Alex watched the slips of paper float from her fingers into the flames and thought of the report he'd stayed up most of the night rewriting because of her.
And the dented telescope.
And the black eye that was fading far too slowly for comfort.
The Beck woman paused in her efforts and seemed to be gazing at the flames. Slowly she knelt to retrieve a pale blue scroll of rolled fabric and held it at arms' length. From where he stood, Alex could see a bit of lace and a tangle of ribbons wrapped around it.
"Stupid corset." Miss Beck lifted the frilly item over her head and threw it into the fire. "Burn," she said as she reached for the poker and stoked the flames. "Figures the awful thing would be fireproof."
With a cry akin to a cat being skinned, the earl's granddaughter raised the poker and speared the burning corset with the skill of an Olympian. In an instant, the heat in the room became unbearable.
If he needed any proof for calling Charlotte Beck scandalous, it lay before him. In her agitated state, the American was likely to do anything. Someone should intervene. Find a servant or the earl himself to see to her. Failing that, perhaps move her gently away from the inferno and see her resting on the pillow-filled settee until help could be summoned.
Unfortunately, all Alex could do was laugh.
~ Excerpt from The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo.
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