Page 11 of Celestes Forever Marquess
“I like her,” his sister said.
He frowned. “Unfortunately, she and a few others have told me that she has no interest in titled gentlemen.”
Courtney grinned. “But you really aren’t one.”
He smiled back at his sister. “That is what I was thinking.”
“Damn it. If you marry, Mother will be after me next,” Cordell groaned.
***
Celeste sighed as she sat in a wingback chair in her apartment at the Den. She was exhausted but would return to the Den’s floors momentarily. The festivities for the night were still in full swing, and she wanted to be there in case any issues arose.
She’d told a white fib to Devons and Derry. There was no emergency at the Den that needed her. Still, Celeste found plenty to do once she arrived at the club. She frowned, acknowledging that she’d fled because of her growing feelings for Caleb. The man intrigued her more than anyone else had in a long time, butshe would not break her vow. Celeste didn’t involve herself with gentlemen.
Her cat, Heathcliff Fitzsimmons, the Second, hopped into her lap, letting out a demanding meow. She sighed and stroked his back. “Did you miss me, Heath?”
The cat purred and nuzzled deeper into her. She laughed. “You are awfully demanding.”
A knock on her apartment door caused the cat to bolt under the bed. Heathcliff didn’t like many people besides her.
“Come in,” Celeste said.
The butler, Donahue, entered. “Miss Hathaway, the gentleman you like to be kept apprised of is here.”
Her eyes widened. “It has been a long time since Lord Burrows visited us.”
Donahue nodded. “He is with his son. They are enjoying a drink in one of the quieter rooms.”
She smiled at the butler. “Thank you. I will be down soon.”
It was strange when she’d first started living and hosting events at the Den; anytime she’d see Lord Burrows, Celeste would be on the cusp of falling apart. Time and success had changed that. Now all she felt was cold fury.
She made her way back down the stairs into the great room of the Den. As Donahue had said, Lord Burrows wasn’t in the mix of the singing and revelry. He’d never been that type of Den attendee.
She smiled at a guest who greeted her with excitement and mockingly scolded another who was spilling a drink as he told a dramatic story. This grand room was the heart of the building. Men gambled, celebrated, and mourned in this space.
When she’d been younger, Celeste could never have fathomed being part-owner of a gentlemen’s club, but desperation had driven her to beg for a job at the Den. Sheswallowed the lump forming in her throat. Derry had been the person she’d pleaded with. He’d quickly given her a job and never once, since then, brought up how desperate she truly was.
Since then, Derry and Devon had become like big brothers to her. Still, she kept some of her secrets from them. There were some things she would never tell anyone. Celeste wandered into a smaller room of the Den, where men went to drink and enjoy a level of privacy that didn’t exist in the great room.
She smiled as she walked, but didn’t interrupt any of the conversations at the various tables. Her gaze flitted to Lord Burrows and his son. They sat laughing and smiling. Her heart clenched. Not once had he ever acknowledged her. She’d sent countless letters, both when she was desperate and in anger, when she succeeded without him.
Celeste worked on arranging the glasses on a table, helping the staff. She knew they would eventually shoo her away, but right now it gave her a way to spy on the man who would never claim her as his own. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Lord Burrows was her father but made it clear early on that he wanted nothing to do with her.
She clenched her jaw, allowing the cold fury that always came when he showed up at the club to settle in the pit of her stomach. The destruction the man had caused by not caring and being indifferent had nearly destroyed her and most certainly driven her mother to her death.
Caleb flashed in her mind, but she pushed away any warm thoughts of him. She did not spend time with lords and would certainly not allow herself to fall for one, ever. Celeste knew all too well the devastation a titled man could cause a woman like her.
Chapter 5
One week later – London
Caleb stepped into the Den, speechless. He was in awe of the decadent ball around him. The theme was fairy tales, and the entire estate was decorated so that one felt like they were walking through an enchanted kingdom.
He stood in the great room, watching a man and woman twirl and spin from the top of a tower. He suspected it had been designed and built just for this night. They were acrobats dressed in shimmery clothing that left little to the imagination.
“Christ, that is amazing,” Cordell said, enthralled by the woman.
