“White’s? Oh, no. I was just out for a walk.”
Somerton chuckled. “A walk? At eleven in the evening? Even in Mayfair, you must take more care. You look like hell.”
Will shrugged. “So I assume that means White’s is out of the question.”
“They will take you as long as you pay their fee. But I happen to know a much better place.” Somerton inclined his head up the street. “My carriage is up this way.”
“Very well,” Will said, wondering exactly where they were headed.
Somerton remained quiet as they walked together toward the carriage.
“Why were you in the shadows?” Will asked, his curiosity finally getting the best of him.
“I was waiting for a friend who did not arrive.”
That made no sense, Will thought. Why wait outside? Instead of questioning him further, he kept his mouth shut. Somerton was an interesting man in a strange way.
They reached the carriage and started off for another club. Will glanced out the window as silence filled the carriage. Should he even be here with this man? Elizabeth had tried to warn him about Somerton, and he had been lurking in the shadows like a criminal.
“Have you been out to any balls yet?” Somerton asked, breaking the strangling silence.
“Not yet. I have accepted the dowager Countess of Cantwell’s invitation. Will you be there?”
“God, no. I hate those blasted balls. There really is only one reason to attend.”
“Oh?” Will asked.
“Marriage, man. The mamas are there, proudly displaying their babies for you to fawn over. Their only goal is to get those daughters off their hands as quickly as possible.”
Will considered this for a moment. Perhaps he should decline, since he had no desire to marry an English lady who could barely think for herself. Except Elizabeth. She certainly had a mind of her own.
“Ahh, we have arrived,” Somerton drawled. He climbed down and waited for Will.
“So where exactly are we?”
“Lady Whitely’s.” Somerton walked up the steps. “Come along, Kendal.”
Kendal. He would never get used to that name. The door opened and the sound of voices carried out. “Is Lady Whitely having a party?”
“Every night,” Somerton replied before entering the house.
Will walked inside and stopped. The room blazed with candlelight and scantily clad women. While he had been in a brothel before, he’d never seen one this luxurious. Red velvet chairs and sofas created intimate nooks for conversation—and other things.
A few men glanced their way and inclined their heads toward Somerton. Several of the women looked at both of them and smiled. He could hear the whispered tones debating about which girl Somerton might pick tonight.
“Somerton, this really isn’t my type of place,” Will said.
“Come along to the back room. We’re only here for a drink and to talk. If you choose to do something else when we are done, that’s your business.”
With a sigh, Will followed Somerton to the back room. The noise from the front room didn’t carry this far, and the women in here lifted trays heavy with drinks for the gentlemen. Somerton and Will took a seat that overlooked the torch-lit gardens. Will looked around and realized that even this house of sin would have put his home in York to shame.
“Can I get you a drink, Lord Somerton?”
Will looked up to see a tall woman with flowing blond hair standing next to him. The dress she wore was nothing but red sheer fabric with embroidered flowers covering her most private parts. Not that the embroidery covered all that much.
“We shall have a bottle of your best whisky, Venus.”
She nodded but glanced over at him with a wink. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Lord Somerton?”
“I’m not sure he would like his presence known yet, darling.”
Her full painted lips pouted slightly. “All right, then,” she replied and turned around to walk to the bar.
Will couldn’t help but watch her all but bare hips swaying under the sheer gown. “Nice place, Somerton.”
“I thought you might need somewhere you could relax for awhile.”
Venus returned with a bottle of whisky and two glasses. She leaned over Will’s shoulder to place the bottle and glass in front of him. Her full breasts rubbed against his back.
“If you need anything,” she whispered in his ear, “just let me know.” As Venus backed away, the overpowering bouquet of her perfume lingered.
Somerton reached over and grabbed the whisky bottle. After pouring them both a glass, he leaned back and said, “To titled gentlemen who can get anything they want.”
Will wasn’t sure that was a good thing or not. His parents had taught him that hard work brought success to people. And he had believed them…until he returned to England. Regardless, he lifted his glass in agreement and then swallowed a large amount.
The sound of heels clicking on wood drew his attention to the door. An older woman who looked to be in her mid-forties walked straight toward them, ignoring all the other men who greeted her. While the girls were dressed in sheer fabrics, this woman wore an elegant blue-striped silk dress. She looked far more like a woman he would meet at a ball than a strumpet.
Somerton looked back, shook his head, and muttered a curse under his breath.
“Good evening, Anthony.” The “lady” put her hand on the back of Somerton’s chair. “So now you come to my establishment and don’t greet me before entertaining yourself?”
“Good evening, Lady Whitely,” he said, taking her hand to his lips.
“Much better. Now tell me who this handsome devil is.”
“Will, this is Lady Whitely. She owns the house. Lady Whitely, this is my friend Will Atherton.”
“Good evening, Lady Whitely.” Will stood and kissed the back of her hand. He had to admit this was a first—treating a common whore like a true lady.
“Good evening to you, Your Grace.” Lady Whitely smiled up at him. “Do you think I wouldn’t have heard of you?”
“I would not know.”
“Everyone knows you are in town, Your Grace.” She turned back to Somerton. “I would like to speak with you soon.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Very well,” she said with a quick nod, and then departed.
Will drank another glass of whisky and then leaned back in his chair and laughed. “I guess this is one of the reasons Elizabeth warned me about you.”
“She did? I barely know the chit. Why would she not like me?”
“Something about your reputation,” Will commented. The whisky was finally helping him relax. So he sipped down some more.
Somerton shrugged. “So I have been known to frequent a brothel. I’m no different than most men.”
“True enough. But she mentioned something about killing a few men.”
“All lies to make me look nefarious in the eyes of the ton.” Somerton leaned in a little closer and asked, “So how is the fair Lady Elizabeth?”
“Angry.”
Somerton grimaced. “At you?”
“Of course at me. She gets along fine with the children, and she and Ellie seem to have forged a friendship.”
“What exactly were you two arguing about tonight?”
Will sipped his drink to gather his thoughts. “Family.”
“Yours or hers?”
“Ours. It’s very important to her that I learn all about the exalted history of the Duke of Kendal. Not that I give a damn about it.” Will gulped the rest of his whisky and poured another glass.
“Ahh,” Somerton replied. “But by not giving a damn, as you so eloquently said, you have insulted her.”
“I never insulted her.”
“The woman is a spinster. All she has is her family, and by dismissing her relatives, you are rejecting her.”
Damn the man for being so intuitive. “I think I asked her to leave tonight,” Will muttered before drinking another glass of w
hisky.
“You did what?” Somerton slammed his glass on the table, and everyone in the room stared at them both. “Go on about your business,” he barked to the room.
Will related the high points of the argument. “I told her that it might be time for her to leave my house.”
“You ass.” Somerton stood and pulled out Will’s chair, too. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“You are returning to your home with your tail between your arse and apologizing to the lady.” Somerton pulled Will’s arm and dragged him down the hall. “She has nowhere to go if she leaves your house. Not only that, but you need her right now.”
“I don’t need her,” Will lied. He needed Elizabeth in more ways than he could count.
“Indeed?” Somerton stopped only when he reached the front step. “Could you really manage all those children alone? Could you get your older sisters ready to make their bow to the queen? Would you have managed hiring servants, tutors, and a governess?”
“No,” Will admitted.
“Exactly.”
Elizabeth knelt down and felt the underside of the desk in Will’s bedroom. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t get enough leverage without getting all the way down on the floor. Lying down on the rug, she scooted her bottom until she was completely under the desk.
“Please,” she begged the desk to give up its secrets. She pressed her hands against the underside of the desk. At least this desk had ornate legs and only one large drawer. She vaguely remembered her mother using this desk to respond to her correspondence. It only made sense that there was a secret compartment in it.
She pulled at the back and sides of the drawer but nothing budged. After skimming her hands all along the underside, she realized there were no secrets from the desk for her now. Tears welled in her eyes. She would never know who she was.
By tomorrow, she would be packing her things and living with Sophie. Elizabeth rubbed her palms against her eyes. She was such an idiot to let him draw her into an argument.
“Why didn’t I keep my mouth shut?”
“I’m really not certain. But then again, I have no idea why you are in my bedroom and under my desk.”
Elizabeth sat up so quickly, she banged her head against the desk. “Ouch!”
She inelegantly crawled out from under the desk, only to find Will staring down at her. His brown eyes were almost black with anger. So much for thinking his rage might have dissipated with time. He actually looked more irate now than when he left.
Realizing she stood in front of him in nothing more than her night rail with a dressing gown over it, she pulled the dressing gown tighter.
“Would you like to explain what the hell you’re doing in my bedroom?”
“Umm, I was looking for something,” she said.
“Under the desk?”
Elizabeth cringed at the harsh tone of his voice. “Shhh, the children are asleep.”
“They are upstairs and cannot hear a thing.” He folded his arms over his chest. “What are you looking for, Elizabeth?”
“Something that belonged to my mother.” She prayed he would stop his interrogation at that.
“And?”
“And what?”
Will blew out a breath as if he were having trouble containing his anger. “Why would it be under the desk?”
She sidestepped him and started for the door. “It is nothing that concerns you.”
Before she could reach the door, he pulled her back toward him. “Try again.”
Her heart pounded in her chest. “I already told you it has nothing to do with you. Now if you will excuse me I must go pack.”
His lips tilted up into a smug smile. “You’re not going anywhere until I hear the truth.”
He pulled her a step closer until she could smell the stench on him.
“Oh, my God, you smell like whisky and cheap women,” she said, pushing away from him.
“I don’t think any of those women come cheap.”
Elizabeth’s mouth gaped. “You…you…” Nothing more would come out of her mouth. She had no idea what to say to a man who had just returned from a brothel.
“You might be right about Somerton being a poor influence, though,” Will said with a chuckle.
“I might have known you were with him.”
“Now, where were we?” he asked. “Oh, yes, back to why you are in my bedroom at night.” He pulled her closer again. “Not that I mind, but you should have given me some warning.”
He drew her against his chest. “I believe I must have misjudged you, Elizabeth.”
“H-How so?” She was so close to him, if she wanted to kiss him, his lips were only inches away. And blast it, she did want to kiss him again.
“I didn’t realize that you were the type of woman to enter a man’s bedchamber,” he said, then brought his lips down on hers.
This evening’s kiss was far more sensual than the afternoon version. His lips pressed to hers until she opened slightly to taste him. She savored the fine smoky whisky on his breath, and his tongue ignited a fire that burned to her loins. His hands reached for the ties on her dressing gown and released the tight knot. He spread the gown open, revealing her light cotton night rail.
He broke away for a moment to glance down. Her nipples were hardened into tight peaks that ached for his touch. With a groan, he kissed her harder this time. He brought his hand up to cup her breast and stroked his thumb across her nipple. Molten moisture rushed to her womb. Her hips rocked against his in an age-old ritual.
She moaned softly against his lips as his thumb continued its exquisite torture. He skimmed his hands down her back, flattening her to his chest.
She knew she should break away from his intoxicating body. Instead, she brought her arms around his neck tighter and rubbed her aching breasts against him. She wanted him to touch her there again. Worse, she wanted him to touch other places on her body.
How could something she knew was wrong feel so wonderful? This man was completely wrong for her. So, if that was true, why did she want to feel his naked skin on top of her? Oh, God, she was becoming a wanton. Her friends’ influence had finally rubbed off on her.
She broke away from him and ran from the room. Once she reached her own bedroom, she locked the door behind her. If he walked in here, she would have no self-control. She sat on the bed and waited, her heart pounding. Twice in one day, he had kissed her. And not just a cousinly peck on the cheek, but a passionate kiss meant to heighten her desire.
He never did find out what she was looking for in his room. Now she had the rest of the night to come up with an excuse. Was that possible? What would a lady attach to the bottom of her desk?
Jewelry?
Perhaps that was the answer, or excuse, as it were. She could tell him that her mother had hidden some of her jewels so her father would not sell them.
Elizabeth lay back on the bed. That made no sense. Her father wouldn’t need to sell any of her mother’s pendants.
A letter? That made the most sense. Her mother had hidden a letter from her father because…she was having an affair. No! Because her mother had stashed some money in a safe place, and left the note somewhere in the house. Elizabeth thought she could find the note, and therefore retrieve the money to use for her own security.
Perfect!
At least it would be perfect if Will believed her.
Chapter 11
Will paced the salon, waiting for everyone to finish their preparations. He needed to show the children the darker side of London. They had to realize that not everyone lived as they did now.
“Please rethink this idea,” Elizabeth begged him.
Those were the first words she’d spoken to him since entering the room. She’d made no mention of their encounter in his bedroom, and right now, he had no desire to speak of it. When they returned, he would ask her for a better reason why she’d been in his room last evening.
“I agreed not to take Sarah,
Robert, and Ethan, but the others should see how England treats its downtrodden. Today we will take Ellie and Lucy, and tomorrow I will take the boys.”
“And I suppose America has no poor?”
“Of course they do. Just nothing like the severity of London’s poor.”
“I do not believe you. All large cities have issues with poverty,” Elizabeth commented. “And many people are flocking to America now. Their poverty will only grow.”
“True enough,” Will said, as he strode past her chair again. He suddenly stopped and turned back to her. “Have you ever even seen what I’m talking about?”
“I have lived in London most of my life.”
“Yes, but have you ever really seen the areas I am speaking of?”
“I have been to Covent Gardens.”
“But Whitechapel, St. Giles—have you been there?”
She glanced away from him. “Of course not! It is not right to take them there. The entire area is nothing but crime and poverty.”
“And that is exactly what they need to see,” Will said.
She stepped forward and smiled at him. “Please, rethink this, Will,” she said in a wholly seductive voice. “You would not wish to put your sisters in danger.”
As cute as her overt attempts at flirtation were, he was in no mood for them today. “No, Elizabeth.”
She lifted her hand as if to caress his cheek. He caught her wrist in his grip and she started.
“I said, no,” he said in a quiet tone. Releasing her hand, he stepped back.
Finally, Ellie and Lucy entered the room.
“Will, I really do not think I should go,” Ellie said softly. “I have a touch of a headache—”
“Then the fresh air will do you good,” Will replied.
“The air is far from fresh down there,” Elizabeth added. “It is quite putrid with the coal smoke and fumes.”
“Enough!” Will clenched his fists in frustration. Every one of them was against him.
“I can’t wait to go,” said Lucy in an excited tone. “We might see some pickpockets, or maybe even a murderer!”
“Oh, I think I am going to be sick,” Ellie whispered.
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