Courting Susannah by Linda Lael Miller Page A

Fairgrieve said you might want some personal items for yourself, as well. You are to selectwhatever you need—books, linens, toiletries, the like—without consideration of cost.”
    Susannah lowered her eyes for an instant, absorbing the self-evident fact that Aubrey saw her as a pauper, then met the youngman’s pleasant gaze again. “Thank you,” she said. “The baby things?”
    He led her into the midst of a bewildering selection of tiny gowns, bonnets, booties, and blankets and left her to choosewhat was needed. She took her time picking out an extensive wardrobe for the child, including a beautifully made christeninggown of snowy white cotton and Irish lace. Where Julia’s baby—and Aubrey’s, she was sure—was concerned, she had no compunctionabout spending lavishly.
    When the little one was properly outfitted—Susannah added a few items for Jasper before she was finished—she chose three muslincamisoles for herself, along with matching drawers and a petticoat. She was admiring the books, not quite daring to take onedown from the shelf and hold it in her hands, when another sudden rush of chilly air filled the store, heralded by the nowangry clamor of the bell over the door.
    â€œWhere is he?” a feminine voice demanded, imperious as a queen’s.
    Susannah, like the other customers and the clerks, turned to see a slender, dark-haired woman, dressed in green velvet fromhead to foot. Her garments werewondrous, trimmed in gold braid and fitted precisely to her figure, and the fabric matched the color of her eyes precisely.She was, beyond a doubt, the loveliest creature Susannah had ever seen, for all that her manner and expression were venomous.
    No one needed to tell her that this was Delphinia, Aubrey’s mistress. A paramour. A kept woman. Susannah, impressed, couldnot help goggling a little.
    â€œI said
where is he?”
Mrs. Parker cried. Except for the sounds of wood crumbling to embers inside the stove and the inevitable noises from thestreet, the store was quiet as a tomb.
    Then there came the echo of boot heels on the stairs, and Aubrey appeared. His countenance suggested bleak annoyance, andhis face was like granite. Susannah wondered, with a sorrowing heart, if he had ever turned that soul-withering look uponJulia.
    â€œDelphinia,” he said with a small inclination of his head. “We’ve settled everything there is to settle. We’re through.” Hepaused. “I don’t suppose it will do any good to tell you that this is neither the time nor the place for the sort of sceneyou clearly have in mind?”
    The breathtaking creature raged toward him, like a small, scented storm. The air crackled around her, and Susannah lookedon in helpless fascination, feeling admiration for the other woman, as well as pity and a number of other, less easily identifiedthings into the bargain.
    â€œHow dare you?” Delphinia simmered, standing at the foot of the stairs and glaring up at her lover. Her temper made heat,but his anger was cold enough to freeze the rest of the room; all, including Susannah, stood unmoving, unspeaking, withoutbothering to pretend they weren’t listening.
    â€œWe’ll discuss this in private,” Aubrey said in a voice that probably wouldn’t thaw before spring. With that,he closed the distance between them, took Delphinia’s arm, and “escorted” her up to the second floor. Only when a door slammed,probably that of his office, did the customers and clerks begin to stir, like so many statues coming to life in an enchantedgarden. There was much clearing of throats and straightening of neckties, and the old men gathered around the stove to whittleand gossip chuckled among themselves and reminisced in low tones. An angry discussion ensued upstairs, like distant cannonfire.
    Susannah completed her shopping and made haste for the carriage, still waiting in the street. Very possibly, it