Read Compromised by Christmas for Free Online Page A

with a gathered top, tiny cap sleeves and an
empire waist covered by a length of red silk, hastily stitched into
a band this morning to cover the less-than-perfect seam between
skirt and bodice. The neckline was not low, but she had not
bothered to fill it in with a fichu.
    "I copied it from a fashion plate in the duchess's
latest La Belle Assemblée. Is it inappropriate?" she
asked.
    His eyes jerked up to her face, and her flesh heated.
She resisted the urge to cross her arms in front of her chest, a
chest that reacted with tingling and tightening.
    "Perfectly appropriate, Miss Winston." The duke
leaned back against the door frame. "Might I speak plainly?"
    "I should much prefer it if you do."
    "Did you take my words so much to heart that you are
revamping your entire wardrobe?"
    Her pulse skittered but she strived for nonchalance.
"Ah, I fear you see through me, but I shall not toss aside all my
clothing."
    His gaze traveled down her body, and heat seared
through her clothes.
    "How vastly disappointing, Miss Winston," he
murmured, and then left the room.
    Roxana wanted to throw something. Did he think she
should redo her entire wardrobe? He had seen only four of her
dresses so far. Yet, she was aware of the heightened cadence of her
heartbeat and the weight of her muslin gown against her skin. How
odd was that?
    *~*~*
    Max pulled his horse to a halt atop a ridge near his
house. The vantage point gave him a view of the better part of his
estate.
    Julia and Thomas crossed over the ridge and raced
down the other side. Roxana pulled her horse to a stop beside him.
He liked the way the crisp air brought a bloom to her cheeks and
the morning sun caught indigo lights in her dark hair. A legacy
from her grandmother, the condesa, perhaps. Would those dark
strands feel like silk, slide like satin, smell like secrets?
    He shook his head. He spent far too much time
watching his guest instead of seeing which of the fields were in
need of attention and which should be designated to remain fallow
next season. His brother had gotten away when he had intended to
spend the morning ride educating him about the estate. Julia had
begged to go with them and invited Miss Winston.
    Roxana had initially declined, and Max had sent the
children to get ready before asking her if she had brought a riding
habit. She had blushed as she shook her head no. Fanny had
immediately insisted on loaning one of hers.
    "Thomas, come back," shouted Max.
    Roxana discreetly tucked down one of the beaded pins
holding the waistband. Fanny's loaned riding habit was too large
for her and the style not the latest, but Roxana's gratitude had
shown in her face. "You cannot know how much I shall enjoy riding,"
she'd said to Fanny.
    Miss Winston had a streak of honesty that he admired.
She had not learned or was not willing to play the polite games
that he encountered in society. She had a quietness that encouraged
confidences. During their trip to town he had almost divulged his
financial burdens to her.
    Thomas brought his horse up alongside Max's.
    "Can you point out the edges of the estate?" Max
asked his brother.
    "I have been here with Papa," said Thomas.
    "And?"
    "As far as one can see to the east, the hedgerow on
the north and . . ." Thomas's voice trailed off. "Oh, the
creek."
    Max rocked forward in his saddle. By the time he was
half Thomas's age he could point out the boundaries and name the
tenants on all the farms. He lifted his riding crop and pointed
west. "The creek is over there, and the two farms owe us rents. The
Tillsbury and Wilbur farms are just this side of the
hedgerows."
    Thomas slumped in his saddle.
    "You need to know these things, Thomas. You are my
heir."
    "Papa said I should not fret about it, as I was not
likely to ever become duke, and I should not covet the title. He
said he would buy me a commission when I came of age."
    Alarm jabbed Max's spine. His horse sidled nervously,
no doubt responding to his sudden cow-handedness. "Things