Page 12 of The Paid Companion

She set her back teeth and reminded herself that this morning when she had dressed for her interviews, she had deliberately made herself up in what she hoped was the very image of a typical paid companion. Nevertheless, she was somewhat irritated to learn that he had erred on the high side when he had calculated her age.

“I am six and twenty,” she said, striving to keep her words entirely neutral.

He nodded once, evidently satisfied. “Excellent. Old enough to have acquired some common sense and knowledge of the world. You’ll do.”

“Thank you,” she retorted caustically. “But we both know that gentlemen of your rank and fortune are expected to marry very young, extremely sheltered ladies straight out of the schoolroom.”

“Hell’s teeth, madam, we are discussing a paid post, not a genuine betrothal.” He scowled. “You know perfectly well that it would be impossible for me to employ a seventeen-year-old girl for this position. Not only would she be highly unlikely to possess the skills and self-confidence required to carry it off, she would no doubt expect me to go through with the damn wedding at the end.”

For some reason that remark sent a chill through her. She did not understand why, however. Logic told her that of course the Earl of St. Merryn would not even consider marriage to the woman who played the role of his fiancée for a few weeks. Why, such a woman would be no better than an actress. Wealthy, powerful gentlemen of the ton had affairs with actresses; they certainly did not marry them.

“Speaking of which,” Elenora made herself say briskly, “just how do you intend to end this fictitious engagement when you have concluded your business here in town?”

“There will be no problem with terminating it,” he said. He shrugged. “You will simply disappear from Society. It will be put about that you cried off and returned to your family’s estates somewhere in the far North.”

You will simply disappear.

Alarm slithered across her nerves. That sounded decidedly ominous. On the other hand, he was right. Vanishing from exclusive circles would not be so very difficult. The rich and the powerful lived in a very small, self-contained world, after all. They rarely strayed outside the borders of that glittering sphere, nor did they notice those who existed beyond it.

“Yes, I suppose that will work,” she said, thinking it through carefully. “Few, if any, of my future employers are likely to move in the same exalted circles of Society that you and your acquaintances inhabit. Even if they do go into the Polite World and even if I were to come into contact with some of their elevated friends, I doubt that anyone would take any notice. Once I revert to my role as a paid companion, no one will pay any attention to me.”

“People see what they expect to see,” he agreed.

A thought struck her. “Perhaps I should use another name while I play this role, to help ensure that no one recognizes me while I am in the part.”

He chuckled. “I can see that the notion of taking a stage name appeals to you, but I do not think it necessary, and it will only complicate matters in the event that someone from your own past does happen to recognize you.”

“Oh, yes, I see what you mean.” She was somewhat disappointed, but she had to admit that he was correct. “It is unlikely, but if I should meet up with an acquaintance here in London, it would be difficult to explain my new name.”

“Truthfully, I am not at all disturbed by the notion of you encountering someone you know while you play your part. There is no reason why such an event would affect our script. As long as I claim you as my fiancée, you will be accepted as such. I am considered something of an eccentric, so no one will be unduly shocked that I wish to marry a lady with no social connections.”

“I see.”

His smile was cold. “Who will dare to contradict me?”

“Yes, of course,” she said, a little awed by his unshakable arrogance. But his point was well taken. Who, indeed, would dare to question his claim? And as for the future, well, she would worry about that when it was necessary to do so. She could hardly afford to pass up this extremely profitable arrangement because of some vague fear of being recognized as the earl’s cast-off fiancée six months from now.

“Indeed.” She nodded once, satisfied. “Very well, I think it is safe to assume that no one looking at a companion will see the Earl of St. Merryn’s former fiancée, so I should have no difficulty obtaining future employment.” She hesitated. “But where will I live while I am in your employ? I do not have any lodgings of my own. It is quite expensive here in town, you know.”

“You will stay in my house, of course. We will tell people that you are visiting from the country to shop and enjoy the pleasures of the Season.”

“You expect me to live under your roof, sir?” She raised her brows. “That would invite the sort of gossip that I’m sure you would not want.”

“There is no need to be alarmed on account of your reputation, Miss Lodge. I promise you that you will be properly chaperoned. The tale that I gave Mrs. Goodhew and Mrs. Willis concerning my widowed female relative staying with me for a few weeks was quite true.”

“I see. Well, then, my lord, your scheme just might work.”

“Miss Lodge, for your information, my schemesalwayswork. That is because I am very good at making plans and executing them.”

He said that without any trace of arrogance, she realized. It was a simple statement of fact as far as he was concerned.

“Nevertheless, this particular scheme seems somewhat complicated,” she murmured.

“Trust me, Miss Lodge. It will work. And at the end of it, I will pay you not only triple your fees, but a bonus.”

She went very still, hardly daring to breathe. “Do you mean that, sir?”

“I need you, Miss Lodge. Something tells me you are perfect for the part I want you to play, and I am quite willing to pay you handsomely for your talents.”

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