No Ordinary Mistress (Entangled Scandalous) Read Online Free PDF Page B

so you have something to wear while you wait on the other dresses.”
    The assistant brought over three dresses, all perfectly pretty and fashionable, but certainly not what Emma would pick out herself.
    “Acceptable to you?” the modiste asked.
    Emma nodded.
    “Let us begin,” she said. She clapped her hands, and the other women went into motion. They grabbed Emma up from her chair and withdrew measuring tapes. The following several hours passed by in a blur of measuring and gowns being held up against her. It was unacceptable if they deemed the color wrong for her skin. Madam Dupree made Emma her personal project for the day. She would be the most glamorous mistress in all of London.
    Emma wondered what all of this was costing Remy, but she didn’t dare ask. He deserved the hit to his pockets after the turmoil he caused her. She winced as one of the assistants poked her with a pin, but she said nothing. Madam Dupree seemed as if she might have a temper, and Emma didn’t want to do anything to cause one of the girls to get dismissed.
    Madam Dupree rattled off a list of items, and her assistant, Marie, diligently wrote them down. They acted as if she would require an entirely new wardrobe. Of course they didn’t know she wasn’t actually Remy’s mistress, that this was nothing more than a temporary charade.
    “You should not be hiding all your lovely curves under those frocks. I can see why you caught Lord Westbridge’s attention. He is most generous to his mistresses, too; he shall take excellent care of you,” Madam Dupree said.
    His mistresses . Meaning he’d had more than one. And this woman had clothed them. It was on her tongue to ask questions about that. How many had there been? Were they pretty? How long did he keep them? But those were foolish questions that had no place in her current situation. Gracious, this line of thinking should be reserved for jealous wives, not professional spies.
    Emma well knew she had a body that men desired, the body of a courtesan her mother had told her repeatedly. You are blessed , she’d say, use your assets, and men will always take care of you . But Emma hadn’t wanted to live her life as her mother had. She’d wanted to make her own way, take care of herself, and she was doing precisely that. Therefore, she had spent much of her adult life attempting to hide her body, to keep herself unnoticed. She had inherited her voluptuous curves from her mother. She had convinced herself it was important to hide her attributes because she needed to blend into the scenery, not truly be seen. It was what made her a good spy. Deep down, though, she knew that if she allowed herself to embrace her figure that soon after, she’d embrace the type of passionate lifestyle her mother had led. Moving from one man to the next, always searching for a wealthier protector, a more handsome lover. Her mother had never been settled, never satisfied, and she’d died alone and unhappy. Emma had never wanted to be that, the kind of woman who had to rely on men to care for her, the kind of woman who paid for said care with carnal deeds.
    Yet, here she was, getting measured for the wardrobe of a mistress.
    …
    Remy listened to Harrison drone on about never-ending paperwork he had to submit to the Prime Minister. All he knew was that they needed to get to Pennington Hall to find that damn journal. Once they found Comfry’s murderer, then Remy would know Emma was safe. Until that moment, he’d not let her out of his protection. All the more reason to find the journal as quickly as possible. The only problem was they couldn’t simply drive out to Pennington Hall and break in, especially not this weekend, which happened to be the weekend Lord Hixby hosted his annual tribute to debauchery.
    Lord Hixby was known for his degenerate ways and licentious behavior, but once a year, he hosted a house party that pushed the limits of even his loose morals. And his wife would help him plan the party. Needless