Playing Miss Innocent, Amicia Bianchi [management books to read txt] 📗

My carriage approached the large black iron gates I was on the edge of my seat, dying from my own anticipation, by the time the gate slowly squeaked open. I nearly jumped out of the carriage and ran to the front doors because it suddenly wasn't moving fast enough for my liking but I held my place nonetheless. My father had told me to act prim, polite, and proper.

'Like a lady,' he'd said, so I tried to have the refined and tempered patience of a lady. Even though my thoughts are not those of the proper women, possibly because I was not of noble birth. For the rest of us, of more humble origins, we are not taught to do and to think as them. Then again had I been of noble birth I would not have been able to play the part for I have only seen snobs come out of nobility as if it were a disease that dwells among them and climbs down through the generations. Yet it touches most, there are few branches that mine eyes have witnessed the poison which seems to dwell within their veins, with some, grace hath skipped over these which are but a handful. Before I knew it the carriage had stopped and the driver had already gotten out to help me but I had been so lost in thought that I didn't notice he had been standing there waiting.

"Madam, don't be scared," that snapped me back to reality. I offered him a sweet smile and gave him my hand so I could get out, usually I would have just jumped out and ran inside but I had to remember: 'prim and proper,' he had said.

I huffed out a breath and started walking inside the large estate, upon entering the foyer I was awe stricken, it was beautiful. I walked and looked around it was all beautiful but different and when you'd think they would look unappealing it was actually the opposite they looked beautiful together. I was so absorbed with examining a vase that I didn't notice when a man of dark intent approached me and grabbed a handful of my hinder flesh. I doubt this is the lord, I heard many things about him but not that he was rude, would he do something of this inappropriate nature but again thinking back to a proper lady and how one of them would have a fit, I almost laughed.

I held it in then turned around my face red as if in temper I came face to a man having trouble standing upright, by all assumptions the man who stood before me was drunken and he was not the master of the house but belonging to the servant staff. I knew there was no sensible speaking to a drunkard, when I become the lady of the house this will be no more, with that thought I stepped around him and got away.

In my desperate attempt to get away from the servant who had started to follow me I turned back once more to find the stranger gone. I was turning back sighing when suddenly I collided with another who could not keep his fingers away from my less general flesh. This groping I tried to let slide reasoning that maybe it was to save my grace from the unmerciful claws of gravity by taking a fall. That small hope quickly became a lie, when he reached and gripped inappropriately at my front, again in an attempt to be ladylike my face lit with a fine blush. I hurriedly pulled myself from, what could be called, his 'shameless embarrassing and by length inappropriate' embrace. Now with a good look at the person he was a handsome man with a wicked eye and a definitely sinful intent by a lady's standards. This man is more finely dressed, he must be a noble but I don't think he’s the master of the house though he might be visiting or relative of the lord. Either way he had no right, I'd heard that he was wicked but by the way women would giggle I didn't think they meant in this manner of evil devices.

"Dear sir, I am quite offended that your hands delight themselves by violating what is mutually agreed as flesh within polite reach. Have you no dignity at all? Although I am unfamiliar with this household and its principles, I am most acquainted with the etiquette between a lady and a gentleman. And I don’t plan to let that go unspoken for. Now sir, I do not know who you are but I refuse to be made a mockery of. By your actions I am led to believe you could not be the esteemed master of this house but as his guest at least have some dignity about your person," I rebuked.

There was a deep male voice chuckling, I immediately regretted blowing up albeit it was in "lady form" so it wasn't as rude as it could have been. A proper lady would probably have found another way out of this situation and have considered dressing this man down as speaking out of turn, although he clearly deserved it, there was still the matter of this unknown gentleman's status. I settled down now embarrassed, I turned around to see the most handsome man I had ever seen. He was definitely the master of the house, he had an air about him that just screamed his status but not in a bad way. I was frozen in place but I pulled myself together before my thoughts went too far and I wouldn't be able to rein them in. I blushed and put my head down trying to hide it.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to act out of character and I regret having let you see me in a most unladylike manner, good sir. I don't wish for you to think ill of me so early on by giving one of your guests an earful," I tried to ramble on like a lady if caught in a similar situation, it seemed to come naturally. I was turning redder trying not to laugh at myself, I was being so foolish.

"It's quite alright there's no need to apologize, whatever my brother has done I'm sure he deserved every bit of it." He sounded quite amused and I didn't blame him but mixed with his melodically seductive voice it sounded like he wanted to play with me. Although it shouldn't have just that thought had me falling in his direction. He crossed the room to stand in front of me.

"Brother, do you know who this woman may be?" asked the man who had so inappropriately grabbed me. The man in front of me had established eye contact and held it even while his brother spoke never even glancing in his direction.

"Of course, she is my betrothed, are you not?" he asked me, I almost missed what he said completely because it wasn't our conversation I was focused on. I wanted to drop my fake "lady" act but I couldn't, in the end I decided to show him just a taste of the woman that I really was. I gave him a seductive smile and looked up at him through my eyelashes.

"But of course, my lord, I am Classandra Hoffing, the Baron of Chanti's eldest daughter," I announced in my regular tone, but I dropped my voice to a husky whisper, as I curtesied, that I know only he heard.

His breath hitched and I knew that he noticed, my smile widened triumphantly before my face took on a concerned expression.

"Are you alright, my lord?" I pretended as if nothing happened and his brother was without a clue of what I had just done, he just watched our exchange.

"I'm fine, you just surprised me," he gathered himself together but I wasn't letting him off the hook just yet.

"How so, my lord?" I cocked my head to the side innocently, on the inside I was smirking, challenging him to say it.

"You surprised me with your beauty," he and I both knew that he was lying but I let it drop. "I can tell you're a very interesting woman. As you already know I am Gabriel Vasille the Duke of Kensington" he took my hand and slowly kissed it, I drew in a quick breath. He looked up at me with a hungry look that I had seen on men before but this time it made me shiver. A heat like I had never known coursed throughout my body starting from the hand that he so delicately held. "And this is my brother Samuel Vasille," he added never taking is eyes off of me. I quickly got a hold of myself and controlled my breathing, putting on a neutral face as if I were unaffected. I felt his smirk against my hand when I didn't look away to spare his brother a glance, that's when I decided it was enough playing with him today. A fine blush graced my face setting my cheeks on fire.

"You seem to prove the rumors true," I spoke softly. He rose away from my hand but he didn't let it go.

"Exactly, so I wonder why a sweet gentle lamb would willingly go into the wolf's den?" I smirked inwardly, he had referred to me as a 'sweet gentle lamb', I could laugh. I instead blushed and put my head down.

"My lord, if you would pardon me for asking too suddenly and so rudely but will we be having dinner?" I stammered. From the glance that I managed to sneak without him noticing, he seemed quite amused.

"Why do you ask that my dear?" he inquired.

"On my way here, I didn't know my way and I happened to encounter one of your butlers," I blushed and looked down. I felt I knew he was smiling.

"And what exactly happened? Do not be shy on detail, I'd be sparing if you told me the whole of it," he told me, his voice was laced with amusement. He placed his hand underneath my chin so that he could see my face, I tried my best not to look at him. I set my gaze just past his left ear.

"Pardon me your lordship for my forwardness if you did not know of the things in your own domicile but I encountered one of your servants who does not seem to be very well acquainted with the formalities and decorum for a person of his status." He cocked an eyebrow at me, "I had no one to escort me so I wondered in and I was immediately fascinated by the décor. I was contently distracted gazing at a vase when the butler approached and if you may, your lordship, let me demonstrate," I just like testing the waters.

I still felt like playing with him and checking a little inventory. He nodded watching me intently with amusement.

"He came upon me from behind, your lordship," I went to stand behind him, "and he attacked one of the most improper parts of my hinder side," I whispered before grabbing the same area that the butler had. I cupped it and squeezed just as he had it was soft but there was a firmness to it. I finally let it go, with a red face, realizing that I probably should not have done that especially with his brother present. I didn't regret doing it but for the sake of "being a prim and proper lady" I made myself look embarrassed. "I was thinking that if that butler was drunken perhaps the rest if the staff maybe as well," I finished feeling slightly winded.

"Well that certainly is quite an experience," he sounded as if he were on the verge of laughing. "Do you wish to eat dinner?"