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‘You’re young enough, you’ve plenty of time to change your mind,’ his mother told her. ‘When you meet a gentleman too charming to resist—or when you’ve run out of the ready.’
Setting down her teacup, Ellie made a face at her. ‘I hope to avoid both outcomes. But now, I should be getting on. I must check on the school, then discharge some errands before Lady Lydlington meets me there tomorrow.’
‘Giles’s wife Maggie has taken an interest in your work?’ Christopher asked, surprised.
‘Yes. Though I’ve been giving Lord Witlow the credit, I’m fairly certain it was his daughter Maggie who encouraged Witlow to provide protection for Mr Tawny’s accuser, for me on my forays into the posting inns, and prompted him to sponsor the school. I doubt a man of Lord Witlow’s position would have had any notion there might be a need for such things.’
Ellie shook her head, smiling. ‘The first time Lady Lyndlington visited the school, I told her I couldn’t believe her father would permit her to associate with me—or that her husband would, now that’s she’s in a delicate condition. She laughed, saying that since she’d married a radical, her papa already knew she wouldn’t let a little thing like Society’s disapproval stop her from helping a good cause. She found it fulfilling, she said, to assist to a better life girls who’d been born without the advantages she possesses. Her courage and graciousness remind me of you, Felicia. Though I don’t mean to suggest she considers me a friend, of course,’ Ellie added quickly.
‘You did one of her husband’s closest friends a great service. Why shouldn’t she befriend you?’ Christopher asked.
A slight flush coloured Ellie’s lovely face. ‘The daughter of an earl, the wife of a viscount and Member of Parliament, on intimate terms with... It’s quite impossible, Christopher, and you know it,’ she added, an unusual sharpness in her tone.
‘Perhaps for Lady Maggie,’ his mother inserted with a grin. ‘She’s far more respectable than I am!’
‘Well I, for one, can only be glad you’ve chosen to be slightly scandalous!’ Ellie said, leaning over to give Lady Vraux a hug. ‘Now I must go.’
‘Thank you again for the visit,’ his mother said. ‘Please, do come back soon! Even if it’s only to ask for money to support your noble cause.’
Smiling, Ellie shook a finger at her. ‘Be careful what you wish for. Next time, I might just come begging!’ Turning towards him, she said, ‘It was wonderful to see you, too, Christopher. Good luck getting your Reform Bill through the Lords this session. And with your other project. Despite your mama’s objections, if you’re set on reforming your rake’s ways, I know you will make a success of it and choose a wife wisely.’
With a graceful curtsy to his bow, she walked out, Christopher unable to pry his gaze from her lovely form until she’d shut the door behind her.
He looked back to see his mama watching him, a speculative look on her face. He bent over the teapot and poured himself another cup to mask the heat he felt rising in his face at her scrutiny.
However, rather than teasing him about his obvious admiration for Ellie, when he looked back at her, she was frowning. ‘I worry about her, Christopher,’ she said unexpectedly. ‘Despite what Ellie says, she can’t have extracted enough jewels or blunt out of Summerville to support herself indefinitely. And despite my distaste for the married state, having a husband—even one conspicuous for his absence—does provide a woman with a layer of protection. The unscrupulous are less likely to try to take advantage if they know there is a man about who could hold them accountable for their behaviour. With Summerville gone, Ellie has no one. And she’s far too lovely to be without a champion.’
As his mother perhaps intended, her words immediately called up Christopher’s protective instincts. He didn’t need his mother’s warning to know there were many men who would feel a woman in Ellie’s position was fair game. ‘Is there someone in particular you suspect might be thinking of taking advantage?’
‘She disappeared from the public eye immediately after Summerville’s death, so I can’t say for certain. But Viscount Mountgarcy and Sir Ralph Simonton have been sniffing around her for years, and they are both as dissipated as Summerville. As you well know, the two have vied over women and wagers since they left university. With their wealth and position, I can’t see either of them believing they should take Ellie’s refusal as a final answer.’
Christopher frowned. His mother was correct; neither would believe Summerville’s former mistress would actually reject an offer from a man of their lineage and deep pockets. They’d likely interpret her refusal as a game, her way of bargaining between them to get better terms. ‘I’ll keep an eye out. Wouldn’t want either of those dissolute characters laying a hand on her.’
His mother gave him another speculative look. ‘Maybe you ought to do more than just “keep an eye out”. She’s not indifferent to you, Christopher—and you’re certainly attracted to her. Even better, you like her. Were you to offer her carte blanche, I’m almost certain she would accept. It would be a far happier arrangement for you than marriage to some prune-faced virgin.’
He, Ellie’s protector? He couldn’t deny that the mere thought of possessing her sent a blaze of desire through him. In his many amorous liaisons, he’d never met another woman who touched him more deeply on a physical level. He was nearly certain they would make spectacular lovers. And as his mother said, they were already friends. He enjoyed her company, her good sense and intelligent observations, her calm demeanour that was often so in contrast to his emotional, volatile mother.
Protecting her from harm would be a privilege.
But taking a mistress wouldn’t advance his career, nor help him fit in better with his married friends. Indeed, it would distance him further.
He really did need a wife to achieve both those aims. He resisted a sigh. No matter how tedious the idea of marriage sounded. He’d just have to talk himself into liking the idea better. Surely he could reshape his outlook, if he worked at it hard enough.
‘I do admire Ellie—and I certainly find her desirable. But I also think it’s time that I moved beyond temporary liaisons and made a permanent choice of companion.’
Could he take Ellie—and then walk away from her? If she were to become his mistress, and they later parted, how could he keep her as a friend?
Though his mother was correct about his tendency to move from one woman to the next, he couldn’t imagine his life without the serene loveliness of Ellie in it.
‘So you’ll just leave Ellie to fend for herself?’ his mother asked, jolting him from his thoughts. ‘Because a woman who isn’t chaste and dutiful deserves whatever she gets?’ she added bitterly.
‘No, of course not,’ he flashed back, stung. ‘How could you accuse me of thinking that? I’ve never treated any of the women with whom I’ve associated with less than courtesy and respect, and you know it! Just because I’m not prepared to make Ellie an offer doesn’t mean I’m not concerned for her well-being. We’re not as close as you and she have become, but I still consider her a friend! You may trust me to make sure she comes to no harm.’
‘And just how do you mean to accomplish that, if she is not under your protection?’
‘We’re friends. I can stop by her school, and visit her at home.’ He gave his mother a smile. ‘It is possible for a man and a woman to be just friends, you know.’
She shrugged. ‘Maybe if the man’s a eunuch, or the woman a sour-faced virgin.’ She heaved a sigh. ‘But I shall stop, before you make me cross. Just promise to watch out for Ellie, and I won’t tease you any further. Even though I think your desire to pursue marriage is a mistake.’
‘That’s easy enough to promise.’ Setting aside his teacup, he rose. ‘I must get along as well. But to demonstrate the sincerity of my pledge, I’ll stop by Ellie’s school this very afternoon. Check out her circumstances, make sure that bully boy is providing sufficient protection. I’ll keep my eyes and ears open when I make the rounds of my clubs, too. If someone has disreputable intentions towards her, I’ll put a stop to it.’
His mother opened her lips, then closed them. ‘I’ll not ask again how you think you can do that without staking a claim to the lady. Just know, I shall hold you responsible if anything untoward happens to her.’
‘No more responsible than I’d hold myself,’ he retorted. ‘I watch out for my friends, Mama—even the ones who happen to be female.’
‘See that you do. Now, go on with you. Some dreadfully dull committee meeting awaits, I’m sure.’
Chuckling, Christopher dropped a kiss on his mother’s head and left her.
But despite his intent to focus on finding a wife, the enticing vision of Ellie in his arms was difficult to put out of mind.
Chapter Two (#u4a19c7cd-4fd3-580a-bc5c-d33766a55449)
A short while after her visit with Lady Vraux, Ellie Parmenter stepped down from the hackney and approached the modest shop front she’d rented for her school on Dean Street. With space on the ground floor for classrooms, her office, and a storeroom, and bedchambers upstairs for the girls and the matron she’d engaged as chaperone and fellow teacher, it served excellently for its purpose.
‘Afternoon, miss,’ Jensen, her bully-boy protector-cum-butler, said as she entered. ‘The post done arrived. I put it on your desk.’
‘Thank you, Jensen. I’ll see to it directly.’ Nodding to the matron and calling a hello to the girls seated at tables, working on some stitchery, Ellie crossed the space towards the small room she used as an office. Laid out on the desk were several envelopes—that looked very much like bills.
She took a seat and opened them, confirming with a sigh that they were indeed invoices for coal, porridge, thread, and candles. Having gone from her mother’s house to her protector’s, she had little experience of the various and sundry expenses involved in running a household. She kept discovering, to her dismay, how many more of them there were than she’d anticipated.
Pushing away the unpleasant realisation of how quickly she was going through the sum Lord Witlow had invested in the school, she told herself they would manage somehow. After she finished with the bills and checked on the students, she would go out again and purchase some cloth. The two new girls she’d taken in yesterday, both children raised in brothels, needed more suitable clothing. She meant to use Witlow’s funds as prudently as possible, and it would be cheaper to buy the material to make up the gowns.
Besides, Lucy had expressed an interest in learning the dressmaker’s art. With time and training, she could perhaps be found a place with a modiste—especially if Lady Lyndlington gave her a recommendation.
All the wives of Christopher’s closest friends, the Hellions, were uncommonly gracious. After she’d responded to his plea for help and located the girl involved in the plot to discredit Ben Tawny, they’d insisted on having her dine with them so they might thank her personally.
She wouldn’t have admitted it to Christopher, or even to his mother, but she would have been willing to do nearly anything he asked of her.
What an arresting figure he’d made today, the sunlight streaming through the gauze-curtained windows silhouetting his tall, muscled body, shimmering on his dark gold hair and highlighting the sparkle of those deep turquoise eyes!
She chuckled, remembering the quizzical twist of his lip as he protested his mama mocking his intention to marry, even as that aim sent a pang to her heart. His hold on her affections went far deeper than admiration for his handsome face and virile body, or the zing of attraction she felt whenever he came near. She would never forget, nor could she adequately repay him, for the unfailing kindness, sympathy and respect with which he always treated her, especially at the darkest moment of her life.
Just as well that he was set on wedding a proper young miss. Now that she was finally free of her obligation to Summerville, she didn’t intend to become any man’s mistress ever again. That firm resolve, however, might waver—if Christopher were the one offering her carte blanche.
Shaking her head at her foolishness, she told herself she mustn’t even consider becoming more to Christopher Lattimar than a casual friend. It would be too great an irony if she agreed to a disreputable liaison with the one gentleman who’d always treated her like a lady, despite her position.
Besides, even if he should crook his finger and she were not strong enough to refuse him, such a relationship would only be temporary. How could she bear to have the warmth and courtesy he now showed her turn to polite disinterest, or worse yet, disdain, when he tired of her, as men always did of their mistresses?
Naturally, with him showing her kindness and respect at such a low point in her life, she’d fallen immediately into infatuation, seeing him as some sort of Knight in Shining Armour. But she was no longer an innocent eighteen-year-old, wrenched from home, family and all that was familiar and forced into a degrading role.
She smiled wryly. If Christopher could reform the rake, perhaps she could remake the romantic girl she’d been. Put those nostalgic fancies behind her and, now that her life was finally her own, turn herself into a sensible, mature woman. She had a few loyal friends like Felicia and important work in helping destitute young women build better lives to keep her occupied.
Having Christopher marry would end their friendship as effectively as if she were his cast-off mistress, she suddenly realised.
She was struggling to resist the wave of desolation that cruel thought produced when Jensen poked his head in the door. ‘There’s a man to see you, miss. Says he’s from the landlord.’
‘I suppose I shall have to receive him.’ Gathering up the bills and thrusting them into the drawer, she said, ‘Very well, show him in, Jensen.’
A few minutes later, a short, trim gentleman strolled in. After sketching a bow, he said, ‘I’m Wilson, Miss Parmenter, agent for your landlord. Mr Anderson sent me to inform you that, the preliminary portion of your lease being up, as of your next payment, your rent will be going up five pounds a month.’
‘Five pounds a month?’ After rapidly figuring the percentage in her head, she exclaimed, ‘That’s a ridiculously high increase! Besides, the term of the lease was a year. He cannot raise the rent before the end of the term.’
Wilson shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t know about that, miss. I just knows he sent me to warn you that he expects the new amount to be paid when next it’s due, lessen he take steps to get you evicted.’
Anger coloured her distress. ‘I’m quite certain that your employer has no legal right to arbitrarily increase the rent.’
‘I suppose you could talk to him, but dunno he’d change his mind. I know the bailiffs won’t listen, if he sets them to throwing you out. Happen it be better if you just pay the increase, like he says.’
‘Happen he is trying to coerce me into paying something I don’t owe,’ she snapped back angrily. The lease didn’t allow for an interim increase—did it? Surely she would have noticed if the landlord were allowed to make such an adjustment.
‘Wouldn’t risk it, were it me, ma’am. Lettin’ all them girls get put out into the street, with no place to go? Up to you, though.’
How could she determine for sure whether or not the threat was genuine? How could she keep the school going, if she had to pay so much higher a rent in addition to all the other bills?
Worry might be tightening her chest, but she didn’t intend for this vile little man to glimpse her agitation. Schooling her face to calm, she rose in dismissal. ‘Very well, you’ve delivered your message. You may tell your employer that I have no intention of increasing my payment, and I very much resent his attempt to extort a higher sum from me. Good day, sir.’
A little smirk on his face, as if he knew she was bluffing, Wilson said, ‘I’d think Mr Anderson’s warning over careful. Hard life for them girls, out on the street.’
With that parting shot, he ambled out.
As if she didn’t know just how hard such a life was, she thought, sinking back into her chair. Opening the bottom desk drawer, she rifled through until she found the copy of her lease.
Full of excitement at beginning the project so dear to her, she’d not paid much attention to the lengthy list of terms and conditions. She scanned it now, trying to make sense out of the stylised legal phrasing.
So absorbed was she in trying to decode the document, she only nodded distractedly when Jensen announced she had a visitor. Until a large masculine hand that did not belong to Jensen planted itself beside hers on the desk.
She looked up then, to see Christopher Lattimar smiling down at her. She sucked in a breath, surprise—and a heated awareness—making her nerves tingle.
‘I might expect such rapt attention being given to a racy novel,’ he said, ‘but some dull legal document?’ Then, as he gazed at her, the teasing smile faded. ‘Something is troubling you, Ellie. What is it? And how can I help?’
There seemed little point in denying she was upset. ‘Yes, I am...disturbed,’ she admitted. ‘But it’s nothing that should concern you. How delightful to see you again! Will you take some tea? And what can I do for you?’
‘I would love some tea,’ he replied, taking the chair she indicated. ‘And nothing in particular. Your enthusiasm when you described your school for Mama made me curious to see it, that’s all. But I do wish you would tell me what’s wrong. Something about that document, I’m guessing?’
As she walked past him to summon Jensen to fetch tea, she debated whether or not to reveal the situation. On the one hand, her problems had nothing to do with him. But on the other, he was a friend, and maybe could offer some advice. She could certainly use some!
‘It’s the lease on the school, Christopher,’ she said as she resumed her seat. ‘My landlord’s agent just stopped by to inform me that my rent is being raised a very considerable degree.’ Uncomfortably aware of the other bills tucked inside the desk, she continued, ‘I don’t think the lease allows it, but I must admit, I’m not sure.’
He took the document from her and scanned it, frowning. ‘Although I work every day crafting legislation, my expertise doesn’t extend to agreements about property,’ he said, handing it back. ‘I agree that the provision on changes doesn’t seem to provide for an increase, but the wording is so vague, but I can’t be sure, either. You ought to get a solicitor’s opinion.’
‘And how much would that cost? Probably more than the increase in rent, which is doubtless what the landlord is counting on!’
The maid of all work came in then, struggling under the weight of a heavy tea tray. Christopher rose and took it from her, setting it down on the desk. ‘Allow me—’
‘Sally,’ she inserted bashfully.
‘Sally. Wouldn’t want such a pretty lady to hurt her back.’
‘Oh, no, sir, I wouldn’t never!’ she breathed, standing motionless as she stared up, wide-eyed, into Christopher’s handsome face.
‘That will be all, Sally,’ Ellie said drily, amused to observe Christopher’s effect on the little maid. Not that she could blame the girl, she thought, suppressing a sigh. Gazing into those turquoise eyes had the same paralysing effect on her, which was why she generally avoided looking directly at him.
‘Yes, miss,’ the girl said, flushing. Dropping a curtsy, she hurried back out.
After several moments spent pouring tea and passing cups, he said, ‘Now, where were we? Discussing a problem with the lease, I think.’
She grimaced. ‘And the fact that, whether I pay the increase demanded or consult a solicitor, it’s going to cost me a good deal of blunt I can ill afford. Or I can ignore it, hope my reading of the text is correct, and trust that Mr Anderson won’t set the bailiffs to tossing my girls into the street.’
Christopher frowned. ‘He threatened that? How...unhandsome of him!’
‘Unhandsome indeed! But it might be a moot point. If I keep incurring so many unexpected expenses, I may be forced to close the school a-anyway,’ she finished, her voice trembling as she confessed her deepest fear—for without the school, what purpose, what future was there for her?
‘We can’t let a shortage of funding affect your enterprise!’ he said bracingly. ‘Why don’t you consult my solicitor? He’s already on retainer. I’d be happy to escort you there.’
She hesitated, grateful, but unwilling to put herself under such an obligation. ‘That’s very generous. But I must warn you, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to pay you back. Lord Witlow set up a generous endowment, which I find I’m having to spend much too quickly, and I hate to approach Lady Maggie, when she’s already been so free with her time and support.’
‘Don’t worry over the repayment,’ Christopher said, with a dismissive wave. ‘Your backers believe in the school, and are committed to its success. They will invest whatever additional amounts are needed—and there’s always my mother. As you may recall, she’s waiting to be touched for a contribution.’
His words were heartening, but she wasn’t sure she dared believe them. ‘I wanted to do this myself, mostly from my own resources. I didn’t want to become a charge on anyone else.’
‘You’re not a charge, and you don’t have to do it alone.’ Leaning closer, he put his hand over hers. ‘You have friends, Ellie. It’s their pleasure to help you—as it was yours, to help Ben Tawny.’
Her composure shaken by the threat to the school, worry over finances and a vague but deep-seated fear for her future, it took only that small gesture to immobilise her completely. She didn’t seem able to move her hand from under the comforting clasp of his fingers. And as she gazed up at him, comfort turned to something more.
With her control so tattered, she was helpless to resist the force of the attraction sweeping over her. Wonder about what it would feel like to have his lips on hers submerged every other thought. An urge seized her to claim just one kiss from this man she admired, a man who cared about her, a man she trusted. Because, for once in her life, she wanted that intimacy as much as his molten gaze told her Christopher did.
His gaze never leaving hers, he leaned closer. Her pulse accelerated like a horse spurred to a gallop, while heat from deep within spiralled outward in melting waves of sensation. A powerful urgency unlike anything she’d ever experienced coiled within, seeming to press her towards...something.
But as she sat motionless, chin raised, awaiting the contact of his mouth, he suddenly stopped. Dragging in a ragged breath, he moved away from her. She took a gulp of air herself, unaware until that moment that she’d been holding her breath.
‘As I said, you have friends, Ellie,’ he repeated, a slight tremor in his voice. ‘I hope I may count myself among them. If it’s convenient for you to visit the solicitor now, I would be pleased to escort you, so you might clear up the question about the lease without delay.’
Squelching an irrational disappointment at being robbed of his touch, she told herself she should rather feel relief. Succumbing to that kiss would threaten the friendly camaraderie they’d always shared. It was disconcerting enough to discover just how powerful a physical hold he could exert when her guard was down. How urgently she’d wanted him to act upon the attraction between them.
And that wouldn’t do at all. Having set his sights on finding a proper young maiden to marry, Christopher didn’t need to be distracted by her. She mustn’t tempt him—or herself—into a relationship that would be wrong for them both.
But oh, how delicious it could be, her senses argued.
