Ashwick narrowed his eyes and said, “Must I remind you that you owe me?”
Lorena gasped and laughed so hard that more tears filled her eyes. “You can’t force a woman to marry you just because she burned down your house.”
“I’ll meet with Francis today and begin to draw up a wedding contract.”
She gasped again, but this time, she didn’t laugh. “You wouldn’t. I didn’t say yes.”
“You don’t need to,” he told her. “Now you know how I feel, and I know how you feel about me.” He wore arrogance just as well as he did his jacket. A perfect fit.
She tilted her head. “Oh, pardon me, but exactly what is it that I feel for you?”
“You love me,” he said quickly, his gray eyes gleaming. “You love me, and I love you. It’s as good as done.”
“I never said I loved you,” Lorena announced.
His finger trailed down her throat. She shivered. He said, “You didn’t have to.”
She smiled. “Well, I’ll say it anyway.” Then she paused and said, “I love you, Emmett.”
Ashwick closed his eyes, leaned forward, and placed his head upon hers. “Say it again. Just as you did.”
“I love you, Emmett,” she whispered.
He opened his eyes and confessed, “No one has ever said those words to me.”
Lorena’s hands went to his cheeks, holding him tightly, and her heart felt ripped from her chest. How cruel had his life been? To never hear someone say, ‘I love you’? She locked her eyes with his and said, “Then I will say them to you every day, over and over again.”
He grinned. “Just once will do.”
“No,” she declared. “It not enough. I love you.”
He smiled. His arms went around her and pulled her close. “I love you, too.”
She kissed him dutifully and declared, “Let us venture to the park.”
“Let’s.”
But at the sound of footsteps, they dislodged themselves from one another and Sudworth appeared, followed by Genie and Sophia Taylor. Ashwick took her hand and helped Lorena onto her feet.
Genie was smiling.
So was Sophia before she looked at Ashwick and declared, “No men while the women are in session.”
Lorena smiled, thinking her words funny. She thought of parliament and of all the men who would sit around and discuss the ways they would change England for the better. Sophia made it seem as though they would be doing the same.
Ashwick said, “Actually, there will be no session.”
Everyone gasped.
Including Lorena.
“Actually,” she said with a cool tone. “There will be.”
His gray eyes moved to hers and he declared to the room, “You can’t have a Spinster’s Society run by an engaged woman.”
Genie screamed and rushed over. “Lorena! I’m so happy for you.”
Lorena smiled at her friend and turned to Ashwick. She said, “I haven’t said yes yet. Therefore, I am not engaged.”
“Formalities,” he quipped.
Fair play.
Lorena shrugged. “Call it as you see fit, but I’ve still not said yes.”
“Yet,” he said, reminded her of her own words only a second ago. “You haven’t said yes yet, but you will.” There was happiness in his gray eyes, more than she’d ever seen before.
She would. They both knew she would, but not yet. She needed Ashwick to know that he couldn’t control her life. “We’ll have to go for our ride another day.”
He was smiling when he said, “Tomorrow.” Then he kissed her cheek and left with Sudworth.
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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Sophia had a small bag in one hand and a paper in the other, fanning herself. “I see your dilemma, my dear. He’s gorgeous,” she said with a smile and draped herself into a nearby chair. Draping was the only way to describe what the woman had done. Sophia had a way of carrying herself. Her dress was a bold shade of vivid pink that made her green eyes stand out. Her black hair was styled in high curls, and she was the only person who held any seduction in their society if Lorena said so herself.
“If Lord Ashwick is any indication, I believe you,” Sophia said. Then her expression changed, “Where is Maura?”
“Here,” a voice said from the entrance.
No one had seen her appear.
Maura smiled.
Sophia said, “Come over. We’re just getting ready to commence our first meeting.”
Maura moved quickly into a chair next to Sophia.
Then Sophia dropped her bag by the chair and proceeded to pull out a glass bottle with clear liquid.
“What is that?” Lorena asked.
“Gin,” Sophia announced. “From my father’s personal distillery.” She removed the top and proceeded to drink straight from the bottle.
Lorena watched her in amazement. Sophia lowered it, shook her head, and smiled. “Who’s next?”
“Me!” Genie declared, always ready for a bit of fun.
Lorena, still astonished, watched as Genie took the bottle, put it to her lips, and drank. Then she stood as Genie began to choke.
“Oh,” Lorena said, quickly moving to her side. She tried to help Genie from the chair, hoping it would help her breathe.
Genie stood, still choking, until her chokes became laughter. She grinned over at Lorena with tears in her eyes. “Thank you.” Then she passed the bottle into Lorena’s hands.
Lorena frowned at it and met the eyes of the other women. They were all grinning wildly. “To the society,” she toasted. She threw her head back and took a sip of what she swore was the worst tasting spirit she’d ever drunk. She, too, choked, though not as much as Genie had. Her head began spinning instantly, and she’d only had a sip.
She stared at Sophia and asked, “Should I feel this dizzy so quickly?”
“Yes,” Sophia said. Then she laughed, took the bottle, and gave it to Maura.
Maura didn’t hesitate. She sipped, put the bottle down, and grinned. “Oh, this feeling is pleasant.”
Lorena laughed and fell into her chair.
And the first session of the society began.
At first, they struggled to create rules, but after a few more sips of gin, everything became so clear to Lorena. She completely forgot about her engagement as rules formed. The two that stood out went as followed: No man was allowed in any session, and whatever was said in the sessions could not be shared with other women or men, including spouses.
The meeting was interrupted when Mr. Taylor came to take measurements.
While standing in her chemise, which she’d not protested to thanks to the gin, she asked him, “How is it that a man can make clothing for women? Doesn’t that seem odd?”
Mr. Taylor, who’d been kneeling before her, rose. Their eyes met and he said, “How much would you care to bet that I know your body much more than you do?”
Lorena slightly came to and decided she didn’t want to enter that bet.
Mr. Taylor went on, “I love women. I love every curve and dip of their bodies.” His hand settled on her hip and Lorena held her breath.
Mr. Taylor smiled. “Also, I believe I’d know what men wish to see on a woman more than a woman would know. Don’t you?” He lifted a dark brow, challenging her once more.
“Perhaps,” Lorena whispered.
Then Mr. Taylor chuckled, lowered himself, and disappeared.
Lorena became very aware of her state of undress.
When Mr. Taylor left, servants that Lorena had never seen were already walking the halls and cleaning, led by Aunt Matilda, who’d eventually cried about a headache and had gone off to bed early. In the drawing room, there had been more gin and more discussion of rules and a consensus that every woman deserved to have a say in all matters.
Lorena,
out of nowhere, had begun to speak about the fire, the man in the mask, and how she owed Ashwick and how he planned to collect.
This had led a very not-sober Sophia into saying, “Well, we should find out just who the man in the mask was.”
Maura perked up and said, “My mother found a man on the street who said he saw a man jump out the window that night.”
“Really?” Lorena asked. “Why didn’t she tell me this before?”
“She planned to tell you,” Maura said with the gin bottle in her hand. She’d drunk more than the rest of them and didn’t seem nearly as inebriated. She only wavered a little, but her words were not slurred. “But Lord Ashwick showed up. So we changed our plans and went to Miss Potter’s.”
“Oh,” Lorena said.
“And Ashwick was around again this morning,” Maura added.
Sophia rose, staggered a little, and said, “Our first order of business will be to find the man in the mask and set our sister, Lorena, free from her debts. Tonight!”
“Here, here,” Genie cried. Then her hands moved to the bottle.
Lorena, even in her wavering state of mind, knew this to be very bad idea. “The sun has set,” she informed her friends. “And we are all three sheets to the wind.”
Genie put the bottle down and giggled. “It is quite fun, isn’t it? You know, I’d never had wine that hadn’t been watered down until dinner with Mr. Taylor.”
Sophia smiled. “And there will always be a place at our table for you.” Then she turned and said, “All of you.”
Lorena sighed. “Thank you, since we’ve yet to get a cook of our own.” Mrs. Potter had sent word that she was searching for a cook, but didn’t know when one would be available.
“Let us question the man Mrs. Matilda found,” Sophia said. “And we’ll have dinner at my house.”
Lorena liked that plan, though something continued to bother her. A voice inside her said it was not a good idea, but she ignored the voice. She didn’t want to owe Ashwick anything, much less her hand in marriage. He could get that freely.
“What is the man’s name?” Lorena asked Maura.
“I don’t know,” Maura said. “But he owns the Dockhand.”
“The Dockhand?” Lorena asked. “What’s that?”
“A tavern, I believe,” Sophia said. “Though I’ve no idea where it is.”
Genie said, “A man might know. We should ask Francis.” She had the gin bottle again.
“No,” everyone said in unison.
Lorena took the gin bottle and set it away from everyone. “The Men of Nashwood cannot know or they will try and stop us.”
“Oh,” Genie said, dragging the word out. “That’s true.”
“Let’s ask Sudworth,” Sophia decided. Before anyone could say otherwise, she shouted for him. “Sudworth!” His name rang through the nearly empty house.
Sudworth appeared and asked, “How may I serve you?”
“Where’s the Dockhand?” Sophia asked.
Sudworth lifted a brow and asked, “You would be speaking of the tavern?”
“Yes,” Sophia told him. “Where is it?”
“At the docks,” he told her with a smile.
“Wonderful.” Then she turned to the rest of the group and said, “To the docks!”
Lorena agreed and the voice in the back of her mind tried to mind her to do something very important, but she found herself dragged from the house, pushed into a hack, and heading to the docks before she remembered.
She forgot to tell Sudworth not to say anything to Ashwick.
But why would her butler tell him anything? He was, after all, hers.
Lorena smiled and knew that everything would work out perfectly.
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
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Lorena hated the Dockhand the moment she walked inside. She’d thought the docks smelt horrid, but nothing beat the tavern. It had the smell of the dock mixed with sweat, dirt, and ale. She’d sobered quite a bit on the way there and now realized just how bad an idea this was.
She looked around and noticed her friends all looking around with different expressions. Genie was her usually excited self and that alone caused Lorena to smile. They’d not had the chance to truly talk about her father dying and Lorena planned to do just that the moment she got the chance. Maura looked slightly fascinated, as though she was taking every inch of the place in with her eyes. She appeared more alive than ever. And then there was Sophia. She stood in the entrance as though she’d walked into a dressmaker’s shop, completely confident in herself and daring anyone to question her presence.
Lorena was trying to not be sick when a man approach and grinned, showing them all a glimpse of his teeth.
“Can I help you, ladies?”
“We’ll take a table,” Sophia declared and pushed her way forward. She walked toward the back of the dimly lit small space and took a seat. Maura and Genie followed and after only a moment of hesitation, Lorena did the same.
They weren’t the only women in the room, Lorena observed. There seemed to be quite of few of them, some sat at tables laughing with men while the bolder sort sat on a few laps. There were also women serving ale and one of them approached Lorena’s table.
“What would you ladies care to drink?” the woman asked. “We don’t serve tea.”
Though they weren’t the only women in the room, they were definitely the only ladies.
“Ale all around,” Sophia said, throwing a coin on the table.
Genie gasped and whispered loudly, “Sophia, we’re already intoxicated.”
The woman paid no attention to Genie’s protest, grabbed the coin, and went to do what Sophia bid.
Then Sophia said, “You don’t have to drink it; we’re just trying to blend in.”
“Oh,” Genie said, stretching it longer than she had in the house.
A noise from the front door and collective gasps made Lorena raise her head. All the blood in her body left her limbs to settle in her stomach.
“Ashwick,” she whispered.
And not just Ashwick. He’d brought company in the form of two of the other Men of Nashwood.
“Damn,” Sophia said. “We should have told Mr. Sudworth not to say anything.”
Lorena knew her to be right and said, “Get down before we’re spotted,” right before she lowered her head.
Their ale came and the tavern woman said, “Well, I’ve never seen so much beauty in this place before.”
Lorena knew exactly what she meant.
The woman gasped. “Oh, and they’re heading my way.”
Lorena wished she didn’t know exactly what the woman meant.
There was the sound of heavy footsteps followed by silence.
The tavern woman asked, “Is there anything I can get for you, my lord?” The words were purred and Lorena’s temper rose. The tavern woman reminded her of the housemaid she’d seen sneaking out of Ashwick’s room at the country party.
Lorena gasped when she realized she’d forgotten all about the maid.
How dare he? He’d said he loved her at first sight!
She was just about to make herself known to the room when she felt a hand grip her arm and her body yanked from the table. There were more grunts and some loud gasps as Lorena’s body was slung over Ashwick’s back before he proceeded to carry her out of the building. Lorena, who had a view of their table, saw Francis lift a jubilant Genie into his arms, and Calvin escorted an enraged Sophia and a smiling Maura from the table.
Ashwick didn’t put Lorena down when they were finally outside. Instead, he walked a few paces and nearly dropped her.
She stumbled.
“What the devil were you thinking?” he roared.
“Me?” Lorena asked. “How could you touch that maid?”
Ashwick stilled and asked, �
�What?”
“At my parents’ estate,” Lorena accused. “You touched her even though you loved me. You told me you loved me at first sight and you touched a maid.” Her heart was breaking. In a second, she went from enraged to full of despair. It slightly sobered her. “I love you,” she cried. “I’d never do that to you.”
Ashwick’s hands settled on her shoulder and he whispered, “Lorena.” Then he pulled her in and wrapped her in his arms. There was tenderness in his voice. “I didn’t touch your maid. I swear it, my love.”
She lifted her head and tried to meet his eyes but it was too dark. Still, she believed him. “Swear you’ll never touch another maid when we’re married.”
“I’ll never touch another woman once we are married.” He stroked her arms as he spoke. “Ever.”
She liked that.
Lorena sighed and felt exhausted. “All right. I’m ready to go home,” she announced.
There was silence. Ashwick’s tenderness left his voice. “We still need to discuss what just occurred in that tavern and why you were there.”
From another part of the dark docks, Lorena could hear Sophia’s voice filling the night and had the feeling she was shouting at Calvin. She went silent when he began to shout back. Lorena rather thought Sophia hadn’t been prepared for that.
Lorena swallowed, not sure what to say. She couldn’t tell Ashwick the truth. She didn’t want him getting in her way. “We just wanted to have a bit of ale.”
Ashwick’s hands tightened on her arms. “From a tavern on the other side of London?”
“We were told the ale was quite good here,” Lorena went on, blinking her lashes at him, though he couldn’t see it in the dark.
“By who?” Ashwick asked. “Sudworth?”
“No,” Lorena quickly said. She frowned. “I’ll have you know that Sudworth tried to stop us.” She thought better of that statement the moment the words left her lips.
“And you didn’t listen,” he went on. “Which was why he came to me immediately.” His voice was rising.
Lady Lorena’s Spinster’s Society ( The Spinster’s Society) (A Regency Romance Book) Page 12
