Free Sapphires Are an Earl's Best Friend by Shana Galen - Jewels of the Ton 03 - Sapphires Are an Earl's Best Friend Page A

her head against a low shelf. Through the sharp cloud of pain, she saw it was the butler who had interrupted them. Her cheeks flamed.
    “Oh! I’m terribly—” the man said, hand to his open mouth. “I thought you were someone else.”
    She knew what he thought. He’d thought they were servants, and he had opened the door to discipline them. But now he had seen her, and he had seen Darlington, and certainly the duke was going to learn of this.
    Lily closed her eyes, wondering what Fitzhugh and the Foreign Office would say when they learned what a muddle she had made of everything. And then she felt Darlington’s frame stiffen. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a young, female version of Darlington. The girl looked suitably shocked, and the woman with her quickly took her by the elbow.
    “My apologies,” the butler said, making to close the door again.
    “No need.” Darlington put a hand out, stopping the door from closing. Lily wished he would just let it shut. Then they could end the scene and sneak away when everyone had dispersed. “This was all a misunderstanding.”
    Lily wanted to roll her eyes. Did he really think anyone would believe what they’d seen was something other than what it had been? And who was the girl? Darlington’s sister? What was she doing here?
    “Of course, my lord,” the butler said, sounding less than convinced. “I beg your leave.”
    “Yes, yes, please attend to your duties.”
    The girl made a sound of distress, turned, and ran.
    “Emma!”
    The governess gave him a stern look over her shoulder, and it was Lily who clapped a hand on his arm to stop him this time. “Let her go.”
    “I have to explain.” He was still watching the girl.
    “Oh, really? And what is your explanation going to be? You see, Lady Emma, sometimes when you are trapped in a closet with a courtesan, you cannot help yourself and—”
    “All right. You made your point.”
    “Her governess will make any necessary explanations. You would do best to pretend it did not happen.”
    His gaze collided with hers. “I cannot do that.”
    She clenched her jaw. “You wanted us to be found. Wanted your father to be angry with me. It won’t turn out that way, I promise you.” She couldn’t allow that. She had to make certain she remained in the duke’s good graces. “The governess will instruct your sister—she is your sister?”
    He gave a curt nod.
    “Your sister will be told not to mention this to anyone. Unless I am mistaken and she and your father are unusually close, she will not betray you.”
    “And what do you know about young girls?”
    She simply waited for the words to sink in, and when his mouth turned down, she said, “I wasn’t always a courtesan. I was innocent and full of questions and wonder once.”
    He stared at her as though he didn’t quite believe it. She almost didn’t believe it herself. That was another lifetime. Another girl. “If you instruct the butler and governess to keep quiet, they will. You are the next duke. They know where to place their loyalties at this point.”
    “We’ll see.” His gaze was on her, making her self-conscious. Her cheeks felt warm, and she imagined they were red and rosy. That was the problem with being a redhead. She freckled and blushed easily. Not for the first time, she wished she had Fallon’s complexion or Juliette’s composure. She couldn’t imagine either of them being caught by a butler while kissing a man in a storage closet. It was something a green girl did. She’d probably done it when she’d been younger. This was no way to catch Ravenscroft.
    She bent to retrieve her needle and thread, both of which had fallen on the floor at some point during the kiss. The action served to hide her face and to give him a moment to open the door and depart. Which he did without even taking his leave. Horrid man. If he would only stop kissing her, she could hate him properly. For a man who supposedly hated her, he could not