His Lady Mistress

102 His Lady Mistressan outright command on her part to get him over her threshold.On this particular evening he pulled up outside her GrosvenorSquare townhouse voluntarily.Verity didn’t move. She had been asleep on his shoulderfor the last half-hour. He doubted that she had even realisedwhen she finally sagged against him. And she felt right there.Just as she had the night before when she had lain in hisarms...She deceived you. Trapped you. All that sweetness is nomore than honey to bait the victim.It would only be safe to enjoy the sweetness if he rememberednever to trust it again. Remembered that it was all anact; that given a chance, she would manipulate him.Twenty minutes later he took his leave of his startled auntand sleepy betrothed. Mounting into the curricle, he acknowledgedthat he could have handled the situation with moregrace. That depositing a sleeping girl on the drawing-roomsofa, announcing her as his intended bride and that he wouldbe back with the special licence as soon as possible—and inthe meantime would Almeria kindly organise a suitable wardrobeat his expense—might not have been the most tactfulway of presenting Verity to his aunt.He had no time to waste being tactful with Almeria. Hismarriage was none of her business. His brother, on the otherhand, had every right to know before Almeria managed tospread the news all over town, which she would do beforemidnight even if she had to invite herself out for dinner.He signalled for the footman to stand away from thehorses’ heads as an elegantly gowned female figure appearedin the doorway.‘Max!’ it shrieked.Pretending not to have heard, Max gave his tired horsesthe office and set off down the street at a spanking trot. Godonly knew what Almeria wanted to know, but Max was onlytoo happy to leave it in the hands of the Almighty.