Page 16 of A Courtesan Countess Worth the Scandal
At the far side of the office, Mrs. Roberts sat behind her desk, with Julia in the chair opposite. The former was a cheery-faced woman of fifty, with gray hair scraped back into a chignon, intelligent brown eyes, and a patient smile for anyone who needed it.
“I didn’t think you’d be here so early after all the brandy those gents kept handing you.” Nora came to sit in the chair beside Julia. “You look fresh as anything.”
Julia chuckled. “It’s all in the way you dispose of it without them seeing.”
“I’ve taught you well.” Nora leaned over and gave her friend a nudge. In the evenings, they were sisterly rivals. In the daytime, especially here, they were more relaxed, since there was no need to compete with one another.
“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Nora.” Mrs. Roberts held out her hand for Nora’s, and she obliged. “I can’t tell you what a relief it is, whenever you arrive. We’d be lost without your generosity.”
Julia cleared her throat.
“And yours, too, Julia. Donations are forever welcome, but we could not continue if we did not have helpful volunteers, such as you,” Mrs. Roberts replied, with no hint of condescension. She truly meant it. This orphanage was as much her child as the actual children within it, and Nora never failed to feel glad that she could help in some small way.
This is why I have to do what I’m thinking of doing… remember that.
Truthfully, Nora had another reason for coming here today. She had hoped she would find Julia already at the orphanage, so she could get her friend’s opinion of the plan that she was concocting in her mind. The scheme that might just spare Nora from ever having to escort another gentleman again. Or, the scheme that might put her in more danger than she had ever been in before.
Mrs. Roberts let go of Nora’s hand and stood up. “I’m just going to see how the little darlings are faring. There is tea on the stove if you want some, and you can stay in here for as long as you want.” She skirted around the desk and made for the door. “Though I’ll not be too long, if you felt like waiting for me, so we can have a nice chat over something warm and sweet?”
“No tea shall pass our lips until you return,” Nora replied, with a gracious nod.
Making a contented sound, Mrs. Roberts exited the office, leaving Nora and Julia alone. Just as Nora had hoped. For this was the kind of conversation that could not be overheard by anyone, not even her mother. Not until she had put it into action, and knew it was not going to come back and bite her.
“I’ve got some news,” Nora began, in a whisper. “But, before I go on, you’ve to promise me that you won’t breathe a word of it to anyone. Not a single soul.”
Julia arched an eyebrow. “You know you can trust me with anything.” A mischievous smile crept onto her lips. “I still haven’t told anyone about the time you fell into that heap of manure, though I know it would guarantee laughter from the gentlemen.”
“Ooh, that would ruin me!” Nora cried. “You’ve got a long memory, I know that much… which is why I wanted to speak to you about this.”
Julia gave a nod. “And what’s the “this” part of it?”
“I’m thinking of retiring from the world of the courtesan,” Nora admitted, looking back over her shoulder to make sure the door was closed. “Think of this as an opportunity for you to aid me and inherit all of my gentlemen callers in exchange.”
Julia’s eyes widened. “Are you quite serious?”
“I’ve never been more so.” Nora smiled sadly. “I’m not the bright young thing that I once was, and the gentlemen that I’ve been escorting are becoming less predictable. I suppose that’s the nature of getting older, you must take whatever comes along, as you can’t afford to be selective.”
Julia canted her head in confusion. “Did something happen with Lord Westleigh? Iknewyou seemed peculiar last night, after I came out to meet you.”
“He merely revealed his true nature,” Nora explained. “I wouldn’t give him what he thought he’d paid for, so he got angry. Indeed, that’s sort of the spark that ignited this current bit of inspiration.”
Julia reached out and took Nora’s hands in hers. “That’s no reason to retire, Nora. I know I shouldn’t be saying that, since I’d have my pick of the gentlemen if you weren’t working anymore, but you can’t let one man’s wrath frighten you.”
“It’s not only because of him.” Nora gave her friend’s hand a squeeze. “I’ve been thinking this way for a long time, but I never dared to leave this employ because I had nothing else to bring income into my family.”
“And you do now?” Julia sounded eager, which Nora took as a promising sign.
“Do not gasp too loudly, but… I have decided I am going to blackmail the gentlemen that I have escorted, and publish a memoir about them all.” Her heart lurched with nervous excitement, at finally having her idea out in the open. “My hope is that most of them will pay me handsomely to not include them in my memoir. With that money, I’ll be able to save the orphanage and my family, in one fell swoop.”
Julia’s mouth dropped open. “That is the wickedest thing I have ever heard.” A second later, her lips spread into a grin. “I love it!”
“I hoped you would,” Nora said, “because I’m going to need any names you might have, too.”
Julia hesitated for a moment. “Will you include… you-know-who?”
“No,” Nora replied, without pause. “I’ll never mention his name to anyone, either from my tongue or in a memoir. As far as I’m concerned, he never existed.”
In a bitter twist of irony, the one gentleman whom she would most have enjoyed getting revenge upon, was the one man she could not touch. For if she so much as dared, the townhouse that kept her family safe would swiftly be replaced with the gutter.
