They had gone into a bakery, where they'd indulged in raspberry tarts glazed with sugar, and were taking a meandering route back across London when they ran into Lavinia Bottomley sweeping along in her fancy carriage. She stopped, of course — Lord Gareth was a client she wouldn't have minded servicing herself — and, upon hearing that the Wild One had just gotten married and that he and his family were in need of a place to stay for the night, she immediately offered them a room at her place. "At no cost to you, of course," she said kindly, eyeing Juliet and the baby with sympathetic eyes. "In fact, you can have the Crimson Suite on the second floor; it's the best room, you know, and no one will disturb you." "Good God, Vin, I cannot bring my family there!" Gareth cried, mortified. "Don't be a prude, Gareth. Why, you can even consider this to be my wedding present." "Absolutely not, this is unthinkable —" "No, Gareth, wait ..." Juliet, either ignorant or uncaring of what Lavinia's erotic perfume and low-cut bodice implied, put her hand up to silence his protests.
