Free Lady Adventuress 02 - The Education of Lord Hartley by Daphne du Bois Page A

never was one to stand on ceremony. Marguerite has taken beautifully to Parisian society, but she assures me she still has time to humour a lonely old woman.”
    “Oh, nonsense,” Maggie laughed. “It is you who are doing me a kindness.”
    Ah. Hart smiled wryly as the rest of the pieces fell into place. In the last few days, his aunt had frequently made mention of the young widow and her somewhat reclusive cousin: a pair new to Paris, whom she had taken under her wing. It seemed that the countess had decided to make Maggie her new project, introducing her to all the most deserving members of Parisian society.
    He had never thought to connect the wealthy widow with the bookish sister of his closest friend, however. The mind simply boggled.
    “Speaking of gowns, I know it is not at all the thing to say so, but I believe everyone is still in raptures over the confection you wore to yesterday’s gala, Marguerite,” his aunt was saying teasingly. “You simply cannot keep the name of your most deserving modiste silent much longer.”
    Maggie’s eyes widened. Hart watched with great interest as Maggie flushed, shifting uneasily. A moment later, she seemed to come to a decision.
    “Oh, very well. The lady is known as Madame Finette. She has a shop on the Passage des Panoramas,” she confided, with the air of revealing a great secret. “She is a friend to myself and my cousin, and a veritable artist. Furthermore, she has an artist’s reclusive temperament.”
    Her eyes sparkled with mischief and Hart could not seem to look away.
    “Indeed? What good fortune. It is very sensible of her to pick such a fine location for her shop. A most marvellous place – very modern. One can’t help feeling grateful for the lighting and the paving stones. Some galleries quite ruin one’s gowns. I believe that I shall pay a visit to the establishment.”
    “I shall let her know to expect you.”
    *
    The indomitable Miss Dacre played her part faultlessly for the rest of the afternoon and Hart found that he was almost enjoying the charade. When his aunt regretfully said that she had to return home so that she might be on time to receive a relation she had not seen since her stay in Vienna, Hart decided to get his own back by insisting that he take Madame la Baronne home in his carriage.
    The countess was delighted. “What a splendid idea! I am certain you young people have much to talk about, after all.”
    Hartley half-expected a fit of the vapours or some such other production, but Maggie held up admirably under the challenge, though she gripped her parasol just a little too tightly.
    “I am staying on the avenue de Richelieu,” she informed him with a forced smile.
    The lovely baroness pointedly ignored his raised eyebrow. While the avenue was one of the most fashionable locales in Paris, boasting beautiful, spacious houses, it was a little fast for an unmarried lady to stay on such a busy street. The very same road also boasted the Comedie , and the Academie de Musique, after all. The avenue was full of an almost constant thoroughfare of carriages and it was lined with shops selling everything from silk flowers to marvellous clocks. Maggie informed the marquess that she adored it, and wouldn’t hear a word said against it.
    When his aunt had departed, Hartley turned to the young woman standing unwillingly at his side.
    “Well done, my dear baroness. A marvellous performance,” he complimented her in English, with just a touch of vitriol.
    ‘Baroness’ is much better than ‘magpie’, at least, she thought.
    “You are too kind. And now, good day, sir.” Maggie wasted no time spinning on her heel in order to make good her departure.
    Having suspected that she would attempt to stalk away in a manner that was reassuringly familiar, he caught her arm.
    “Maggie, what are you doing?”
    Her eyes blazed up at him unexpectedly and he almost took a step back.
    “Let us not bother with charades. We are quite past that, I think. I