Free The Princess and the Pauper by Alexandra Benedict Page A

the
restrictive garment. And her first instinct was to run to the
dressing room to disrobe in private. But then another thought came
to mind.
    She stood and looked out the window,
awash with moonlight and raindrops. She could see Green Park from
her vantage. Her former house was not too far away. A proper,
aristocratic family lived there now. She had walked by the house
only once since losing it, and the domestic tableau she’d seen
through the window had nearly crushed her heart. Even now, the
memory of it pained her.
    If she ever wanted to be happy again,
she needed to be bold.
    Without another thought,
she set aside
the violin and reached for the top button of her dress. She
unfastened it, not caring that the drapes were wide
open.
    Emily knew the moment Rees noticed her. His
steady breathing switched to a more quickened pace. He had once
desired her. Might he still?
    Shivering with anticipation, she
unhooked every button to her pelvis and slipped out of the garment.
It dropped to the floor in a pool around her feet.
    Next she raised the hem of her
chemise, exposing her leg s. Without looking in his direction, she lifted
her left foot and rested it against the chair’s cushion. Gently she
rolled the silk stocking over her knee and down her calf. Her own
touch hastened her pulse. Or perhaps it was the feel of his searing
eyes on her. Or both.
    She removed the stocking
and released
it in an innocent manner before performing the same teasing
exercise with her right leg. Finally, she uncrossed the laces of
her chemise. She hadn’t worn a corset. There was no sense in
propriety now that she was living with Rees. And that made her next
step all the more liberating. She pinched the short sleeves of her
linen chemise and pulled the undergarment off her shoulders, down
over her breasts, belly and waist, and off her hips. It, too,
flittered to the floor.
    Rees stopped breathing.
    She smiled.
    Lastly , she unbraided her hair and fanned
it across her backside. For the first time in a long time, she felt
powerful again. She had Rees captivated. His feelings for her were
not all scorn and indifference. There was still something between them.
    His robe was draped over the
back of the winged chair, and after a wonderful moment in the
moonlight, she pulled on the fleece and tied the stays. Then, as if she
hadn’t done anything particularly scandalous, she settled back into
the chair.
    She could still feel his heavy gaze on her
when she placed the instrument under her chin, but her nerves had
calmed, and she was strengthened with hope. Though her fingertips
were still sore, after a few moments, the music itself distracted
her, and she fell into a trance.
    Emily didn’t know the name of the lullaby.
She had heard it on the night she’d discovered Rees was her mystery
violinist, on the night her world had changed forever. And she
hoped the music would arouse lost, precious memories in him, as
well.
    She closed her eyes and pushed away
all other thoughts until she and the violin were alone in the
room.
    “ Stop!”
    Startled, she ended the play and blinked a
few times. Looking over her shoulder, she found Rees upright in
bed, struggling for breath.
    “ What is it?” she asked,
bemused.
    “ What are you doing?” he
demanded. “I want freedom, not torment.”
    “ I —I don’t understand.”
    He bounded to his feet, reeled and knocked over the oil
lamp on the bedside table, igniting the fuel.
    “ Rees! ”
    Emily grabbed her dress and smothered the
flames. He, too, stifled the fire with a bed sheet before stomping
out the blaze.
    Her bones shaking, her heart in her
throat, she stumbled toward the window and pushed open the glass to
let out the smoke.
    “ Are you mad!” she cried and
crossed the room, smacking him on the cheek. Her fingers quivered
and ached. She couldn’t regain her composure. “You would burn us
both alive?” She slapped him again. “Why? Why? ”
    “ I didn’t
mean— ”
    But she hit him again.
    “