An Earl For Hire

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  Miri had been stammering about, attempting to come up with a good - or at least passable - lie to tell her mother when Will had appeared as if out of nowhere. After their encounter in the library, Miri hadn't expected to see him again so soon, but there he was. A veritable knight in shining armor. Or eveningwear as the case had been.

  Will had bowed low to the three women and thanked both the current and dowager viscountess for their hospitality. He also thanked her mother for raising such a lovely young lady as Miri who had been all too kind in pointing him in the direction of a servant who might help fix his carriage horse's harnesses before it was time for him and his sister to depart for the evening.

  When Miri's mother had pinned her daughter with a dark glare, Miri had bit her lip - and looked the picture of innocence she hoped - and said that she had been sneaking away from the ball so that she would not have to dance when she came across Lord Blackthorne searching for a footman actually employed by the Raynecourts, instead of one just brought in for the evening, who might be able to help him with his dilemma. Miri had "confessed" that she had eagerly assisted Lord Blackthorne because it would mean that she would miss the requested dances. She had even held up her mangled dance card as proof. That, Miri knew, would sound completely believable to her mother - and to Sarah as well.

  As expected, her mother's lips pressed into a firm line and she nodded, saying only that she had suspected as much. The fact that she was disappointed in her daughter's behavior went unspoken, but the truth of it was written all over the dowager's face. So when Will asked her mother if he might waltz with Miri in thanks for her assistance, but in a corner near the terrace in deference to her injured leg, there was no way possible that Miri could refuse. Likely just the way that Will had planned.

  His offer had also gone a long way toward soothing both Miri's mother and Sarah for they both looked to be furious that Miri had once again deliberately avoided the ball. However, it also planted the idea that Will himself was interested in a potential courtship with Miri. If the glances Sarah and the dowager were exchanging were any indication, they were also rather pleased with this development, despite everything else that Miri had done that evening.

  At that moment, Miri had decided that perhaps Will would be good at subterfuge after all, and he gained a small measure of her trust. After all, it took a skilled hand to manipulate Lady Ophelia Bexley, the Dowager Countess of Raynecourt. Miri was excellent in that regard, of course, and Will was just learning, but his deft handling of the situation showed that he had great promise. Miri liked that and she felt some degree of relief that this scheme might succeed after all.

  Then, Will had escorted Miri away from her mother and Sarah - and the evening became a good bit foggier after that. Miri remembered feeling lighter on her feet than she had in ages as Will expertly maneuvered her through the crush of bodies in the ballroom to a small corner populated by potted plants that were being used as decoration. She also remembered looking up into Will's dark brown eyes as he took her in his arms at the first notes from the musician's instruments. After that? Well, she remembered very little at all, save for the lack of embarrassment she felt on the dance floor.

  Given their differences in height, Will had simply placed Miri's slippered feet on top of his and had moved them through the steps of the dance with complete grace as if she weighed nothing at all. She did remember him whispering in her ear that when her leg was stronger, they could dance like a normal couple, but not this evening. She had wondered what he had meant by that. Then her confusion was forgotten as he whispered something else rather witty in her ear and she laughed.

  Which was, of course, very unlike her. Miri did not laugh and she did not flirt. Yet last night, she had done just that.

  Together they had danced and for the first time in her life, Miri had found herself enjoying a ball. She could still remember how magnificent it had felt to be held in Will's arms, and she began to understand why the women in her brother's naughty books allowed themselves to submit to the desires of a man. If performing those...acts with a man could make a woman feel even half of what Miri had felt last night as Will's arms tightened around her, keeping her safe, then she understood very well why women gave themselves over to a man's baser desires.

  The rapid beat of her pulse and the quickening of her heartbeat had also made Miri wonder if women could feel those same desires, despite the fact that most people, even physicians, believed otherwise. Given that, at their core, men and women were both human, it made sense that such a thing was possible. Then again, there were a great number of biological differences between the sexes, so it was just as possible that no, it was not likely that a woman could feel such heated desire.

  Besides, if it was possible for a woman to be filled with such overwhelming desire, why didn't more women speak of those feelings in retiring rooms and the like? After all, Brook and his friends bragged about their conquests and the passion that flowed through their veins all the time. Not that she should know of such things, of course. Except that she did. Miri learned a great deal by listening at doors after all. Why wouldn't Sarah and her friends do the same if they felt a similar uncontrollable desire as well?

  It was just one more piece of the sexual puzzle that Miri hoped and prayed Will could help her work out.

  Will. Her would-be lover. The man she was paying to bed her. And so much more besides.

  He was handsome, of course. Almost too handsome for her purposes, really. Would Society believe that he was actually paying court to her because he desired her? Likely not. Then again, it was known that she did have a dowry, though how much of one was not known. Given his poverty, it was more likely that the ton would think that he was extremely desperate for funds. That was a far more reasonable explanation for what would seem like his sudden interest in the crippled, unwanted, completely undesirable Miri Bexley.

  Not that Miri cared, for she didn't. All she cared about was Will, oddly enough, since she had never really met him before last night. Oh, they had been introduced at a ball or two she knew, but they had never said more than four or five words to each other. Her fault, of course.

  Miri was not exactly the most social of creatures, after all. At least not until Sarah had convinced the dowager that Miri needed to marry in order to avoid "scandal." As if what had happened at Mrs. Witherson's would follow her to London. It wouldn't. That wasn't even logical. Yet Sarah had persisted and in this, she seemed to have won. Miri couldn't even budge her brother on the topic and, as a fellow academic, Brook was usually a little more reasonable in that regard. Not this time. For even he had insisted that perhaps it was time his youngest sister married.

  Except that Miri didn't want a husband. She never had. More than that, she didn't think she was capable of feeling the emotions required of a wife. She was cold, unfeeling and, more than that, she didn't like people. She didn't care about them. Oh, she didn't wish to see someone run down by a carriage or anything so dire, and she didn't wish ill will on anyone either, but beyond the general, basic caring for one's fellow man? She felt nothing. Miri simply could not connect on the most basic human level with anyone outside of her immediate family and a few select friends. That was a failing that was likely too great to overcome. And she had tried. Repeatedly.

  And yet, Miri did care about Will, which was really rather puzzling and did not make a lick of sense. That singular thought had plagued her for the rest of the night. For the rest of the night, she also attempted to pretend that she didn't care.

  Once she had retreated to her chambers, however, Miri had remembered the way Will had held her, the sadness in his eyes when he gazed at her, and the desperation in his actions. Then she discovered that she cared very much. Especially when she remembered the waltz, even if none of the emotions she thought she had glimpsed in his eyes were real. They couldn't be. She didn't want to imagine the consequences if this game turned into reality. But it wouldn't. It couldn't. For there was no possible way that a man like Will Davenport coul
d be attracted to Miri Bexley. It was simply not possible.

  Now, in the harsh light of day, Miri understood that Will had simply been laying the groundwork last evening so that their unholy bargain could proceed, but at the time? Well, those feelings - new and raw and unsettling as they had been - had felt real enough. As if he truly was attracted to her. Which, if true, would be a very bad thing indeed because Miri had come to the conclusion that, within the space of an evening, she had become more than a little attracted to him as well.

  For the first time in her life, Miri felt the first stirrings of what she suspected was desire. She was, preposterous as it seemed, physically attracted to Will.

  What woman, young or old, would not be? The man was sinfully handsome and had a body to rival any statue in the British Museum, after all. He could likely also have any woman he desired - at least if he had enough coin to court her properly. Instead, he was stuck with disfigured Miri. And yet, he had not complained. Instead, he had quite literally swept her off her feet and treated her as if she was the most precious treasure he had ever beheld.

  Yet it was all an act. Still, it was a very good one and such talent should be rewarded. When Miri had finally retreated to her chambers, the ruse truly begun and both her mother and Sarah well placated for the evening, she had immediately gone to the financial ledgers she kept hidden from everyone but Susan to check on the state of her accounts. Then, well satisfied with what she found, Miri began composing the letters that would be sent via courier that very night to her solicitor, as well as to Madame LaVallier, who would be in charge of creating Lady Anna's new wardrobe, and a host of other carefully chosen shopkeepers along Bond Street that had been long ago sworn to secrecy regarding the administration of The Letter.

  Miri's final task of the night was to consult the ledger that contained Aunt Beanie's finances so that Miri could decide the amount of funds that would be granted to the recipient of The Letter this Season. Miri had sat at her desk for a very long time, scribbling and rescribbling numbers over and over, calculating the amount to be gifted. The beauty of The Letter was that, save for Miri and her solicitor, no one actually knew how much money was gifted to the chosen young lady each Season, and, under Miri anyway, that amount varied depending upon the young lady's need.

  Though she had only touched upon the subject with Will, Miri suspected that if the man was willing to sell his body like a common prostitute to the cuckolding women of Society, then Lady Anna's need must be great indeed. So, decision made, Miri had scribbled down a figure that was, by far, the largest bequeath in the history of The Letter.

  Miri didn't want to think overly much about why she had chosen to be so generous when she had delayed so long in even selecting a young woman for the honor. If her solicitor asked, she would tell him that it was because Lady Anna's need was so great, but the truth was actually far more complicated than that. That the entire situation had become so complex rather quickly and very unexpectedly was beside the point.

  Miri was essentially accepting a man's body and soul in exchange for coin. Yes, he came to the agreement willingly, and he seemed to be very skilled at this sort of thing. Not to mention willing.

  And yet, with distance came perspective and the fact that Miri had essentially purchased a man - and for such a very cheap price - like one might a slave. That image did not sit well with her at all. A life, any life, should be worth more than a hundred thousand pounds. However, with the bargain made, Miri understood that Will would be reluctant to accept any more funds. However if Lady Anna received additional funds? Well, since no one knew how much any young lady received each Season, then he could not reproach her for being overly generous.

  The notion did little to settle her conscience, but when she remembered that, had she not made her offer to Will, he would have been forced to accept Lady Colchester's far more lascivious and disgusting one, Miri felt somewhat better. With her, Will could have a life of his own when this whole nasty business ended. His reputation would be intact. With Lady Colchester? Miri feared that Will would essentially be destroying his life and selling himself into servitude at the same time.

  No, there was no going back for either of them and at this point, given the alternative for Will, Miri would not want to do so, either.

  Decision firmly made, Miri allowed Susan to assist her from bed just as the morning sun began to peek through the passing clouds again, bathing her bedchamber in bright morning light as the maid vanished with her usual swiftness. The Letter had likely been delivered to Blackthorne House the first thing this morning, which meant that soon, all of London would know that Lady Anna Davenport was the lucky young woman this Season. Now? Miri had a dressmaker to visit.

  "Susan?" Miri called out to her maid, hoping the girl hadn't gone off in search of her favorite footman this morning before she helped her mistress dress.

  "Yes, miss?" the maid asked, popping her head back around the door.

  Stretching, Miri planted her feet firmly on the floor. "I need to dress immediately. I have an early appointment at Madame LaVallier's. I should have mentioned it last night, but I wasn't thinking."

  As the maid came into the room, Miri could see that Susan was carrying a tray laden with crisp, buttered toast and a pot full of chocolate. "But you haven't even broken your fast, miss. You are never up this early after all ball." The maid clucked her tongue for good measure.

  Reaching for her wrapper, Miri shrugged into the silken garment, taking a brief moment to appreciate the feel of the soft, delicate fabric against her skin. Perhaps there was hope for her after all. "The Letter went out in the wee hours of the morning," she offered by way of explanation. "Therefore, I have business to attend to as soon as possible. You know how it is."

  An older woman, Susan had begun serving in Aunt Beanie's household when she had been twelve. As the other woman had aged, Susan had become a trusted servant, handing off messages and dealing with solicitors when Aunt Beanie could not. When Beanie had turned the running of the whole Letter business over to Miri, Susan had been part of the deal. The maid now viewed her service to the keeper of The Letter as something of a sacred trust, one she would not betray for all of the coins in England. For that, Miri had always been grateful, but never more so than this morning.

  "So you have decided then." Susan immediately put down the tray and scurried to the wardrobe where all of Miri's day dresses were kept. "And might I ask who the lucky young lady is this Season?"

  "Lady Anna Davenport." Miri turned so that she might view Susan's reaction. After all, the maid was just as much a part of The Letter process as either Aunt Beanie or Miri herself. She was not surprised when Susan nodded in approval.

  "An excellent choice, miss." Susan removed a pink and white striped day dress with cap sleeves from the wardrobe before returning it and selecting a pale green one embroidered with tiny rose buds instead. "She is in great need, least according to what I heard belowstairs."

  Intrigued that Susan had some insight on the matter, Miri snagged a piece of toast and munched thoughtfully as the maid began collecting undergarments. "How so?"

  The maid spread the dress out on the bed to check for wrinkles. "The Davenports are a good family, miss, and go back generations to the very earliest days of England. They are among the oldest titles in the land. However, the previous Lord Blackthorne gambled with his business ventures far more than was wise. He wished to be extremely wealthy, but..." Susan shook her head sadly. "Between him and his wife who continually patronized the arts? Well, the two of them left Will destitute and Lady Anna vulnerable. They say Lord Winthrop hopes to win her hand, but if that is true, I pity the lady. Life with that bastard would hardly be one of pleasure."

  That was precisely the same rumor that Miri had heard. "The papers and my contacts report much the same." She neglected to mention that her contacts included Will. "Aunt Beanie's trust was set up to help young women of quality avoid this very thing."

  "Word from Lord Buxton's butler, who is brother to
a footman in Lady Frostburn's home, is that the earl is considering debasing himself and offering his body in exchange for coin in order to keep his sister from falling prey to Winthrop." Susan sniffed rather disgustedly. "It's a nasty rumor to be sure, and one I doubt very much, but it has its roots somewhere, I'd wager. If it's true, that will mean the end of the man and the Blackthorne line."

  "I had heard the same, but that's not why I made the decision," Miri replied, knowing very well that her maid was hinting at something. "Lady Anna has been on my list for some time, as you well know. I simply decided that this year, it was to be her turn. Rumors surrounding her brother had no bearing on the matter."

  Rummaging around in a different wardrobe, Susan pulled out Miri's best pair of walking boots. "I'm certain it's not, miss," she agreed carefully. "Though I do find it rather curious that you made your decision after Lord Blackthorne asked you to dance last night." She sighed as she patted her mistress' fine clothes. "Be careful with that one, miss, or people will talk."

  "No one save for you and a handful of others know that I select the recipient of The Letter." Miri pushed away one of the fears that had been niggling at her all night. "I am merely Beanie's niece. As far as Society is concerned, she still chooses the young lady. Not me."

  "Still, it's a dangerous game you play, miss." Susan didn't look at all convinced. "What if someone talks? They should not, but they could if tempted enough."

  "The won't," Miri insisted firmly. Then she turned back to her maid. "Besides, what else could I do? I learned of Lady Anna's situation last night when I accidentally encountered Lord Blackthorne in the hallway. We spoke a little more about the matter when we danced. Not much, mind you, but enough that I knew I could not let that young lady suffer." She wasn't about to reveal to Susan the entire truth of her first meeting with Will, but she could not exactly lie about encountering him either. She was simply thankful no one had seen them together in the library.