A Man Above Reproach (12 page)

A muscle moved in her cheek of its own accord.

“How dare you—”

He invoked the license he had given himself moments before and kissed her silent.

“Fine,” she assented, pushing back from him by using leverage on his chest. “Though it is beyond improper, I will grant you that under the condition that you do not use the privilege to cut me off in conversation. It is rude.”

“Duly noted.” He folded his hands in front of him and reclined against a shelf, throwing his shadow over the spines of the books in the midafternoon sun. “I can be satiated for a while. Now, I would like to know what the hell I am supposed to call you.”

“I thought you were playing detective.”

“In the meantime?”

She tried to lean in in the same casual manner as he, but when she put her hand on the desk, it hit one of her notes. It was one of dozens of her “
doesn’t matter”
notes.

“Josie will suffice here, BB or Blue at the Dove. I am used to it.”

An imperial eyebrow shot up. “That—is as close to an admission as I think I will get.”

She pursed her lips in a playful way. Horrified, she became aware that she was very guilty of advancing their repartee. She rearranged her features to a placid innocence. “I confirmed or denied nothing, you will find.”

“Will you come back to the Dove, as a favor to me? You can play piano, we will be in public, and I will continue to keep up appearances. I will not betray your confidence—or Sally’s—but being seen with me will keep you safe. Correct?”

He was too perceptive.

“Everyone will think I am your mistress,” she reasoned.

“Indeed. You know very well that is normal.” He got up and returned to her side. “I am thirty-one and have recently come into title. I should have damn well had a mistress for years now. They talk because I do not. If the men in the Dove thought that I was keeping you, it would be beneficial to us both. You will be safe; I will look like I’m not a misanthrope.”

“I find myself unable to argue with your logic.” She winced. “It is sickening.”

That arm around her waist was beginning to feel comfortable and right. She would resist it. She wanted to break his gaze, but it was impossible when his eyes locked. The scrap of paper was crumpled in her hand.

“Do not swoon,” he intoned histrionically.

Footsteps. They both heard them.

“Your attendants approach,” she said.

“You will come tonight?” He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek and then smoothed his hair, which was a hopeless gesture that she found horribly endearing.

“Yes.”

“Thank you, Josie.”

“Be careful,” she said, though she had no idea why.

Alessandra had chosen books and Josephine settled with her numbly. She assumed she adhered to utmost politeness, but had no memory of what she said to the young lady. Nicholas and Sally stole glances without words, both blushing and smitten. Everyone exchanged pleasantries and then the door closed again, leaving Josephine befuddled as to how to process all of it.

Elias was euphoric as they climbed back into the carriage. He had not dared hope she would agree with him, so this outcome was nothing short of a miracle.

Alessandra showed him her books. They had chosen
Queen Mab
, with notes, and three Shakespeare plays she needed to complete her collection. He chose not to tell her that she could have borrowed any of the four from his own library, as she was so delightfully excited.

“I did enjoy Sally’s company immensely,” she beamed. “There are not many young women around Ashworth, Eli. It is a distinct deficit. I only regret that I did not get to talk to Miss Grant. What did you say her book was about?”

“Adult things, Allie,” Nicholas said snappily. “None of your concern. Before we gush further about the pleasant afternoon, Lennox, it is unfair that you blindsided me.”

“You would not have come otherwise.”

“Well. It worked out in the end, lucky for you. Sally and I are going to the theatre this evening.”

Alessandra lit up. “How romantic!”

“Nicholas, that is not wise,” Elias scowled. “What if you are seen? Your mother will become hysteric.”

“Oh, Lennox, I am not an idiot. We will go somewhere where we will not be recognized.”

Whatever Thackeray did was none of his business, Elias decided. He was going to the Sleeping Dove to play piano with the bewildering woman and he was thrilled. It was unlike any other courtship he had been forced to endure or pretend. He turned to find Alessandra smiling at him.

“Dear brother, you are grinning.”

“I suppose I am, dear sister.”

The rest of the carriage ride home was uneventful. Elias found them the most blissful moments he had passed since… well, since
perhaps Oxford. He might have stayed at university and worked his way up in the ranks, an ambition he never would have mentioned to the elder Duke of Lennox, were it not for the fact that his father became ill and he had to prepare to take up a dukedom. He had not thought about that possibility at all, until it happened and his life was rearranged. Now he had to think of taking a seat in the House of Lords, debuting Alessandra, and becoming head of the household. He was not the sort of man who felt comfortable wearing a coronet.

In the dark of the night, every night, he doubted that it would all be achievable. Josephine made him feel like it might work, if she were beside him.

He felt that triumphant surge until exactly the moment that he saw his mother standing on the staircase. He handed a footman his coat and bowed his head to her.

“Duchess.”

“Where have you three been?”

“Shopping!” Alessandra said brightly. Elias noticed that she held up the packages from the milliner they visited earlier, but not the package from the bookshop. It was quite clever of her. “I am positively starved to get a preview of my debut, and I almost never get to see the city proper. Surely you cannot be cross about that, Mama?”

“It was very sweet of Elias to take time out of his schedule to accompany you.” The duchess appraised him and he could tell it took all her effort to not fuss over the state of his clothing or hair.

“Everything is in order, Mother. I have a little time to spare.”

“You are attending Lady Graham’s ball tomorrow, are you not? It would be very poor form indeed to miss it and a certain Miss Francis has been asking after you.”

Elias held in a sigh. The certain Miss Francis was the frontrunner for his affections, according to everyone else but him. She was
a fantastically moneyed heiress, exceedingly uninspiring, and for all intents and purposes, a “perfect match.”

“Yes, Mother. Nicholas and I both plan to fulfill our gentlemanly duties.”

He felt Nicholas step on his foot with just enough pressure to pinch.

“I must dress for dinner,” Alessandra said, yanking off her bonnet. She was still flush from excitement. Her governess was not much for adventure, so she did not get out as much as she deserved, at least not without the severe duchess at her side.

“Smashing idea,” Elias agreed, brushing past his mother on the stairs.

“I read the scandal sheets, Elias,” she said, after Alessandra was out of earshot. “It is acceptable for you to keep a woman one might find at an establishment like the Sleeping Dove, but do not deviate from finding a duchess.”

The woman did not mince words.

“Indeed,” he nodded.

“Keep to your plan, my son,” she said as he passed.

He did not turn, could not—he was smiling.

“Oh, I will.”

Josephine had never felt so exposed by her costume at the Dove than she felt as she paced the length of the dazzling piano the duke had given the establishment. Her thoughts were getting wildly out of control and her hair had suffered for it—it was piled on her head in a slapdash manner, not entirely fastened by pins. The crowd was just starting to stream in. She had tried to keep to herself, which the girls had kindly respected. They knew that she was fragile. It was an embarrassing emotion she
had rather not display to them—they depended on her. This game she and the duke were playing was so ill-advised. She knew she was giving into flirtation, against all of her better judgment.

The line of leering, half-drunk men filled the room. Some made their approach to their chosen ladies straightaway. A large portion of the girls had regulars, some had more than one. She did not see the duke among them. She had not entertained the fact that he would not come.

Just as she was about to retreat to the courtyard in mortification, a glass of wine appeared at the crook of her arm. She turned to see Elias’s masked face, his mouth crooked with amusement.

“Are you looking for me, lovely?”

“How did you manage to not only sneak in without my notice, but also get me a glass of wine in this short amount of time?”

“And sherry for myself. I am an honored guest now. I want to wink at you, Josie, but I will not. I have made arrangements with Mother for payment, as I promised to keep up appearances. You will get a fair amount for your time, I assure you.”

“A man above reproach, indeed,” she said. “Won’t you sit down, Your Grace?”

“After you,” he bowed.

Once they were settled and Josephine was warming up her hands, she spoke more freely.

“Do you think we will end up in the gossip pages?”

“Again? We already were and I kept that paper. I intend to have it framed.” He took a drink to stifle his smile, but she could see it all the same. “If we would become a consistent item in those pages, society would only identify me. They might call you BB. They would only ever mention ‘a gentleman’s club’ or the ridiculously see-through initial system they favor.”

“I am worried about Nicholas and Sally, are you not?”

“Somewhat.” He curled his leg around hers, under the piano, hidden by the shimmering gold curtains that surrounded it. His boot rubbed against her stocking, startlingly stimulating. “Hmm.
That
is inspiring. I may find ways to tempt you even here, without being able to invoke my kissing clause.”

“You should tell me more about yourself,” she deflected. “I only know what I have been able to find through the taradiddle.”

“That would bring me no closer to my goal of finding out your identity.” He scratched his face under the mask. “I hate this thing.”

“I prefer you without it, as well.”

Josephine, shocked and somewhat embarrassed at her own boldness, went to the anchor of the glass of wine.

“Though I cannot deny that it adds an exciting hint of mystery.”

He ran the edge of his boot up her leg, the boot she knew was polished to an astonishing sheen by one of his many servants. She sucked in a breath.

“You should… move over. Appearances’ sake, remember?”

“I thought we agreed that the appearance was that you are my mistress.”

“Oh, well, yes. I suppose we did.”

Elias took a bold, deliberate stare around the room, his glass of sherry near his lips.

“It is just as I had imagined it. I cannot count the pairs of eyes darting envious and furtive glances in our direction.”

“I cannot believe you are putting yourself on the line like this.”

“This is no shame to me, love. As I said, the gentlemen are all mad with jealousy that I have been able to land such a prize.”

“Without all of the rights,” she said firmly.

“That is understood,” he said, his eyes scanning her neck and the rebellious tendrils of hair that refused to be held down by the traitorous
pins. “That is, unless you consent to it, which I suspect you want to. I want to, most ardently.”

“Lennox.”

She tried to put the right note of warning in her tone and began an airy concerto as background music.

“Always scolding,” he smiled next to her. “It does not work, you must have seen by now. I enjoy it.”

“Then I shall have to start agreeing with you on all counts.”

There was a beat of silence as he considered, then he shrugged, the tiniest lift of his refined shoulder.

“Either way, I win.”

He sat and listened to her play for rather a long time, while she tried to ignore that her body was buzzing.