Seducing The Bride (Brides of Mayfair 1) Read Free Page A

something—if you ever call her ‘my pet,’ it won’t be the least bit of a lie.”
    The door closed and Beckett turned his attention to the unconscious girl lying in his bed. Normally he might have been more excited at the prospect of seeing a beautiful woman in his bed, but he was so tired, he just wanted to go to sleep.
    Monty scooted himself closer to the bed and put his chin on it, his big, black nose sniffing energetically at the myriad smells covering the unconscious girl. His tongue snaked out and licked her hand.
    “Monty, no!” Beckett said, frowning. “I need you to act as chaperon. It is your duty to make sure nothing untoward happens to our guest, understand?” The dog continued to look at the girl as if she were the sweetest-smelling thing he’d ever encountered.
    Beckett tapped his chin and surveyed the situation. The fact remained that someone needed to get her out of that damp, soiled nightdress and dry her off. There were no female servants to ask for assistance. The cook wouldn’t arrive for a few hours yet, and even so, would balk at such a request.
    There was nothing for it—he would have to do it himself.
    It wouldn’t be the first time he’d undressed a woman with his eyes closed, Beckett told himself, though he’d usually be kissing the woman at the same time.
    He felt his way to the buttons down the front of her dress. There were so many of them, and the damn things were as tiny as pebbles. This was not going to be a quick job….
    When he was finally through them all, he eased the garment from her shoulders. It would be all he’d need for her to awaken right now, while a strange man was undressing her. How on earth would he explain that?
    He worked as quickly as he could, peeling the dress off her warm, wet torso and down around her legs. Beckett reached for one of the blankets Hartley had brought to the room and covered the girl with it. He opened his eyes, sighing with relief that he’d managed to complete such a sensitive task while behaving as properly as he could.
    She moaned and turned her head on the pillow.
    Beckett leaned over to check her pulse and found it still strong. There seemed to be no problem with her breathing, and now that she was out of the cold, her color was improving.
    He wondered what had happened to her. Had some dastardly man drugged her…? He’d heard of such things before, though the thought of it disgusted him. Hopefully, the morning would find her in a better way.
    He had known other women before…hell, he’d even fancied himself in love with Cordelia. And yet there was something about this mysterious girl which got under his skin.
    He yawned again and crossed the chamber toward the adjoining sitting room. The sofa there would suffice. He beckoned to Monty. “Come on, boy.”
    Panting calmly, the dog showed no signs of movement.
    “Monty, come,” Beckett commanded. In response, the dog moved to the foot of the bed and flopped down on the floor.
    “You’re right, Monty,” Beckett said. “You should stay here and protect her. Good boy.”
    Beckett made his way toward the sitting room sofa, weariness dragging at him like a clinging child. Resting the candle on the table, he struggled to remove his boots, which hit the floor with a dull thud.
    Finally stretching out on the firm sofa, Beckett let sleep take him where it would.

Chapter 3

    Beckett rolled over, his eyes still closed. Half-awake, he flung his arm out and it landed on something soft and warm. It felt like a…
    Please, please don’t let that be what I think it is.
    Beckett opened his eyes.
    It was what he thought it was.
    A warm, naked breast. And attached to the warm, naked breast was a warm, naked woman.
    It quickly all came back to him—he’d fallen asleep on the sofa in the next room as planned, but had must have wandered back to his own bed while half-asleep. Now he was in a very compromising position with the mysterious girl he and Alfred rescued from the street the night