so frazzled that she'd landed on the verge of ruining her own future. After all, she needed Zachary's letter of