Free Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas

prefer a spinster’s charms to hers. But Jack had been involved with women like Francine before, and he knew what was beneath her shallow, pretty facade. Or, more to the point, what was not beneath it.
    A footman came bearing a dish of creamed pheasant, and Jack accepted a serving with a nod, suppressing another sigh of frustration as he thought of the long night ahead. Tomorrow morning, and Amanda’s visit to his offices, seemed like an eternity away.

Chapter 4
    I’ll send a carriage for you tomorrow at ten .
    I won’t come.
    Yes, you will.
    The remembered exchange had troubled Amanda all night, echoing in her dreams, causing her to awaken far earlier than usual the next morning. Oh, how she would love to give Mr. John T. Devlin a well-deserved set-down by refusing to step into his carriage! However, his underhanded acquisition of her novel An Unfinished Lady would have to be dealt with. She did not want him or anyone else to publish it.
    It had been years since she had written or read the thing, and although she had done her best at the time, the novel undoubtedly contained many faults of plotting and characterization. Were Unfinished Lady printed now, she feared it might be harshly reviewed by the critics and reviled by readers unless many revisions were made. And she had neither the time nor the inclination to do painstaking work on a novel for which she had received only ten pounds. Therefore, she would have to retrieve the book from Devlin.
    There was also the matter of potential blackmail. If he spread the rumor around London that Amanda was the kind of woman who hired male prostitutes, her reputation and career would be in tatters. She would somehow have to secure Devlin’s promise that he would never breathe a word about that dreadful birthday night to anyone.
    And much as she hated to admit it, she was curious. No matter how much she berated herself for letting her dratted curiosity get the better of her, she wanted to see Devlin’s establishment, his books, his bindery and offices and everything else inside that massive building on the corner of Holborn and Shoe Lane.
    With Sukey’s assistance, Amanda pinned her hair into a tightly braided coronet atop her head, and dressed in the most severe gown she owned, a snugly fitted, high-buttoned gray velvet with regally swishing skirts. The gown’s only ornamentations consisted of a narrow belt that looked like interwoven silk cords fastened with a silver buckle, and a full white lace ruff that nestled high beneath her chin.
    â€œYe look like Queen Elizabeth must have, just before she had them cut off the Earl of Essex’s head,” Sukey commented.
    Amanda laughed suddenly, in spite of her inner nervousness. “I’d like to cut off a certain gentleman’s head,” she said. “Instead, I’ll have to settle for giving him a harsh rebuff.”
    â€œAre ye going to see yer publisher, then?” Sukey’s narrow face resembled that of an inquisitive woodland creature.
    Amanda shook her head at once. “He’s not my publisher, nor will he ever be. I intend to make that clear to him this morning.”
    â€œAh.” The maid’s expression brightened with interest. “Some gentleman ye met at the supper-party last eve? Do tell, Miss Amanda…is he handsome?”
    â€œI hadn’t noticed,” Amanda said crisply.
    Sukey appeared to suppress a delighted smile as she hurried to fetch Amanda’s black wool cloak.
    As they fastened the cloak around Amanda’s shoulders, the footman, Charles, came inside from the front doorstep. “Miss Amanda, the carriage has arrived.” The footman’s middle-aged face was reddened from the bitter November breeze. A fresh, icy scent clung to his livery, mingled with the dry smell of his white-powdered hair. He retrieved a lap shawl from the entrance hall chair, draped it neatly over his arm, then made to escort Amanda outside. “Step