Chapter Fourteen
She turned around to go back down the stairs, nearly pushing Sebastian down before he could stop her. ‘Take me back to my brother’s house this instant.’
‘I told you you would say that,’ he said pushing her gently back until they were both inside the room and he could shut the door. Then he locked it and dropped the key in his pocket.
‘I don’t know what you have in mind,’ she said looking between him and the courtesan, ‘but if it is what I suspect, I would rather die.’
He gave a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows, ‘Why, Miss Fisk, what a lurid imagination you have.’
She glared at him and folded her arms, waiting for an explanation.
‘I brought Harriette here to bear witness to my character. I could not exactly arrange a meeting between the two of you anywhere you might be seen. Hence this visit to my pied-à-terre.’
Cassie bit her lip to keep from speaking. She had been tempted to announce that his character must be bad indeed if he chose a whore to vouch for him. But even though the woman sitting in front of her was infamous, it seemed rather impolite to call attention to the fact.
Sebastian smiled and said, ‘Harriette, may I present Miss Cassandra Fisk?’
‘Septon’s charming sister,’ the other woman said with a smile. ‘I am pleased to meet you, my dear.’
‘Miss Wilson,’ she said, trying to keep the chill from her voice.
‘Harriette, could you tell Miss Fisk what we were speaking of at the theatre two nights ago?’
Her mouth formed an O of understanding, which relaxed into a smile. ‘So this is…’
Sebastian nodded.
‘I see.’
‘I do not,’ Cassie said, frowning.
Harriette nodded. ‘I noticed that Westbridge was alone in his box and offered him company.’
‘While watching the play?’ Cassie said, still frowning.
‘And after,’ Harriette replied.
‘Now, Miss Wilson,’ Sebastian said, like a barrister questioning a witness, ‘Before that evening, when was the last time we were together?’
‘About a year and a half ago,’ the woman replied.
‘And, if you were to write your memoirs, how much space would you allot to me? A chapter? A page perhaps?’
The woman’s smile turned catlike. ‘A footnote.’
Sebastian winced. ‘Let us say a paragraph, for the sake of my pride.’
‘If you wish,’ she replied.
‘And on the night in question, how did I answer your offer of company?’
‘You said that your heart was engaged, and turned me down,’ she said. She was still smiling, but now it was at Cassie.
For a moment, the room had seemed to shift beneath her, and she had felt quite weak.
Then, Sebastian’s hand was on her shoulder, guiding her to a chair and pushing down until she sat. Once she was settled, he turned back to Harriette. ‘And before that evening, you had not seen me in some time?’
‘A year and a half,’ she repeated.
‘Have you heard anything else about me, recently?’
‘Only that people were wondering what you were up to,’ she replied. ‘No one has seen you in your usual haunts in ages.’
‘No gambling? No whoring? No drinking late into the night?’
‘Not that I am aware of,’ the courtesan said. ‘Since the duel with Septon, the gossip about you is that there is no gossip.’
‘That will be all, Miss Wilson,’ he said, bowing deeply to her and indicating the door.
‘Then I shall just leave the two of you alone, shall I?’ she said, smiling brightly. ‘Unless you need a chaperone?’
He cleared his throat and gave a slight shake of his head.
‘Very well,’ she said and looked to Cassie. ‘You needn’t worry that I will speak to you, should we meet again, Miss Fisk. As far as the ton is concerned, we have never met.’
Then, before she could decide whether to offer thanks or objections, Sebastian had unlocked the door and let Miss Wilson out into the hall. He shut the door again, and they were alone.
He did not lock it again, instead going to the front window and moving the curtain, peering down into the street to watch Miss Wilson’s departure.
Cassie glanced at the exit, only a few feet away. If she wished, she could be out the door and down the stairs before he could do anything to stop her. Once outside, she would have to flag down a hackney and hurry home before anyone had missed her.
She looked back at the Duke. Sebastian, she thought, and could not resist a small smile. She had made her decision about him before she’d arrived at Hyde Park. She would not run away now.
He turned back to her and smiled. ‘May I offer you refreshment? Tea? Lemonade? There is a tray made up in the pantry. Or perhaps, something stronger.’
‘I thought you said the apartment was unoccupied,’ she said, furrowing her brow. ‘You seem rather well-prepared.’
‘I have a woman who keeps it clean and ready, should I need it without warning,’ he said. ‘I wrote to her that I would be entertaining this afternoon.’ He paused. ‘She is long gone, by the way. We are all alone.’
‘How convenient,’ she said, watching him.
Then, she glanced around, examining her surroundings.
If this was a den of sin, it did not disappoint.
The walls were enamelled a dark green, and the furniture consisted of several couches in leather and velvet, accompanied by small tables just right for a glass of wine or a plate of hors d’oeuvres to nourish lounging lovers.
On the wall above the fireplace there was a gold-framed print of a naked woman, climbing into a bath.
‘Who is that?’ she said, pointing to the woman in the drawing.
‘It is supposed to be the Prince Regent’s mistress,’ he said. ‘But I do not think it looks very much like her.’
‘I hope you are talking about her face,’ she said, giving him a dubious look.
He laughed. ‘Yes. Her face. But I will say, the rest of her is attractive enough to attract a king.’
She stared at the picture, again. ‘I have no opinion on that.’
‘Well, I am something of a connoisseur,’ he said, stepping closer to admire the picture. Then, he glanced at her, as if comparing. ‘There is something to be said for a woman with an air of mystery.’
She glanced down at her gown and wondered if she was dressed appropriately for the occasion.
Miss Wilson had not looked as she’d imagined a Cyprian would.
Her walking dress had been tasteful and expensive.
Cassie felt rather dowdy in comparison. The rose-coloured spencer she wore over her muslin gown had little ornament other than the stick pin and was at least a Season old.
But when she looked back to Sebastian, he was staring at her as if he could see through the wool to the skin underneath.
She resisted the urge to cover her breasts with her hand. ‘There is nothing particularly mysterious about the human form. You have likely seen enough of them to know that they are all fundamentally alike.’
‘And yet, all delightful in their own way,’ he said, smiling. ‘I once knew a courtesan with a wooden leg. It did not diminish her beauty in the slightest. A very talented woman, as well.’
She gave him a dark look.
‘She played the harp,’ he said, blinking innocently.
‘You did not bring me here to talk about music,’ she said.
‘No, I did not,’ he said, his smile fading into something more thoughtful. ‘I brought you here because I wanted to assure you that my meeting with Harriette at the theatre was innocent. I was afraid you might have misunderstood.’
She nodded. ‘You have done so. Was there anything else?’
‘I have been honest,’ he said, holding out his open hands. ‘In exchange, I want the truth from you.’
A thrill went through her, as it always seemed to when he got too close. If she was honest, as he wanted her to be, she’d felt a strange pull at her heart the first time she’d seen him lying naked and bleeding on his bed. It had only grown, since.
He sat down on a velvet divan on the other side of the room, looking across at her and his smile vanished. ‘I have thought of nothing but you for months now. I cannot eat. I cannot sleep.’
She snorted. ‘You look both well-rested and well-nourished to my eyes.’
He shrugged. ‘An exaggeration, perhaps.’
‘And you wonder why I have trouble trusting you,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘You cannot go two minutes without telling a lie.’
‘Well, this, at least, is God’s truth. I have not lain with a woman since before the duel.’
She could not help her start of surprise. She looked into his eyes, searching for any sign that he was lying again.
But his expression was as earnest as she’d ever seen it and he did not look away. ‘Until I found you again… Until I had spoken to you and learned if I had any reason to hope? I could not think of bedding another.’
‘I suppose this is meant to impress me,’ she said with a nervous laugh.
‘I am only stating what happened,’ he said, still staring at her.
She was impressed. At least a little. Wasn’t this just what she’d dreamed of? A man so changed by a single kiss that he could devote himself to her for the rest of his life?
She shook her head, rejecting the idea. When she’d found him, he’d been too weak to fight for his own life without her help. Now he expected her to believe that he had the strength for celibacy.
‘I have curtailed my late nights, as well,’ he added.
‘I still drink and gamble, of course. I am not some starched-up prig who means to lord his virtue over others. But I do not partake of anything enough to call it a vice.’ He held out his hands again, as if to show he was open and honest. ‘I had given up hope that I could be the man my title deserved. I was close to death. Then, I met someone who changed all that. Tell me. Are you that woman?’
A happy warmth flowed to every part of her, enveloping her like a hug. She stared into his eyes which, as always, were blue and clear. They’d been so when he was wicked and were no indication of a pure heart. But they could see through her lies, easily enough and she was tired of denying him.
She nodded. ‘I have not told Julian how we met,’ she said.
‘I did not think you would,’ he replied.
‘I thought, perhaps you would not remember me,’ she added.
‘As I said, I could not forget.’
‘And when you did? I thought your interest was just a trick to lure me into your bed,’ she whispered.
‘Not a trick,’ he said, smiling. ‘I want that, of course. But so much more.’
‘But I am not afraid anymore. I was the one who nursed you,’ she said, feeling a flood of relief along with the truth.
‘You were the one I kissed,’ he said more softly.
‘And then, I left you,’ she reminded him. ‘What choice did I have?’
‘You could have stayed,’ he said.
‘As your mistress?’
This gave him pause, which was proof, she supposed that that was what he’d wanted at the time.
‘My brother had hopes for me,’ she said. ‘More than I had for myself. I did not want or need a husband. But I did not wish to disappoint him. And my father…’
‘The vicar?’ he said with a sad smile.
‘He would never have understood. They would have blamed you for a situation that was not your fault. You would have been forced to marry me.’
‘And you did not want that?’ he said, his expression open but curious.
‘We had just met,’ she said. ‘You were still weak from an injury my brother had caused. You could not possibly…’ But there was something about the way he was looking at her that made her stop.
He had proposed in the street. Repeatedly.
He had forsworn other women while he searched for her.
‘It was all very complicated,’ she finished.
He said nothing now, waiting for her.
‘It still is,’ she said, nervous.
‘Not really,’ he replied and patted a place on the couch next to him. ‘If you come here, I will show you how easy it can be. And how pleasant.’
He was right. It would be easy. Even easier, if she had the strength to stand.
Just looking at him, her knees turned to water.
‘On the couch,’ she said. The piece of furniture he had chosen did not look like it was designed for sitting and taking tea.
But it would be perfect to recline on if one was pushed onto one’s back and…
Now she felt dizzy.
‘I could have suggested the bedroom,’ he said, his roguish smile returning. ‘But its decoration would probably shock you.’ His lips quirked. ‘In fact, I am sure it shall. It is not the sort of thing a vicar’s daughter should see.’
‘I have been in your bedroom before,’ she said, gathering her strength.
‘In my home,’ he said. ‘That is quite different.’
What on earth was she doing? She should demand to be taken home and insist on a proper courtship, if he was serious in pursuing her. But if he meant to marry her as he’d claimed a week ago, what would happen was inevitable. All roads led to the same place.
But some of them were more interesting than others.
‘I think I should like to see it,’ she said and rose from her seat.
He suppressed a chuckle. ‘You continue to amaze me, Miss Fisk. And I do like to be surprised.’ He walked across the room and stood behind her.
‘Very well, then. Let us begin your education.’ He wrapped his arms around her and covered her eyes.
Then, he steered her forward towards what she guessed must be the bedroom door.