The next several minutes were spent with the two of them straightening themselves as best they could. In theory, it was easy for him to change back into the clothes he’d worn to the shop, but to do so meant undressing down to his underthings in front of Ellen. Blessedly, she was attuned to his embarrassment and turned to face the other way while rebuttoning her blouse and smoothing it back into her skirt, but there were several mirrors in the room.
It was possibly the most embarrassing five minutes of Joseph’s life…but also the most tempting. He could still taste Ellen on his lips and feel the heat of her body. And he could most certainly still smell her perfume, because she was still right there with him in the tiny room.
As soon as he was dressed and mostly presentable, he gathered up the suits he would purchase and tucked the money Ellen had given him—Christ almighty, he was taking money from a woman he wasn’t yet engaged to—into a pocket, and with a final, deep breath, he exited the room.
It took all the courage he possessed and then some to walk sedately from the changing area to the counter. The attendant was indeed waiting just around the corner, looking suspicious. He even glanced back over his shoulder at the hallway of changing rooms before meeting Joseph’s eyes.
“I would like to purchase these three suits,” Joseph said in as authoritative a voice as he could manage.
The attendant clearly knew shenanigans were going on under his nose, but the lure of whatever commission he would make off the sale was too much to resist. He gestured for Joseph to follow him to the counter.
“Did you find everything to your liking, sir?” the attendant asked, one eyebrow raised, as he tallied up Joseph’s purchases.
Joseph pretended complete innocence. “Yes, thank you,” he said.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Ellen emerging from the changing room corridor. His heart lurched in his chest with fondness, then leapt to his throat as the attendant started to glance that way as well.
“Do you have neckties in suitable colors to compliment these suits,” he asked, a little too loudly and a bit too forcefully.
The attendant snapped his eyes back to Joseph. He blinked, grinned slightly, then said, “I am certain we do, sir. In the necktie department.”
Joseph felt like an utter fool—partially because his question had been silly, and partly because he was certain the attendant knew precisely what Joseph was trying to conceal. At least the man continued to tally his purchases, and when he told Joseph the total—an exorbitant sum, if Joseph said so himself—Joseph handed over enough cash to pay for it, adding an extra bill to keep the attendant’s silence.
“Thank you, sir,” the attendant said, handing him his purchases once they’d been wrapped. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, and I hope you come again.”
Joseph wanted to give the man a thorough dressing-down, but he knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on. He nodded to the man, knowing full well he’d turned bright red, then turned and left the department as quickly as he could.
“That was close,” Ellen said with a sigh of relief as she met him in the next department, then hurried along at his side toward the café. “Do you think the man was wise to what happened?”
“Yes,” Joseph said in a tight voice. “Yes, I believe he was very much aware.”
Ellen let out a high, ridiculous, gulping laugh. The sound was so free, in spite of the way she blushed and looked mortified, that Joseph caught it and laughed as well. They were a ridiculous pair. Francis would probably rail at him for ages if he knew how shamelessly he’d behaved. But Joseph had loved every moment of it. He absolutely understood the appeal of misbehaving now.
Their laughter was cut short as they reached the café, however. His mother and Aunt Josephine were not alone, nor where they in company with the friends Joseph had left them with. Instead, the two of them sat at one of the café’s tables with none other than the Duchess of Westminster and Lady Margaret.
“Hellfire and damnation,” Ellen hissed as they stopped short at the sight, just out of earshot. “Of all the times to come face to face with a duchess, the duchess, it has to be now.”
Joseph cleared his throat and stood straighter. He shifted his boxed suits under one arm and offered his other regally to Ellen. “Do not worry, Miss Garrett. I will defend your honor to the death if needs must.”
Ellen smiled at him in a way that made Joseph feel ten feet taller, and the two of them proceeded on.
“Ah, Joseph, there you are,” his mother greeted them, a sparkle in her eyes, as they approached the table. “Grant, take Mr. Rathborne-Paxton’s purchases from him and put them in the carriage,” she ordered their driver, who had come in to attend to his mistress at some point.
Grant relieved Joseph of the box, which had the unnerving result of giving Joseph nothing to hide behind as the duchess and Lady Margaret stared at him. He noted the smirk Lady Margaret wore and the venom in her eyes as she glanced to Ellen. Now that the woman’s pettiness had been pointed out to him, he was astounded that he hadn’t caught on to how unattractive it made the young woman.
“Lady Dorrington and I were just telling Her Grace, the Duchess of Westminster, all about you, Miss Garrett,” Joseph’s mother said, speaking as though she were making an introduction.
“Thank you, my lady,” Ellen said with perfect grace. She nodded to his mother, then executed a beautiful curtsy for the duchess. “It is an honor and a privilege to make your acquaintance, Your Grace,” she said, her head lowered in respect.
“Thank you, Miss Garrett,” the duchess said. “And it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person after everything Lady Vegas and Lady Dorrington have shared with me about you. You are quite adored, Miss Garrett.” She was a stark contrast to her step-daughter. Where Lady Margaret had been sly and peevish, the duchess was all elegance and grace.
Ellen responded to the compliment with a glowing smile. “I very much hope that I live up to their praise, Your Grace,” she said.
Warmth and affection spread through Joseph. Elle was doing so well. She’d taken every lesson and every bit of advice he’d given her about deportment and was putting it to perfect use. The way the duchess smiled at her was a deeply encouraging sign.
“What is the matter with your hair, Miss Garrett?” Lady Margaret asked in a sharp voice, spoiling Joseph’s optimistic mood. “It looks as though your maid did not style it properly this morning. Or, would I be correct in assuming that you do not have a maid?” She glanced to her mother-in-law as though she were proving a point.
Ellen reached reflexively to her hair. Several pins fell out as she touched it. That seemed to draw Joseph’s attention to the fact that she was, in fact, still a bit disheveled. And her lips were a tad too pink as well. He held his breath, praying that the ladies in front of him were too refined to take notice or to understand what could cause such a state.