The dressing room door was closed. Of course.
He’d given no real thought to his next actions or what this would mean for Char. She would be angry and embarrassed, but as he must, he would keep the secret between them. Whatever shame he caused by this action must be kept to a minimum.
The sound of additional participants echoed down the hallway. Surely the room was full by now. He peeked around the corner one last time to assure he was alone.
He gripped the doorknob and attempted to push into the room. There was an impediment. A body. A gasp. He eased the force of his entry but still pushed his way into the room.
There was another squeal as Jenny Taylor, naked as the day she was born, grabbed for a red satin robe.
Kat Taylor jumped to her feet, eyes round with fear.
And Primrose, lips pressed together with her arms at her side, gripped a dress. Presumably the one Jenny had just removed.
Joshua stared at each in turn, finally finding words. “For the love of… Put your clothes on,” he said sharply. He could see her bare limbs, the robe only hiding her womanly bits.
“What are you doing here?” Kat demanded. The feisty little bitch.
“Saving your reputation.”
“Then get out and don’t say a word to anyone,” she snapped.
“Oh, I’ll say a word or two.” He glanced at Jenny. “Did I not tell you to dress?”
“You cannot tell me what to do,” Jenny answered, only her words were weak and fearful. He suspected her temporary courage was only possible because her sisters were present.
“You’re right. But I can throw you over my shoulder or, come to that, drag you out of here by your hair.”
“How dare you!” Prim sputtered.
“How dare I? It is my duty as a gentleman.”
“Tosh!” Kat said, reminding him of their Aunt Beckham—a flighty woman, he thought.
“Where is Lady Dunlevee?”
“Oh, she’s in Kent.” Kat was flip, an astounding accomplishment considering her sister was still mostly naked.
“Leaving you unchaperoned?” He pinned a hard look at Kat.
“We have each other.”
“The pot, the kettle and the cauldron. Lady Prim, don’t just stand there. Help her.”
All Jenny had done was move the robe to her chin. She would be the first one to cry. Prim did have the sense to reach for a lacy chemise. It would do for a start.
“No one was supposed to know.” She glanced from Joshua to Kat and back again.
“In five minutes, DuChamp is going to want his model. We will be long gone by then, but first, one of you is going to explain this farce to me. Kat?” Oh, he knew who the troublemaker was. How could he have imagined it was Lady Char? He grabbed Kat’s arm; she squeaked and made an attempt to get away. He hauled her closer and then swept a hand through her hair, revealing her left ear and a tidy little mole. So it was her!
But that didn’t explain Jenny.
He reached for Prim only to see the same sort of marking. And, gad, Jenny had one too. Glancing at her was the wrong thing to do, as she was just slipping into her chemise and it didn’t cover her fast enough.
“Did Kat force you to do this?”
“Force? It was a lark. And no one will ever know which one of us was the nude in the painting,” Kat said.
“It’s obvious to me.” He stared hard at Jenny. Embarrassment scalded every inch of her bare skin.
“Oh, is it?” Kat asked.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t tell me each of you has taken a turn?”
Kat looked smug.
Prim had her back turned, trying to keep Jenny out of his sight. “It was a good plan, don’t you think?” Prim said, glancing over her shoulder.
“Does your sister know?” he asked.
“Char is too busy solving her own problems. I told her it was a bad idea, but would she listen? No. I knew her heart would be broken.”
“You giving advice. That’s rich,” he said to Kat. “Can you please hurry?” Was there another matter he would need to rescue Char from? The Taylors seemed to attract trouble.
“There’s no reason for us to leave. We only have a few more sittings before DuChamp finishes his masterpiece,” Kat said.
“Can we please go, Kat? I don’t want to do it again,” Jenny said.
“Finally, a voice of reason.” Joshua realized they were all shouting, but at a whisper level. “However, Mr. DuChamp has an excellent memory. As do all the men in the other room. They can all imagine how the painting will look completed. Shoes, Jenny?”
“Oh, yes.”
There was silence while she hurriedly tied her slippers. Well, his job would be easier since two of the three seemed willing and anxious to leave. Kat would be the one who would need a good hiding.
There was a light tap on the inner door. Time for Jenny to pose.
She glanced at him. Joshua saw that she did want his help, and after that, no amount of cajoling and flirting would get him to see the humorous side of this escapade.