and everyone in the house looked on the child as a pet. With her bright red hair and bewitching grin she was a far cry from the women who filled Carstairs House, but she was irrepressible.
“Remember to knock, Betsey,” Melisande said in a tranquil voice, trying to ignore the worry that churned in her stomach. At least it wasn’t the youngest sneaking out when no one was looking. Betsey was born to mischief and as headstrong as Melisande herself, a lucky thing, or she never would have survived on the streets for so long.
“Begging your pardon, miss…er…your ladyship,” Betsey said cheerfully. “But there’s a note.” She was holding a thick piece of vellum in her hand, and even from across the room Melisande could see the thick scrawl of handwriting. A man’s, of course.
“For me?”
“No, miss. It was sent to Violet. I can’t read well enough yet to tell what it says, but she took one look and just about ran for the door. No one knows where she’s gone.”
Violet. Of course it was Violet. Melisande crossed the room to take the note from the child’s hand. She should have told her to bring it to her, but she was too worried to waste time on a lesson. “Normally we wouldn’t read other people’s mail,” she said, scanning the words with a worried air. “But this is an emergency.”
“Coo,” said Betsey, impressed.
And emergency it was. Violet had been bidden to attend Viscount Rohan at his town house on Bury Street, immediately. This was no request; it was a royal summons. Melisande cursed beneath her breath, further impressing Betsey. “Get me my bonnet and pelisse, Betsey,” she instructed, crumpling the note in one hand. “I’m going out.”
3
La Violette was as beautiful as always, Benedick thought as he strolled into the smaller salon on the first floor. While he fully intended to put every single room in this house to use for sexual purposes he wasn’t yet ready to breach the sanctity of his library. Perhaps that would be the final bastion to fall. This was a house where he had never shagged anyone. He’d always had a tendency to conduct his affaires away from home, probably because of some stray remnant of courtesy for his disastrous second marriage. He had every intention of remedying that situation forthwith.
She was waiting for him, and while his brain took in her oddly subdued clothing, his cock knew nothing but her mouth, which curved in a bright smile of promises to come. He knew his own grim mouth curved in response as he shut the doors and advanced on her.
“Your lordship,” she said in that breathy voice that was actually quite irritating. Fortunately he didn’t have to listen to much of it. “I’ve missed you.”
He put his hand beneath her chin, tilting that lovely face upward. “If I believed that, my sweet Violet, I would be very much a fool. You and I have always been honest with each other. What’s this sudden sentimentality?”
Her own eyes crinkled. “It’s the truth, God knows,” she said with a gusty sigh. “You’re a sight prettier than most of the men I’ve had to deal with, and you know how to show your appreciation, and not just with coin. You’re generous, and kind, and a girl learns to value that in a man.”
He felt a small tug of amusement. There were few in this world who would consider him either generous or kind, and the fact that it was a whore who saw that in him normally would have been pause for reflection. Right then reflection was the furthest thing from his mind.
“I’m flattered. Now if you wouldn’t mind…”
She grinned at him saucily. “My pleasure, my lord,” she said, and sank to her knees in front of him, reaching for the fastening to his breeches.
He closed his eyes, letting his head drop back in preparation for the supreme pleasure La Violette was more than capable of delivering, when the door to the salon slammed open, Violet let out a little shriek of dismay, and he turned his head to observe a virago standing in the entry.
Fortunately he was still properly covered, and he took a small step back, while the woman on her knees in front of him didn’t move, clearly thunder-struck.
“Get up, Violet!” the newcomer said in stern tones. “You have no need to perform such demeaning acts anymore. Haven’t you learned that yet?”