The Courtesan’s Daughter and the Gentleman
The Merry Misfits of Bath ~ Book Two
Callie Hutton
Contents
About the Book
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
About the Author
About the Book
Must she pay for the sins of her mother?
Miss Charlotte Danvers has just received a life-altering shock. After spending most of her life in France in an elite school for girls, first as a student, and then as a teacher, she decides to return to London and take up residence with her mother.
When she arrives at her mother's townhouse in London, she is stunned to discover that the woman who raised her is the well-known courtesan, Mrs. Danforth.
After an angry and tearful confrontation with her mother, Charlotte leaves London and makes her home in Bath. All goes well until she meets Mr. Carter Westbrooke, close friend and business partner of Charlotte's best friend's husband, Lord Berkshire.
After only a few weeks, Mr. Westbrooke declares his intentions to Charlotte to make her his wife. She can be no gentleman's wife but cannot bring herself to tell him why. Must she run again?
Thank you for choosing to read The Courtesan’s Daughter and the Gentleman.
I love my fans, and as a special treat,
I have something extra for you at the end of the story.
Enjoy!
To Maria, PA extraordinaire
Prologue
London, England
November 1884
Miss Charlotte Danvers stepped out of the hackney she’d taken from the rail station to her mother’s home right outside of Mayfair in London. She was excited at the surprise she planned for Mama.
Charlotte had spent most of her life in France at an exclusive girls’ school. Once she graduated, with her mother’s encouragement, she’d taken a teaching position at the school. That was three years ago, and now she was ready for the next phase in her life. The first step was moving to London to be with her mother.
She dropped the knocker on the front door as the hackney driver piled her luggage on the doorstep.
The door opened to an older man, obviously the butler, who stared at her as if he’d seen a ghost. “Miss Danvers? Surely that must be you.”
“Yes!” She grinned. “I don’t know who you are, but you seem to know me.”
He bowed at her but looked a bit uncomfortable. “I would know you anywhere Miss Danvers. You look remarkedly like your mother.”
“Yes. I’ve been told that many times.” When the man continued to stare at her, she said, “May I come in?”
He stepped back, quite flustered. “Of course. My apologies, miss.”
Charlotte drew off her gloves as she looked around the house she’d never seen before. Her earlier years had been spent in the country with a family who were friends of her mother. Mama told her she did not want her breathing in the putrid London air. Then at ten years of age, she’d been sent to the school in France.
“I hope my mother is home.”
“Yes. She is. If you would retire to the drawing room, I shall inform her of your arrival.”
Goodness, it all seemed so formal. What she wanted to do was race upstairs and find her mother and shout “surprise!” Wouldn’t that bring a smile to her face?
Within minutes, the sound of footsteps rapidly coming down the stairs had Charlotte jumping up to meet her mother at the door to the drawing room. “Mama. Surprise! I left my position at the school and decided it was past the time I should join you here.”
Mama looked quite pale under the makeup she wore. Charlotte had never seen makeup on her mother’s face, so it was a surprise. She immediately decided she liked her better without face paint.
Her mother hugged her. “My dear. Yes, this is quite a surprise.” She leaned back, her hands resting on Charlotte’s shoulders and regarded her. “Why didn’t you wire that you were coming?”
Charlotte grinned. “Then it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”
“No. Indeed it would not.”
For the first time she could ever recall, Mama seemed to be at loss for words. “Are you well, Mama? Is something wrong?”
“Yes. No.” She waved her arm around. “I am just trying to recover from this shock . . . rather, surprise.”
“Yes. Isn’t it wonderful? I decided it was time to start my life as a woman and maybe even look for a husband.”
Mama drew a lace-edged handkerchief from the cuff of her dress and patted her face.
“You seem quite fancy,” Charlotte said, “are you going out for the evening?”
“No. In fact, I am expecting some guests in a few minutes.”
Charlotte clapped her hands. “Excellent! I shall love to meet some of your friends.”
Mama paled even more and licked her lips. “My dear, as much as I would like you to meet my friends you do look quite peaked. I propose you retire to one of the bedchambers upstairs and enjoy a hot bath and some dinner, then a good night’s sleep. We shall have a nice long chat in the morning over tea and one of Cook’s famous breakfasts.”
Although she did feel quite tired, she was disappointed that Mama didn’t want her to meet her friends. “Perhaps you are right, Mama.”
Her mother took a deep breath and let it out, her color returning somewhat. “I shall have Carlson—he is the man at the door—direct you to a lovely room that you can use. I’ll then have Amy—my lady’s maid—prepare a bath for you in the bathing room.”
Mama hurried from the room, giving Charlotte time to look around. It was a well-appointed room in the taste she would expect from her mother. The furniture was elegant and well-made. The walls were papered with a pale green and rose stripes, with cream-colored wainscoting.
The man who met her at the door entered the room. “Miss, I had the footman bring your luggage up to the bedchamber Mrs. Danforth chose for your visit. If you will follow me, I will direct you there.”
“Mrs. Danforth?”
The man looked confused. “Yes, Miss, that is the name your mother goes by.”
“How very odd.” There was no reason to inform the servant that this was no mere visit, but a permanent move to be with her mother. They’d been separated most of her life and now it was time for them to live together.
The bedchamber was as charming as all the other rooms she’d seen in the house. No surprise there, since Mama had excellent taste.
A middle-aged woman dressed in a maid’s uniform greeted her as she entered the bedchamber. “Miss, your bath is ready. If you will follow me, I will show you where the bathing room is. I will be happy to unpack your things while you bathe.”
“Thank you. Right now, all I need is in that small brown satchel. My nightgown, slippers, dressing gown, and other personal items are in there.”
Despite her long journey and the soothing bath and wonderful dinner, Charlotte enjoyed in her room, she was still restless. Sleep would not come for hours, she was sure. She had a hard time accepting her mama’s edict that she needed rest and should not meet her friends.
The sound of
carriages drawing up to the house and then conversations from Mama’s guests had been teasing her for a couple of hours. From what she could hear, the group seemed quite lively and free-spirited. Laughter erupted on occasion and someone played the piano.
Suddenly, she decided to dress in something simple and join the party. If she were going to begin her life as a woman, she must make decisions for herself. Hadn’t she decided, without Mama’s knowledge and consent, to leave her position at the school and join her mother in London?
Within minutes, she had shrugged out of her nightgown and dressed in a plain day dress since all her more formal gowns were hanging in the armoire horribly wrinkled from the trip.
With a quick glance in the mirror, she smoothed back her hair and left the room, excitement making her heart beat fast. This was her first party!
She didn’t see Mama at first. There were about thirty guests, all dressed quite formally, which made her re-think her decision to come down dressed as plainly as she was.
A woman walked up to her, a glass of some sort of liquid in her hand. “I had no idea that Alice had a daughter, but you must be. You look exactly like her.” Then she bent closer. “A much younger, version, though.” She sipped her drink, winked at Charlotte, and walked off.
Whatever the woman said to two other women had them both turning her way, their eyebrows raised. Within minutes, she heard ‘daughter’ murmured among the crowd. She made a beeline to Mama, suddenly uncomfortable with the attention she was getting.
Not shy by nature, nevertheless, it seemed like her surprise to her mother was also a surprise to her friends. She felt a bit let-down that Mama had never told her friends that she had a daughter.
“Dearest, what are you doing here? I thought you were asleep by now.” Her mother’s face had grown taut, revealing lines Charlotte hadn’t noticed before. A gentleman walked up to Mama and touched her on the arm. “Is everything all right, my dear?”
He was an older man, very elegant and noble-looking. Even with his gray hair, he was a good-looking man with deep blue eyes and laugh crinkles at the corners. He eyed Mama with concern.
Mama smiled at the man. “Everything is fine, my lord.”
She didn’t introduce Charlotte to the man who seemed to be quite familiar with Mama. Truth be known, Charlotte had felt off-center since she’d arrived at Mama’s house. By now she thought Mama would have gotten over her surprise arrival, but she seemed even more disconcerted than she had been earlier.
“I was too restless. I thought maybe spending some time down here with your friends would be nice.” Charlotte mumbled the last part of her statement, aware of the gentleman next to Mama smiling at her.
Mama waved at a tall man in a livery, most likely a footman. “Please escort my daughter back to her room.”
Charlotte’s jaw dropped. Her mother was treating her like a child! “Thank you anyway, I shall find my own way.” She glared at her mother. “Since I am not welcomed here.” With a flounce of her skirt, she turned and strode toward the door. At the doorway, she turned back to see the gentleman and Mama in deep conversation.
She was almost to the staircase when a man called, “Wait.”
Charlotte turned to see a young man, quite handsome actually, approaching her. He offered a slight bow. “I had no idea that Alice had a daughter. You are stunningly beautiful, like your mother.”
“Thank you.” Never comfortable with praise about her looks, Charlotte dipped slightly and put her foot on the first step.
“May I speak with you a moment?” He reached out and touched her hand, which caused her to shudder. The man looked at her in such a way that she felt dirty. He looked her up and down like he was buying horseflesh.
“I think not, sir. I have the beginnings of a megrim. If you will excuse me.”
“I am sorry to hear that, Miss Danforth. I just wanted to ask when you might be accepting a protector?”
“I am Miss Danvers, not Danforth.” After her automatic correction, she took a second look at him, replayed his words in her head. The expression on his face, his question about taking a protector, her mother’s overreaction at her arrival earlier, and the sort of people who were Mama’s ‘friends’ caused a horrible thought to take hold of her mind. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” The words were barely above a whisper.
“Oh, come now, Miss Danvers. There can be no other reason why your mother suddenly decided to show you off. What I don’t understand is why she dressed you so plainly. You need to make use of those curves. And the neckline is much too high.”
Her heart beat so fast, the thumping so loud, that she barely heard her own words. “And for what reason would my mother be showing me off, sir?” She knew she shouldn’t ask that question, but she suddenly had no control over herself.
He frowned. “To follow in her footsteps as a well-known courtesan, of course.”
1
London
One year later
Charlotte, who was now known as Lottie to her friends in Bath, took a final look in the mirror, pleased with her appearance. She rarely dressed so formally since she didn’t attend the Assemblies and other social events in Bath where she’d lived for the past year, preferring to keep to herself, always afraid someone would recognize her.
However, today was Addie Mallory’s wedding day. She, Addie, and Pamela were the best of friends and met for tea every day in Addie’s bookstore, Once Upon a Book. Recently, Addie met Lord Berkshire and his adorable son, Michael, a deaf child. When his lordship asked Addie to accompany him, Michael, and Michael’s governess to London for the purpose of seeking help for his son, he and Addie were caught in a compromising situation forcing them to marry.
From what Lottie saw when they were together, though, a marriage between them didn’t appear to be much of a hardship for either the bride or the groom. There was definite affection between them. Maybe even more than that.
Addie had asked Lottie and Pamela to be her bridesmaids. Pamela was happy to do it, but Lottie had declined and thankfully Addie didn’t question her further. They were both aware that Lottie had some sort of history in London and since that is where the wedding was taking place, Lottie preferred to stay in the background.
She was confident that her deep blue gown with the modest neckline, long sleeves, and loose-fitting skirt would not attract any unwanted attention. The guest list was quite small, and she hoped no one on the list recognized her as Mrs. Danforth’s daughter. The clear glass spectacles she’d had specially made changed her appearance a bit.
Lottie slid a pearl-studded pin into her wide-brimmed straw hat, with the lovely blue flowers that matched her gown, to anchor it to her head. She glanced out the window, thankful that there were only a few clouds in the sky, so she needn’t worry about rain ruining her outfit.
Satisfied with her appearance, she left the room she’d been given in the Mallory townhouse in Grosvenor Square. She knocked lightly on the door to Pamela’s room. She opened the door and, as always, Lottie broke into a smile at her friend’s current dilemma.
Pamela had a terrible stutter that only grew worse when she was flustered—as she was now—or when she met new people—which she was about to do. Pamela’s dress was buttoned incorrectly, leaving the hem sort of on an angle. Her chignon was not doing a very good job of keeping her blond curls out of her face.
She took one look at Lottie and burst into laughter. “I k-know I’m a m-m-mess.” She held her arms out to display the disaster.
“Here, let me help you.” Lottie quickly refastened Pamela’s gown and did her best to smooth back her curls. “Have you any more hairpins?”
Pamela nodded and hurried across the room to her satchel withdrawing a small box that she held out to Lottie. “Here.”
Within minutes, Lottie had Pamela looking well put together. They linked arms and walked down the corridor to Addie’s room.
“Oh my, you look beautiful,” Lottie gushed as she and Pamela burst into Addie’s room.
“I look like a bride.” Addie smirked. “Something none of us ever planned on.”
When the ladies first became friends, they assured each other that they were finished with the husband hunt. Though unusual, they were happy to make their own way as single women living on their own and providing their own income. It was quite freeing.
Lottie had not had the benefit of suitors or a ‘husband hunt’ since her unexpected arrival at her mother’s house, and her subsequent quick move to Bath, squelched any idea Mama had for finding her a husband.
“Yes. And that is what you are,” Lottie said in answer to Addie’s statement. “Who would ever have guessed when Lord Berkshire walked into your bookstore the morning I was there to pick up my books, that he would end up your husband?” Lottie shook her head.
“I am sure stranger things have been recorded throughout time.” Addie adjusted the top of her veil with a ring of fresh flowers that Addie’s mother must have had a devil of a time finding at this time of the year.
“Adeline, it’s time to leave for the church, dear.” Mrs. Mallory entered Addie’s room, studying her hands as she pulled on her gloves. She looked up and came to an abrupt halt. The woman’s eyes filled with tears and she raised her hand to her mouth. “Oh, my.”
Lottie felt her own eyes tear up, thinking of her mama, who, while she had certainly not forgiven her, she still missed something dreadful. She longed for her mother in little ways every day. Every time she smelled roses or fresh baked cookies like she and Mama used to eat in the bakery near school. Even though Lottie had spent all those years in France in a private boarding school, Mama had made the strenuous trip to visit her at least twice a month. They would stay in a fine hotel, eat decadent meals, and shop for ribbons, hats, perfumes, and jewelry. They saw the shows and visited the museums and laughed a great deal.
The Courtesan’s Daughter and the Gentleman: The Merry Misfits of Bath ~ Book Two Page 1
