find you, Miss Raleigh.’
‘Then you would have done better to save yourself
the effort, my lord,’ Rebecca said, above the swift
beating of her heart, ‘for I have no time to spare.’
Lucas’s gaze searched her face. ‘You are mighty
quick to dismiss me, Miss Raleigh. What if I too had
an offer to make you?’
Rebecca’s heart raced. She turned away, retreating
behind her desk. ‘I am not interested in the type of
offer a gentleman might make to me,’ she said. ‘They
usually involve the sort of work that is...not my
forte...’
Lucas was following her, his footsteps slow, soft
and inevitable. He was smiling. ‘And what sort of of-
fers might those be, Miss Raleigh?’
‘You know full well,’ Rebecca said, her mouth dry.
‘Yes, I think that I do.’ Lucas came to stand in front
of her. His voice hardened. ‘They are the kind of prop-
ositions made by the likes of Lord Fremantle, are they
not?’ His gaze drifted over her thoughtfully. ‘Have
you ever accepted such a commission, Miss Raleigh?’
The angry sparks lit Rebecca’s blue eyes. ‘You
should mind your own damned business, my lord.’
Lucas’s smile deepened. ‘You could become my
business, Miss Raleigh.’
‘You mistake, my lord. That could not happen.’
‘No?’ Lucas tilted his head thoughtfully. There was
56
The Rake’s Mistress
a challenge in his eyes. Rebecca saw it and her heart
stuttered.
‘No.’ She did not sound even a quarter as certain
as she would have liked.
Lucas watched her for a few seconds, his expression
very still, then he drove his hands into his pockets.
‘We shall see. As it happens, you quite mistake me,
Miss Raleigh. The offer I intended to make was a com-
mission for a piece of work.’
Rebecca was startled. ‘A commission?’
‘Of course.’ Lucas’s dark hazel gaze mocked her.
‘I am quite offended that you think me callow enough
to offer you carte blanche when what I really wanted
was a set of engraved glasses as a wedding present for
my brother.’
Rebecca was neatly trapped and she knew it. She
had not the slightest belief that Lord Lucas had even
thought of commissioning a piece of engraved glass
before the previous night. Very likely the matter of
glass engraving had not been one on which he had had
any opinions at all. Yet she could scarcely accuse him
of lying...
The words broke from her. ‘I cannot believe, my
lord, that you have had a long-cherished intention of
ordering a piece of engraved glass for your brother’s
wedding!’
Lucas laughed. ‘Of course I have not, Miss Raleigh,
but there is a perfectly simple explanation. I have been
cudgelling my brains this fortnight past to think of
what I might give Richard and Deborah as a wedding
present. When I met you—’ he gestured airily ‘—the
problem was solved.’
Nicola Cornick
57
Rebecca sighed heavily. It was a plausible enough
explanation and, goodness knew, she should be grate-
ful for the commission. A piece of work done for an
eminent family like the Kestrels might lead to other
orders and before long her business would be flourish-
ing again. And beggars could not be choosers, no mat-
ter how much she wished to avoid Lord Lucas Kestrel.
‘I take it,’ Lucas said lightly, ‘that you will not be
declining my offer?’
‘No,’ Rebecca said guardedly. The words seemed
to stick in her throat. ‘I should be happy to accept.’
‘Capital!’ Lucas smiled at her. ‘You must tell me
how we proceed, Miss Raleigh.’
Rebecca waved at the display shelves. ‘If you would
care to take a look at the work I have on display, my
lord, you may choose the type of glass you want and
the design that you would like me to engrave on it.’
Lucas nodded. He moved across to look at the
shelves. ‘I may take a little while, Miss Raleigh, so
pray do not let me distract you from your work. I shall
come over when I have decided.’
Rebecca felt a little put out. It was true
‘Then you would have done better to save yourself
the effort, my lord,’ Rebecca said, above the swift
beating of her heart, ‘for I have no time to spare.’
Lucas’s gaze searched her face. ‘You are mighty
quick to dismiss me, Miss Raleigh. What if I too had
an offer to make you?’
Rebecca’s heart raced. She turned away, retreating
behind her desk. ‘I am not interested in the type of
offer a gentleman might make to me,’ she said. ‘They
usually involve the sort of work that is...not my
forte...’
Lucas was following her, his footsteps slow, soft
and inevitable. He was smiling. ‘And what sort of of-
fers might those be, Miss Raleigh?’
‘You know full well,’ Rebecca said, her mouth dry.
‘Yes, I think that I do.’ Lucas came to stand in front
of her. His voice hardened. ‘They are the kind of prop-
ositions made by the likes of Lord Fremantle, are they
not?’ His gaze drifted over her thoughtfully. ‘Have
you ever accepted such a commission, Miss Raleigh?’
The angry sparks lit Rebecca’s blue eyes. ‘You
should mind your own damned business, my lord.’
Lucas’s smile deepened. ‘You could become my
business, Miss Raleigh.’
‘You mistake, my lord. That could not happen.’
‘No?’ Lucas tilted his head thoughtfully. There was
56
The Rake’s Mistress
a challenge in his eyes. Rebecca saw it and her heart
stuttered.
‘No.’ She did not sound even a quarter as certain
as she would have liked.
Lucas watched her for a few seconds, his expression
very still, then he drove his hands into his pockets.
‘We shall see. As it happens, you quite mistake me,
Miss Raleigh. The offer I intended to make was a com-
mission for a piece of work.’
Rebecca was startled. ‘A commission?’
‘Of course.’ Lucas’s dark hazel gaze mocked her.
‘I am quite offended that you think me callow enough
to offer you carte blanche when what I really wanted
was a set of engraved glasses as a wedding present for
my brother.’
Rebecca was neatly trapped and she knew it. She
had not the slightest belief that Lord Lucas had even
thought of commissioning a piece of engraved glass
before the previous night. Very likely the matter of
glass engraving had not been one on which he had had
any opinions at all. Yet she could scarcely accuse him
of lying...
The words broke from her. ‘I cannot believe, my
lord, that you have had a long-cherished intention of
ordering a piece of engraved glass for your brother’s
wedding!’
Lucas laughed. ‘Of course I have not, Miss Raleigh,
but there is a perfectly simple explanation. I have been
cudgelling my brains this fortnight past to think of
what I might give Richard and Deborah as a wedding
present. When I met you—’ he gestured airily ‘—the
problem was solved.’
Nicola Cornick
57
Rebecca sighed heavily. It was a plausible enough
explanation and, goodness knew, she should be grate-
ful for the commission. A piece of work done for an
eminent family like the Kestrels might lead to other
orders and before long her business would be flourish-
ing again. And beggars could not be choosers, no mat-
ter how much she wished to avoid Lord Lucas Kestrel.
‘I take it,’ Lucas said lightly, ‘that you will not be
declining my offer?’
‘No,’ Rebecca said guardedly. The words seemed
to stick in her throat. ‘I should be happy to accept.’
‘Capital!’ Lucas smiled at her. ‘You must tell me
how we proceed, Miss Raleigh.’
Rebecca waved at the display shelves. ‘If you would
care to take a look at the work I have on display, my
lord, you may choose the type of glass you want and
the design that you would like me to engrave on it.’
Lucas nodded. He moved across to look at the
shelves. ‘I may take a little while, Miss Raleigh, so
pray do not let me distract you from your work. I shall
come over when I have decided.’
Rebecca felt a little put out. It was true
Similar Books
