The Accidental Courtesan (15 page)

“After much consideration, sir, I have decided to become your courtesan.”

G
avin felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. Lady Noelle Seymour was offering to become his courtesan?

The desire to shout for joy and drag her down on the nearest settee was tempered by the mischievous gleam in her eyes. Whenever she had that glint, it didn't bode well for him. There was something suspicious beneath her offer, and he suspected it had nothing to do with her overwhelming desire to climb atop his manly frame and ride him all night. He had a feeling Lady Noelle never did anything without first carefully thinking through the consequences.

And yet, he couldn't resist reaching for her before a return of sanity turned her back into the frigid Lady Seymour, the frosty half of her personality he disliked immensely. He much preferred the mussed-up and well-kissed courtesan-thief who'd offered to share his bed.

“I accept.” He pulled her gently against him, pushed back her bonnet, and leaned to press a kiss against the side of her neck. She smelled lemon tart-sweet, and her skin was just as soft as he'd remembered. “Shall we begin?”

It would take more than an hour or two for him to work through all the delicious things he wanted to share with her. Regretfully, he believed getting one or two minutes to seduce her into submission was the limit of her allowance. Even now he sensed her hesitation start to build. He had to work quickly.

Thankfully, he had nothing more pressing to accomplish at the moment than getting her naked. His foreman could watch over the shipyard this morning.

“Shall I help you off with your gown, or call for a maid? I am very skilled with buttons and bows.”

He felt her stiffen, and he knew his moment of seduction was at an end. A flicker of annoyance danced through her amber eyes. The day wasn't to continue abed.

A string of curses filled his head.

His reluctant courtesan pressed both gloved hands against his chest to place space between them. “Your courtesan I shall be, but in name only. I have devised a plan to catch the thief-master, and I need your help. I fear the lives of you and Bliss depend on your compliance.”

Slowly his brewing erection withered. Icy Lady Seymour had that effect on his ardor. The woman might enjoy public flirting in the company of men, but do not expect her to drag a suitor off behind a bush for kissing and groping.

“Perhaps you should explain this plot, Milady, for I have a feeling I will not find my part in it favorable.”

Slowly her hands slid downward to splay over his stomach. His eyes narrowed. She delighted in tormenting him to get him to comply with her wishes. One day he'd return the favor, only it would be his wishes, his desires, they would be following.

“Does not the idea of spending days and nights in my company satisfy your desire to maul me?” She looked down at her hands. Her fingers twitched on his stomach, and fire burned through his tormented cock.

Gavin grinned evilly. He felt his flagging erection flash back to life. “Even brilliant conversation cannot squelch desire, Milady.”

Noelle was a temptress, a handful, and he wondered if he might be wrong about her innocence. Were she not born to privilege, she would make an excellent and sought-after courtesan. Staring into her eyes would make any eager protector offer her anything to get her into his bed.

Had she already shared a bed with other men?

He cleared his throat. “You cannot be my courtesan without sharing your body with me.” He drew a knuckle over her jaw. “Lovers look at each other in a certain way. They connect intimately with their gazes, subtle touches, and give off a heat when they are together. How can you lead others to believe we share a bed when every time I touch you, your spine stiffens?”

“I can act any part,” she assured him. Noelle slipped a hand around to caress the side of his buttock. She leaned to stare into his eyes. “Undoubtedly, even I can fake attraction for you, Mister Blackwell.”

The insult was a direct hit to his masculinity. Had her sighs and moans all been faked? Was she truly capable of making him believe she wanted him, and yet felt nothing? Were any of her responses to his kisses real, or were they ploys to save her lovely hide from the hangman?

Reluctantly, he took a large step back and scanned her eyes for the truth. Normally, he'd enjoy her toying with him. However, now was not the time or place to enjoy her feigned favors. He was puzzled. Was it possible he'd read her wrong? That the cold Lady Seymour had played him with the kind of skill a player on a stage would envy?

Noelle fluttered her lashes once, twice, and then sighed dramatically, as if she was bereft to no longer have him in her arms. This was a game. Her eyes held the clues.

Gavin snorted. One day he'd have the disagreeable wench in his bed, and he'd keep her there until she responded to him with real passion.

And to hell with the consequences.

“I have been thinking about your recent visit and the attack that brought you to me.” She tugged the bonnet strings and pulled the item free. She dropped it on a wing-backed chair. “All this started with a courtesan. I think if I become one, we shall have a better chance to roust out the den of thieves.”

“Absolutely not.” His voice boomed in the large room, echoing off white plaster walls and dark furniture. “The moment you are seen anywhere on my arm, as my courtesan, you are ruined and your family will be thrust into scandal. I'll not have it.”

Once a woman was touched by scandal, it was nearly impossible to recover from it and have any sort of satisfactory life. Hypocritical, he knew, considering he wanted to bed her without marriage vows.

Her eyes narrowed. “I wasn't asking your permission, sir.”

Fire blazed in the pit of his stomach. She had no idea of the ramifications of her ill-conceived plan. Or if she did, she didn't care. She was hooked on the silly notion of tying up the caper herself.

“If I have to lock you in a wardrobe, I will,” he warned.

His threat lit up her eyes. “If you try, your face will fare far worse than the bruises that currently occupy the space.”

Damn, he wanted to kiss her! The spitting cat!

Forcing himself to be calm, he expelled a breath. The wardrobe idea had serious merit. He wondered how long he could keep her locked up before a servant stumbled upon her and let her out. “Have you considered all you are risking, Noelle?”

“I am not an idiot,” she snapped. “I would be in disguise, of course, and our outings would be limited to places where it is unlikely I will bump into anyone I know.” She tapped her open palms on her thighs. “I shall start at the courtesan school. I'll learn all I can from Bliss and Edolie about courtesans so I'll be able to pass as one. Then you and I shall go to the courtesan ball at Vauxhall Gardens on Saturday and see if we can draw your attackers out of hiding. If we can manage to catch one, then we can use him to gain information on the others. I believe that if they approached you once, they will do so again. However, this time we will be ready.”

Gavin felt the walls press in around him. “And if I refuse to help you with this potentially dangerous scheme?”

“Then I shall proceed without you.”

 

N
oelle watched his face and wondered if he'd make good his threat and lock her up. From what she knew of the man, she wasn't sure he wouldn't. She had no information about his years in America. He could be a criminal, a thief, a murderer.

She shot him a skeptical look. “I shall shriek to the rafters should you consider making good your threat.” She sighed and continued, “When Bliss disappeared, the maid must have suspected that she planned to return the necklace. It took your attackers no more than a few days to connect you to the earl's home. They were probably sent here to spy with the hope of discovering the whereabouts of the necklace. How long will it take for them to find Bliss and connect her to me? Bliss is not the kind of woman who is easy to hide. Men fall at her feet when she strolls down the street. I have her safely hidden, but for how long?”

There was a long pause as he stared into her face, as if contemplating her argument. Or perhaps thinking of where he might find a length of rope. It was impossible to read his blank expression.

“I have a business to run and ships to build,” he said finally. “I have wasted enough time looking for my mysterious courtesan and not attending to my work. The more time I spend traipsing around London after you, the less time I devote to fulfilling my lucrative contract.”

“You have workers, and it won't be a twenty-four-hour investigation,” she snapped. “Surely you can take some time to help me with this matter. Unless you'd prefer I take care of this nasty business myself.”

If he refused her, how could she proceed? She needed Gavin to pose as her lover to make it work. He was the key to drawing out the men. The footpads would have no reason to attend the ball otherwise. Until they were caught, Bliss and Gavin would be in danger.

Noelle felt partially responsible for the situation and wouldn't rest until she helped extricate the two of them from this very deep pit she had helped dig. The very public courtesan ball was the perfect place to start.

First, she had to become a courtesan. Though Eva worked with them, Noelle spent little time in their company. This was Eva's rule, about which she had grown more insistent since her marriage to her duke. Society couldn't know about the secret life of their newest duchess.

It had been Eva's mother's sudden illness that sent the duke and duchess to the country and put Noelle and a former courtesan, Sophie, in charge of the school. Unlike Sophie, Noelle was woefully inadequate in the position.

As there were currently no classes until the end of the month, her responsibility was only to settle courtesans into the town house and see they were cared for.

Bliss changed that simple task.

If Eva found out what she was up to, her wrath would rival a hurricane.

Noelle grimaced. Hopefully, Eva's stay at Highland Abbey would be lengthy. By the time she returned, Noelle prayed this adventure would be at a conclusion and her sister none the wiser.

“Workers tend not to work when there is no supervision.” Gavin scowled. “If I lose this navy contract, I can lose everything. Not only a fortune in earnings but my reputation as a shipbuilder. People will not trust a shipbuilder who fails to build ships.”

“The last thing I want is for you to suffer for my misdeeds. You cannot know how deeply I regret getting you involved in this caper.” She wondered if his financial situation could end up as dire as he imagined, or if he was using his company as a reason to dissuade her from following through with her plan. “If I promise not to venture out without you, and to go out only during times when we can be together without taking you away from your work, will you say yes?”

“Is there even a small chance I can convince you to give up this impulsive endeavor and let me handle the matter alone?” At her head shake, Gavin rubbed the side of his face. She'd arrived so early, he hadn't yet shaved. Dark bristles added to his rakish appeal. “I thought not. You are a most stubborn woman.”

“So I've been told.” She nearly smiled. He was wavering. It was a good sign.

“If I agree to this scheme, will you follow my directives without argument?” He leaned in and pointed a finger in her face. “I will not help you if you don't agree. I cannot worry that you will do something impulsive and foolish.”

His bossy tone stiffened her shoulders. She truly hated to take orders from anyone. Still, if she had to agree to take his manly commands as law, so as not to have to face the criminals alone, she would. In theory, anyway. He certainly couldn't expect her never to argue or to trot about at his heels like a dog on a leash. Did he know nothing about her?

“I agree,” she said, and watched mistrust edge his eyes. He didn't believe her promise one bit. However, there was nothing else he could do but take her at her word.

This time she let her smile escape. He'd agreed. That was all that mattered.

“I shall return home and ready my disguise. Then I shall go to the school and learn all I can about courtesans and their lovers. By this evening, I should know all there is to know about the profession.” She snatched up her bonnet and, with a little wave, left the town house.

Gavin listened to the sound of the door closing behind his new courtesan; his courtesan in word but not in truth. How, exactly, did their agreement work in his favor? He'd already lost valuable work time thinking of the beautiful and fascinating courtesan-thief. Now he'd agreed to her scheme to catch the crooks. He'd spend even more time with her, and none of it abed. By the end of this adventure, he'd be broke, existing in a full state of burning arousal and living in squalor as his shipyard failed.