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It was a shame that she was such a good girl, but what else would one expect from
the jewel of her social-conscious family. For years, she'd been taught nothing but proper
etiquette and ladylike manners, and she was an adept student, the best her masters had
ever encountered. It was never questioned that she would be the one her aunt named as
heir. Of all her sisters, Thereasa was undeniably the finest example of nobility in the
land.
And now, he was charged with carrying her to her dowager Great Aunt Goosie's
home to take her place as lady of the manor. She was twenty now, the age when such
things occurred in Goose Neck.
In preparation for the trip, her father and elder brother had drilled the laws of the
faraway realm into Davey, fairly threatening his life if he dared stray from them in the
slightest. The laws of Goose Neck were many and rigid, especially the ones dealing with
relations between a man and woman. It was no wonder Lady Thereasa had been chosen
to lead. None of her sisters could ever hope to live up to the laws that would bind them.
The trip would be arduous, a three-day journey by carriage from Seaside to Goose
Neck, but the length of the journey was only half the battle to be fought. They hadn't
even left her home, and already the strain of her company wore on Davey, tempted him
almost to his endurance. How he would survive the trip was beyond him.
Thereasa leaned into the carriage, her smile warm. "Ready?" she asked.
"As you wish, Lady Thereasa." Davey bowed his head slowly, noting her father's
wary attention to every move he made.
She scowled at him then took her place on the seat beside him.
Davey whistled the horses up to a trot and nodded to her parents as they were away.
There had been no warnings this morning. Even her father must have realized that none
were necessary.
For leagues, they rode in an uncomfortable silence. He glanced at Lady Thereasa,
unable to take his eyes off of her for long. She didn't seem to notice, and for that he was
grateful. It wouldn't do to have a fine lady like her catch him ogling her.
22
Mama's Tales
She sighed and loosened the ties on her cape, letting it fall to the seat at her back.
Davey glanced her direction again then stared, his mouth going dry.
Her dress was a form-fitting creation that barely held to the join of her shoulder and
arm, shelved her breasts so the ample globes mounded neatly in soft cups, and her back
was nude to a man's hand width below the center line of her breasts, announcing her lack
of typical underclothes definitively.
"You like my dress," she noted.
Davey snapped his eyes back to the road, grinding his teeth at the weight of his erect
member. He nodded, gasping out his answer. "It's striking, Lady Thereasa."
"Yes. It is, at that."
He ventured a look at her face, studiously avoiding the deep cleavage so close to his
arm. She didn't appear angered by his reaction. In fact, her dark eyes glittered under a
corkscrew curl that escaped the pins in her hair.
"A step in the right direction," she purred.
Davey shook his head in confusion. "What is?"
"You're looking at my face instead of my feet."
He took a calming breath. If he looked at her feet, a much more arousing sight
would capture his attention. "Does your father know you own that dress?" he inquired.
The lord was hardly known for his patience with impropriety.
Thereasa stretched her arms over her head. "It was a gift from my Aunt Goosie," she
confided.
"Really?" he managed, confining himself to a single peek at her chest.
"She sent me a half dozen of them. Not all like this, but close enough." She lowered
her arms, leaning toward him so as to maximize the effect of the dress. "You might as
well enjoy yourself."
"Enjoy?" What in the Mother's name was she talking about?
"You want to look," she stated calmly.
He did, but hearing her say it didn't put him any more at ease. "You want me to
look?" he asked, searching for solid ground.
Lady Thereasa smiled. "For a start."
Davey flicked his eyes to the pale skin of her chest then away, returning to stare
hungrily. Had she just invited him to touch her? No. That wasn't possible. Was it?
Her hand settled on his leg, and he swallowed a groan. "Did you know that I
requested you as my escort?" she asked.
"No." He hadn't known it. Davey had assumed her father had chosen him, trusting
him not to do what he ached to do.
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