Free What the Groom Wants by Jade Lee Page B

than a slow, torturous separation.
    But Radley would have none of it. He simply shook his head. “My family owes you a great deal, Miss Drew,” he said formally. “I would very much like to call on you in the near future, and it’s a great deal easier at your home than at your place of business.”
    A great deal more discreet, she supposed. But she still didn’t speak. At which point, he sighed and looked about. “Where’s Henry? He can’t keep a secret for love or money.”
    That was true enough. Which made it fortunate that her older brother was nowhere to be seen. “He’s been gone since yesterday evening.” She frowned. “I thought he was looking for you.”
    Radley frowned then rubbed his forehead. It likely ached something terrible. “Oh yes. I remember.” Then he flushed a ruddy red. “He found me. But I lost track of him…”
    Wendy was glad he stopped speaking. She didn’t want to know what brothel the men had ended up in. Meanwhile, Lord Crowle took that moment to tilt his head to the bells ringing in the distance.
    “I don’t mind standing here, Radley,” he said in a low voice, “but if there’s nothing to be done, you do have concerns elsewhere.”
    Radley nodded, his expression frustrated. “Very well.” He turned to smile at her mother. “Mrs. Drew, I look forward to calling on you another day.” Then he turned his gaze to her. “And Miss Drew, I shall call on you at the dress shop. Four o’clock exactly, so that we can have that walk in the park you promised.”
    She gasped. “We can’t go to Hyde Park now! Not with you a new duke and me…”
    “You what?” he asked. His voice was deceptively soft. He was angry, though few would realize that until it was too late. It was only because she’d seen him at the worst time of his life that she knew how he went quiet when angry, not loud like most men. “What are you, Miss Drew, that you refuse to be seen with me?”
    She huffed. “It’s not like that, and you know it.”
    “I know that we arranged to walk this afternoon, and I will not be denied.” Then his gaze softened, taking on a more appealing cast. “Wind, please. I… I wish to see you. And I need something quiet. Do you understand? A simple walk in the park together.”
    There was nothing simple about a new duke walking in Hyde Park. Not during the fashionable hour. But she would pray that most of the ton wouldn’t recognize him yet. In truth, this was perhaps the last time they could do such a thing before he became too prominent to walk unmolested in the park. “Do not dress any differently,” she said, eyeing his worn seaman’s clothing. It was neat, and the coat emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, but it wasn’t remotely appropriate for a duke.
    “I won’t change a thing,” he said. “I swear.”
    Lord Crowle released a snort. “What if he spills his tea and gets a stain on his sleeve? He’d have to change then, wouldn’t he? Or worse yet, these London streets can be treacherous. He could fall and get a tear.”
    The man was teasing, pointing out the ridiculousness of her order. What woman demanded a man not dress to see her? But Wendy simply lifted her chin in challenge. “Even better. I like all my callers to sport tears. How else can I show off my stitching skills?”
    Lord Crowle sobered, his expression turning gentle. “It won’t fadge, you know. He’ll be recognized—”
    “I’ll be at the dress shop at four on the dot,” interrupted Radley. “And in the meantime, tell Henry exactly what I think of a man who leaves his mother and sister to pack up their home without his aid.”
    He didn’t have to explain further. He had always called Henry to task for a certain lack of industriousness. It wasn’t that Henry was lazy. Far from it, actually. But on land, the man was never out of bed before noon. And as it was just before eleven, Wendy hadn’t expected her brother to help.
    “He’ll be the one unpacking,” she said, hoping it was