The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies)

by Michaels, Maddison

  “’Tis a serious endeavor, I’ll have you know. And one you are now a silent partner of.” She placed her hand on her hip and glared at him. “How will I know the note is actually from you?”

  “I shall sign it with the initials SP to signify my silent partner status. Suitable?”

  “You are hilarious. Though that does remind me I shall need the thousand pounds you have agreed to invest. We still must purchase a printing press, and the printer and his apprentice need to be paid, especially as I have now tasked them to print teaser pamphlets and get them out in circulation today.”

  “I’m not giving you one thousand pounds. I’m giving you two thousand.”

  Her jaw dropped open. “Two thousand. But I requested only one.”

  “I intend for the gazette to succeed, and for it to do so, it must become the publication Society will be clamoring to line up for. You’ll need more money to advertise it properly and get the word about for it to do so.”

  “But two thousand is a great amount of money,” she all but stammered, the enormity of the sum still swimming in her head.

  “You’ll use it wisely, of that I’m sure.” Sebastian shrugged. “Tell me though, how do you intend to circulate the teaser pamphlets?”

  “We have a network of runners ready to distribute them to various informants around London,” Livie said. “These informants are placed in some of Societies most affluent families and will ensure the lady of the house is given a copy. When the ladies pay their visits, it will be all any of them can talk about.”

  “Clever,” Seb murmured. “Have your runners send some pamphlets to Club Tartus, too. I shall have them placed in the lounge areas. By nightfall the future publication of the gazette will be all everyone in Society can talk of.”

  “Oh that’s brilliant,” Livie enthused.

  “I have my moments.” Sebastian smiled at her. “Now you’d best hurry inside and do try to get a few hours’ sleep before the excitement of the day starts.” He picked up her hand and placed a chaste kiss upon her gloved knuckle. “Sweet dreams, my lady.”

  His very touch reminded her of the feel of his lips against her own. The gentle roughness of the stubble along his jaw rubbing against her cheeks as his lips pressed down upon hers. Heat spread through her, remembering how it felt. Would he kiss her again? She was rather hoping he would. But then he released her hand and turned on his heel away from her.

  “Will you be safe getting home?” she asked.

  He paused and glanced back at her, appearing highly amused in the process. “No one has ever asked me that before.”

  No, of course they hadn’t. One glance at the man would scare away any would-be attacker. “I was just checking. You are not from this area…”

  A slow grin spread across his face. “This night, or rather morning, keeps getting more and more novel by the minute. Are you concerned for my safety, Livie? I’ve never had a duke’s daughter worry about me before, though I imagine it’s safe enough navigating the streets of Mayfair. I’m sure I shall be fine.”

  He thought her an imbecile, clearly. “Well, of course I’m concerned for your safety, Sebastian. I haven’t got the funds from you yet, have I?”

  Rather than take offense, a light chuckle drifted from his lips along the cool morning breeze. “I should have guessed as much.” He bowed to her. “A woman after my own heart, it would seem. Protect one’s investments at all costs.”

  And with a brief nod, he twisted on his heels and strode down the laneway before he was shortly out of sight.

  Livie released a pent-up sigh she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The man made her feel things no other man ever had. Desire, passion, and a wantonness that was quite foreign to her, but that she was beginning to crave. Could he really find her attractive? Even with her limp?

  It was a question she imagined would run around in her head while she lay in bed restlessly trying to get some sleep, after of course she snuck back in the house. Which reminded her, she had to hurry.

  And as she pushed through the back gate and hobbled through the gardens toward the kitchen door, her cane her ever-present companion, she suspected that Sebastian Colver had to be amusing himself with her.

  Well, she was just going to have to steel herself against him. Even if the thought of kissing him again was enough to nearly make her swoon. Because she feared the more she let him take liberties with her, the more she may forget what he was about and encourage him to. Then she really would be in trouble.

  Chapter Twelve

  A few hours later, after a very restless sleep, with images of Lady Olivia drifting in and out of his dreams, Seb awoke with a scowl on his face. A scowl he maintained all through his morning ritual of dressing and having breakfast, right up until he arrived at his office, as he couldn’t stop thinking about the darn lady, no matter how hard he tried to focus on business as usual.

  What the devil was wrong with him? Why he was so fascinated by a duke’s spinster daughter, of all things, was starting to irritate the hell out of him. Just because she’d shown some concern over his safety and intriguingly carried a bladed cane with her, he was turning into some sort of merry cock-a-hoop?

  It was pathetic, is what it was.

  Especially as Lady Olivia, or Livie as she’d told him to call her, had been concerned about him only because she wanted him to fund her bloody gazette. It didn’t take a scientist to figure that one out. Though it had amused him when she’d essentially thrown his own words back at him about being concerned only because of the investment.

  The woman had spine, he’d give her that.

  Until he’d mocked her over it. Then annoyance had flashed in those damn glorious eyes of hers, obliterating any concern she may have had for him in an instant.

  But who was he fooling? She didn’t care about him, and more to the point, he didn’t want her to.

  Caring about anyone and having them return those emotions was dangerous and would only ever result in hurt and loss. He knew that personally.

  Though why he had to remind himself about a creed he’d well lived by since his mother’s death twelve years ago made little sense. He’d ingrained that philosophy into his life much like any of his daily habits. To the point where he’d never had to warn himself about the perils of caring for someone since.

  Except for now.

  For some reason, Lady Olivia was making him forget everything he held dear. And he’d only bloody met the woman… Damn it, he hadn’t worked his ass off building an empire simply to give in to lust and emotion. To become weak. He wouldn’t put at risk all he’d achieved for anyone. Not even for a woman who was making him feel things he hadn’t felt in years, if ever.

  Hell, she was already invading his dreams. A fact that was simply unacceptable.

  “Clint, get in here,” Seb bellowed toward the closed door of his office. Barely five seconds later, the door swung open and his young clerk rushed into the room.

  “Yes sir?” Clint asked, the usual ready look of eagerness in his pale blue eyes, with his light blond hair slicked. He was dressed in a neat blue suit with a high collar as was the current fashion for men. Seb could think of nothing more annoying than having a stiff and starchy collar practically touching one’s ears. It had to be uncomfortable.

  “Here. Find out who wrote this.” Seb thrust out the note sent to Livie.

  “Someone signed your name?” Clint glanced up, affront and perhaps anger in his gaze. “Who would have the nerve to do so?”

  Seb raised a brow. “Isn’t that what I’m asking you to find out?”

  A deep flush of red crept up Clint’s cheeks. “Yes. Of course. I will do so right away.”

  “And have Lance and Rowan summoned, too.”

  Clint nodded and began to back out of the door.

  “One last thing.” Seb let his voice drop an octave, and Clint stopped in his t
racks. “Don’t ever let another occurrence like what happened the other day with Lady Olivia occur again.” Seb still couldn’t believe she’d been able to waltz into his office without anyone thinking to stop her.

  “Occurrence?” There was a question in the boy’s eyes while he tugged at his collar.

  “No one should be allowed to catch me by surprise in my own bloody office. Do you understand me?”

  The young man’s face fell before he began nodding his head up and down like a darn bandalore. “I’m sorry about that, Mr. Colver, and I promise I won’t fail you again. It’s just that, well…I saw her, and at first her limp threw me off, but then she walked over and smiled at me, she did, and I kinda got all flustered after that, especially seeing them spectacular blue eyes of hers. I know I should’ve protected your domain. And I promise I’ll do better next time. That ain’t no excuse, though.”

  “That isn’t any excuse,” Seb said, automatically correcting the lad’s speech as he’d become accustomed to doing since he’d agreed to mentor and train Clint over a year ago, after Lance had pleaded the boy’s case. Well, Clint wasn’t really a boy, but to Seb a twenty-two-year-old still seemed like a boy, and in truth after Lance had explained the boy’s situation, that the lad’s mother had died when he was a babe, and his father had been crippled after someone had beaten the man to the point of death, Seb had felt sorry for the fellow.

  Especially as the lad had essentially been an orphan since he was only eleven, his father as good as dead. “And, yes, I suggest you focus on your work instead of any more startling blue eyes, otherwise you will be looking for employment elsewhere.”

  “I won’t let you down again, sir!”

  Seb nodded at the lad. Not that Clint had actually let him down, and it was the first time he’d ever had to censure him. It was just that Lady Olivia had startled them all. And Seb never liked being surprised, so he probably was taking out his frustrations on the boy. “Good. And cancel the rest of my appointments for the day.”

  “Of course, sir! I’ll be sure to make certain the lady is not allowed up here again.”

  “No,” Seb barked, and then had to moderate his tone. “The lady and I are going into a business venture together.” If that’s what one would even call it. “She can now come and go as she pleases. Just be sure to announce her first.”

  Confusion crossed the boy’s face, but Seb certainly wasn’t going to explain his edicts to anyone. Most especially when he knew he sounded like a contradictory ogre.

  “Go and summon Lance and Rowan,” he found himself barking. “Tell them I want to speak with them immediately. And get word to Club Tartus that some pamphlets will be arriving this morning, which are to be distributed in the lounges for all to read.”

  The lad bobbed his head in acknowledgment and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Seb to his thoughts.

  Returning his attention to the correspondence on his desk, Seb had to work hard to keep his mind focused on his task at hand instead of wandering back to think of the darned woman.

  Twenty minutes later, he pushed away from his desk with a growl and stalked over to the window to look down at the street below, his eyes scanning over all the shops he owned. It had taken him years to slowly buy up the street and make it part of his growing empire.

  Seeing everything he had achieved, and knowing he owned them all, was usually an activity that calmed and centered him, but it wasn’t working today.

  Goddamn woman. What the hell was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her and the kiss they’d shared? He was acting as if he’d never kissed a lady before.

  What he needed was a cold bath. An ice bath, in fact. And then the company of a woman with whom he could relieve his itch. A woman he wouldn’t even think twice about the moment after he left her. Yes, that was just what he needed.

  Normally, Seb didn’t bother much with female companionship, except for the very occasional dalliance with a widow, maybe once or twice a year. He was usually too busy to bother. But now that he thought about it, it had been a long time since he’d been with a woman. Probably close to a year, in fact. He’d been so focused on launching his railway network in the north and ensuring the hotel chain in London he’d taken over recently turned a profit, that he’d been overly preoccupied with those endeavors to even bother to deal with his baser needs.

  Obviously, that had been a mistake and had to be the reason why Lady Olivia was getting on his nerves and churning him up on the inside. Why their kiss had seemed so different from any he’d experienced before.

  Yes. He was randy was all. And being thus affected, most likely any kiss from a pretty face would have triggered his baser impulses. That was the only logical reason why he couldn’t get her out of his head.

  Relief flooded him with the realization.

  As soon as he scratched this itch of his, all thoughts of Lady Olivia would vanish like the wind. Then he could focus once again on what mattered in his life—making money.

  A knock rang out from the direction of his door.

  “Enter,” he commanded, swinging around to the doorway.

  The door opened and Rowan strode through full of purpose, while Lance sauntered in behind him. They both took their usual seats in front of Seb’s desk, very used to being summoned at a moment’s notice.

  Just as Seb expected. He did, after all, pay them handsomely, along with having gifted them shares in his company to ensure not only their loyalty but also their motivation.

  “The two bodies ’ave been sorted,” Rowan stated, getting straight to the point, though it appeared as if he wanted to ask more about the circumstances of what had transpired, but the younger man knew Seb well enough to know he’d tell them when he was good and ready. “I’ve also discovered that a Jed McGinchy is the second in charge of the Lads of Leybrook Lane.”

  “That is good news. Find him.”

  “I will.” Rowan grinned. “Apparently, he loves to watch boxing matches, and it just so happens he’s already bought some tickets to the bare-knuckle match Thursday afternoon. So if we can’t find him sooner, me and some of the boys will round him up for questioning when he arrives at the Red Arena.”

  Rowan was referring to the boxing arena Seb owned, officially titled the Baker Street Boxing Club, but known to all as the Red Arena.

  “Make it happen.” It was just the news he needed. “Perhaps after some careful questioning he will disclose his boss’s identity. First, though, send some men around to Ezra Mooney’s place of business in Markall Street.” He quickly explained about the warehouse and what the men were to do about relocating the printing equipment and ensuring Mooney was given a lesson on what happened to those who tried to extort women. “Make it a lesson he will not forget, so he never repeats his mistake. And then ensure a note is sent to Lady Olivia with the new address of my warehouse on Jackson Street.”

  Rowan nodded. “I shall.”

  “Seeing that’s all sorted, are you now in a better mood to tell us what happened in the early hours this morning then?” Lance asked, a broad grin stretching across his face and his eyes dancing in curiosity. “When you went haring off to save Lady Olivia?”

  Not for the first time, Seb was close to reprimanding Lance’s impudence, but they were more like brothers than just friends, so he refrained.

  “Lady Olivia is messed up in what happened last night?” Rowan sounded surprised. “What the blooming hell was she doing in the Rookeries, let alone at that hour?”

  “She received a note falsely purporting to be from me, requesting she meet me there.” Succinctly, Seb told them all that had occurred in the alley. Except the kiss. Neither of them needed to know that.

  After he’d finished, he could see that Lance and Rowan were both rather impressed that a duke’s daughter had a blade concealed in the tip of her cane which, Seb had to admit, he was, too. Though th
ere was fury in their eyes when he told him of the snake tattoo on the neck of the second assailant.

  “We need to find this Lads gang and their mysterious leader, and we need to destroy them,” Rowan exclaimed when Seb had finished. “The absolute hide of them, daring to seek to have you killed. But what was their motivation in tricking Lady Olivia to attend, too? How’d they even know about her? Makes little sense.”

  The same question had crossed Seb’s mind. “I don’t know, Rowan. But we need to find out and quickly. Perhaps when you round up this man McGinchy, he will be able to shed some light on it for us.”

  “Actually, I think I might know why she was targeted.” Lance stood and walked across to where Seb was still perched on the window frame. “There were rumors the other day that a gentleman was seeking the services of someone to dispatch a rather well-to-do and connected young lady. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now I wonder if that lady is Lady Olivia?”

  Slowly, Seb stood and took a step toward Lance until he was but an inch away. He glanced down at his friend, the rage boiling inside him at a knife’s edge from tipping over. “Why did you not tell me of this sooner?”

  Lance stood his ground and raised his chin in a defiant gesture. “If I had known the request possibly related to her, of course I would have told you. But you left me in charge of the day-to-day running of the more unsavory aspects of our business dealings, remember? While you focused on the more legitimate side of things.”

  “Oh, I remember,” Seb said, the boots of his shoes toe-to-toe with Lance’s. “But I must say, you’re slipping, Lance, not to inform me of such a thing.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Lance squared up to Seb. “Why would I bother telling you of some fool who wanted to pay to have a lady killed, when I refused the job and made sure everyone in our territory refused as well, knowing of your abhorrence of violence against women? You know perfectly well you wouldn’t give a shit if it was anyone else except for Lady Olivia, as long as no one from our territory accepted the job. Which it seems this rival gang may have had no qualms in agreeing to.”