The Sextet Presents… The Lady Takes a Pair [In Days of Olde] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read Online Free Page A

couldn’t quite quash the notion that Rotherford was toying with the earl.
    Rotherford held out his hand. “Our carriage awaits us, my lady.”
    Juliet placed her hand in his and immediately wished she hadn’t. The peculiar sensations she’d felt the night before began anew, only to be intensified when he gave her hand a meaningful squeeze.
    “You will need protection from the sun,” he said after a moment’s scrutiny. “William, would you fetch a parasol for Lady Juliet? And perhaps you should accompany us as well.” A sly grin touched his lips. “After all, we must observe the proprieties.”

Chapter Three
     
    Rotherford couldn’t blame Lady Juliet for being nervous. Her tremulous smile as he’d settled in the seat beside her reminded him that she hadn’t been alone with a man in five years—and after that last disastrous episode, she was bound to be less than trusting. Not that with William in the footman’s seat they were truly alone …
    With a snap of the reins, he set his horses off at a brisk trot. The day was bright and sunny and the soft pink hue of her sprig muslin gown suited her coloring as well as the weather. He realized then that he’d never seen her wear anything but gray.
    “That shade of pink becomes you, Lady Juliet,” he began. “I wonder that you do not wear it more often.”
    Drawing in a deep breath, she held it a moment before she spoke. “This dress does not belong to me, my lord.”
    “Oh? And who does it belong to?”
    She glanced away, ostensibly to study the roses as they passed through the formal gardens. “I have no idea.”
    A cough from behind him advised Rotherford that William knew precisely whence the dress had come. William was nothing if not resourceful. However, he remained silent.
    “Are you telling me that it magically appeared in your wardrobe?”
    “I am indeed, my lord.”
    “How peculiar.” He glanced over his shoulder. “My dear William, are there pixies afoot in my house?”
    “I believe so,” William replied.
    “Perhaps that might explain why all of my clothing was replaced during the night,” Juliet said.
    Rotherford affected a startled gasp. “Really? All of it?”
    “ All of it, my lord.”
    His eyes swept from the top of her shining gold head to the tip of her sandaled foot. “I must say, those pixies have remarkably good taste.”
    Rotherford had somehow managed to keep a straight face throughout this exchange. William, however, now succumbed to a fit of mirth.
    “Ah, ha! I believe we’ve discovered the identity of the culprit. Confess, William.”
    “I had help, my lord,” William said.
    Juliet tipped her parasol aside and peered over her shoulder. “Why on Earth would you do such a thing?”
    “Because beautiful ladies like yourself should never wear gray,” William replied. “Unless they happen to be in mourning.”
    “And how do you know that I am not in mourning?”
    Rotherford chuckled. “He would know, Lady Juliet. Believe me, he would know.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Thankfully, the conversation shifted to a discussion of the weather and various points of interest until Juliet heard Rotherford being hailed by a gray-haired woman standing near a cottage up ahead.
    “Good morning, Mrs. Morgan!” the viscount called as they approached. “And how is my favorite tenant today?”
    “Tolerable, my lord, tolerable,” Mrs. Morgan replied. “All the better for having seen such a lovely sight as this young lady.”
    Juliet smiled as she was introduced, taking note of the woman’s dress as well as the condition of her cottage. Clearly, Lord Rotherford didn’t skimp on his property or his tenants. Her estimation of his character rose accordingly.
    Following an exchange of pleasantries and a brief discussion of any needs Mrs. Morgan might have—which were few—she handed a large hamper to William. “That’ll be for your luncheon down by the river.”
    Rotherford cocked an eye at his footman. “More pixies at work,