Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“You might have lost your way,” the man added, as he approached her with confidence. After all, he was a fine specimen of masculinity: tall, broad-shouldered, and impossibly handsome. “This alley is dark and potentially dangerous.”
It wasn’t a threat at all. At least, Lucy didn’t feel threatened by him. She had never met him before, but she already felt safe, albeit embarrassed, with him being so close. Her hood had come loose and fallen to her shoulders.
She could not help but inspect him further, this man with the sharp jaw and well-trimmed beard and eyes a blue so deep they popped even in the darkness.
The man was dangerously handsome. She had never encountered anyone like him in the ballrooms, but she was certain he was a peer. His clothes, accent, and overall demeanor revealed him to be.
“I am not lost, sir,” she said, trying to sound like a servant. She thought of how her maid Ethel spoke. “I am Mr. St. Clair’s maid, headed home from an errand.”
The man did not move. Instead, he smirked at her as he assessed her with a lazy sweep of his gaze.
“You? A maid,” he repeated incredulously. He took one more step forward. It was deliberate and imposing. “Mr. St. Clair must be particularly generous to purchase French silk gowns for his maids and to hire private carriages for them, too, when they are out on errands.”
“He, uh, is a kind and generous master.” She fumbled for anything to tell this knowing man.
This infuriatingly handsome man who saw too much.
Her face heated up. She was afraid that he could see that, too, and how she often blushed from her neck upward.
“T-this was a gift. A-and he knew I had to visit my family and that it would be a long journey.”
“Mhm,” the man hummed. “What exactly are your duties? Do you dust the chandeliers? Polish the silver? Bathe Mr. St. Clair?”
Lucy gasped, shocked by his impertinence. She caught herself just in time when she remembered what she was about to do at St. Clair’s.
“I, uh, manage certain affairs for Mr. St. Clair,” she blurted, feeling like an idiot.
“Certain affairs,” he repeated, looking like he was thoroughly enjoying the conversation. “Is that what you call it? So, these affairs require you to enter through the back entrance. That does sound consistent. However, a private carriage still seems like something a peer would ride.”
“I insist,” Lucy said, even though her throat felt tight. “I was running an errand for Mr. St. Clair.”
The man leaned in. Was he—was he smelling her?
His eyes darkened, and what looked like concern flashed across his face. Lucy did not know if she preferred this or the arrogant line of questioning from earlier.
“You do not smell like a maid. Your perfume is too expensive, unless the affairs you manage for Mr. St. Clair are far darker than I initially thought. You don’t have the skin and eyes of a woman who does hard labor.”
“But I am telling you the truth, sir,” Lucy persisted breathlessly.
“Mmm. Here I was wondering when you’ll start telling me the truth,” he whispered. “You’re Lady Lucy, are you not?”
Even as panic set in, Lucy managed to rein in the desire to put an end to the deception.
She chuckled nervously.
“Me? Lady Lucy? You must have mistaken me for someone else.”
“Stop this, My Lady,” he commanded, sounding exasperated but keeping his voice low. “I heard your driver call your name. I also know your brother, the Earl of Marsleigh. I know that you’ve been my sister Victoria’s friend for about a year.”
If Lucy’s face had heated from the blood flooding her cheeks earlier, this time all the blood drained from her face, and she felt faint.
“Your sister Victoria? The Duchess of Hawksford?”
She could not believe it. She studied his face, looking for the resemblance, but while Victoria was blonde, Daniel was dark-haired. What they had in common were their eyes, the intelligent glimmer in them, and the stubborn set of their mouths.
“That means you’re the Duke of Stonewynn.”
“In the flesh,” he confirmed, but all humor was gone from his face. “I doubt your brother will approve of the way we met—here in a dark alley near the back entrance of a house of ill repute, as you wait to enter the house to meet a male escort.”
Shame flooded her at what had just happened.
Her friend’s brother, a duke, had caught her trying to enter a male escort’s house.
He was fully aware of who Valentine St. Clair was.
If Joshua were to discover what just happened, he would send her to a convent and soon. She would become a cloistered nun.
“Why are you here?” she asked, her eyes tearing up in frustration. “Why can’t you just leave me be? Why do you have to do what you are doing?”
“Why am I doing this?” the Duke echoed. “I could ask you the same thing. Why would a woman of your standing come to such a place and risk scandal? Do you know what happens to women in there? I can’t speak for them because I am not a woman seeking St. Clair’s services. However, this isn’t a game.”
“This—this is none of your concern, Your Grace,” she snapped. “I own my life, or at least I am trying to show myself that I have control of it. You would not understand. You are a man with a title. With wealth.”
“Your safety is my concern, Lady Lucy,” the Duke said. “You are my sister’s friend. If something happened to you here, I would not forgive myself.”
“Are you going to tell my brother? Are you going to tell Joshua?” Her eyes widened.
“Should I?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“No. Please don’t do it. You don’t know what he can do. He protects me, but he will take away the little freedom I have left. Your Grace, I’m begging you to reconsider.”
“The choice is yours, of course, Lady Lucy,” he said, gesturing to the back door.
“You said you want to experience being free. I won’t force you to do what I think is right for you.
You will do what you choose. If you enter the house and meet with St. Clair, I will walk away and pretend I never saw you here.
I can keep a secret, but you must be certain of your choice. ”
Lucy glanced at the door. She knew Valentine St. Clair was expecting her. If she knocked on the door, he’d open it. He would say the right things to make her feel better.
The Duke was watching her intently. She expected protection from her brother, but not from any other man.
Silence had fallen between them as she thought about her next step, while recognition passed over his face.
“You didn’t plan this, Lady Lucy. You didn’t arrange the whole thing, didn’t you?” he asked, his voice gentle.
“W-what? I don’t know what you mean.”
“The way you reacted to me,” he explained, a smirk curving his lips.
“The way you are blushing and trembling, as if you’d jump anytime someone comes close, shows that you haven’t been here before.
You do not know how to navigate this world yet.
Someone gave you this idea. Someone who enjoys being clever. ”
He sighed heavily, placing his hands on his hips as he looked down at the ground.
He shook his head. “Victoria, of course. Who else could it be?”
Lucy did not answer, but her silence was answer enough. She felt frustrated that he was able to read her so easily when they had just met. She wondered if other people would know what she did if she proceeded with the original plan tonight.
“Victoria has a heart of gold, certainly,” the Duke added. “However, she is also like a cat, a feral one. She might think she was helping you, but she’d forgotten what it was like to be on the outside now that she is happily married.”
Lucy stepped away from the door. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. She was easy to read and catch. Perhaps she should leave while she still could, with her reputation intact.
“Please don’t tell anyone,” she pleaded. “Especially not Victoria. She might feel guilty about this.”
“You have my word,” he assured her. “But do run along, angel. You are too innocent for the night. Many men will want to spend time with you without you having to pay them.”
She blushed once more at the implication of spending time with her. The Duke certainly was not a subtle man.
Lucy looked up at him once more. It was difficult to tear her eyes away, except perhaps because her embarrassment tempted her to study every crease on her now-dirty satin slippers.
“I must admit, though,” the Duke murmured, his gaze dropping to her lips. Was she imagining that? “Curiosity suits you. But be careful, for it can get you into trouble.”
Her face felt like it had been scorched.
Without saying another word, she turned on her heel and practically ran down the alley to where her carriage awaited. Once she saw its familiar comfort, relief flooded through her.
What had just happened?
It was not how she had expected to spend her night.