Free My Fair Groom (The Sons of the Aristocracy) by Linda Rae Sande Page A

before her eyes suddenly widened. “Can you read?” she asked suddenly.
    Alistair had to suppress a grin. Could the chit read his mind? “I can, my lady,” he stated emphatically. “Enough,” he added, when he realized a typical groom would only be able to read what he needed for his job.
    Julia seemed relieved by the news. “Well, then, there’s only one other obvious trait of a gentleman, and that would be ...”
    Alistair had to suppress a grin. Was she about to suggest he would need to learn how to kiss? For if that were the case, he really didn’t require any lessons. He would be more than glad to take Lady Julia as a pupil, in fact, for he rather doubted she had ever had the pleasure of a truly good kiss. A kiss that might include open mouths and a bit of touching tongues and ... he straightened as he realized Lady Julia was staring at him. Staring at him with a rather odd expression on her face. “And, what might that be, my lady?” he asked, thinking she didn’t look as if she was about to provide the information without a bit of encouragement.
    Julia stared at the groom as if she were seeing him for the first time. Good Lord! Could the man truly be the perfect candidate to become a gentleman? She recalled how she and Samantha had watched him from her bedchamber window, ogling him as if they were admiring an animal at the menagerie at the Tower of London. His shoulders were truly broad, his arms barely contained in the ridiculous livery, his legs long and strong ... and that derriere , she suddenly remembered. She had admired that behind from behind for most of her ride today. And she’d never noticed a man’s bottom before. Never!
    What had he just asked? What were they even talking about?
    Gentlemen!
    Her mind suddenly back on track, Julia nodded, remembering his query. “Clothes, Mr. Comber. Clothes make the gentleman,” she stated emphatically.
    Alistair felt a rock fall into his stomach. Clothes? Christ! How could he afford the wardrobe required of a gentleman? He owned an entire wardrobe suitable for an aristocrat, including shoes and boots, but he’d barely had time to pack before he took his leave of his father’s house. He certainly hadn’t taken any formal clothes, or even a decent topcoat. And given that fashion had changed just a bit while he was on the Continent, he decided sending a footman to collect even a portion of his wardrobe was probably a waste of time. “Of course, my lady,” he murmured, disappointment apparent in the tone of his voice.
    “Which I shall arrange with the help of my brother’s valet,” Julia said brightly. “It’s possible you’ll be able to wear some of Charlie’s – he’s rarely home these days – and if not, I’ll just hire a tailor to see to your needs for the ball,” she assured him, her head bobbing up and down.
    Alistair straightened, his frame towering over hers as they stood near the hedgerow. “These lessons ... they’ll have to be at a time when Mr. Grimes doesn’t need me in the stables,” Alistair said carefully. How would he explain his need to take time away? And if Lady Julia thought she would be hiring a tailor on his behalf – and paying for any clothes that might have to be made for him – she was sorely mistaken.
    He wasn’t about to allow a woman to purchase clothing on his behalf. He wasn’t allowed to do it for her, after all, so why would he allow her to do it for him? Although, Alistair thought Julia would look especially fetching in a teal blue satin gown, its fabric accentuating her delicate curves and making her appear just a bit taller. With her blonde hair done up in a tumble of curls, she would be the perfect companion at a ton ball. Or anywhere, for that matter. Why, she would look perfect in a boat on the Thames, or on a high-perch phaeton, or ...
    What the hell?
    Alistair shook himself, blinking as he did so to clear the images of Lady Julia he had conjured of her just then. He was the hired help! He