Page 26 of Tempting the Bluestocking
Shifting in his chair, Edward crossed one leg over the other. “Well, that’s putting it a bit simply but, in short, yes.”
Benedict fairly seethed, his knuckles turning white as he balled his hands up on the surface of his desk. “So now, not only am I short one courtesan as well as one of the most lucrative contracts this agency has ever seen, I must now ensure future clients understand that this is a courtesan agency and not a fucking matchmaking service.”
Edward and Hugh both flinched as his voice rose on the last few words, fairly shaking the small secret office off the back of Madame Hershaw’s dress shop.
“Ben, this does not have to be as bad as you are making out to be,” Hugh reasoned. “Miss Dunnaby seems like a discreet sort, so I highly doubt she will go about telling everyone how she met her fiancé.”
Benedict snorted and rolled his eyes. “Of course you’d think of it as being that simple. But the fact of the matter remains that your job as a courtesan is to bed your keeper and make her happy enough to keep us all flush in the pockets. If all of you start getting it in your heads that you’re in love and want to marry your keepers, we’ll be ruined within a year.”
“I understand your position entirely,” Edward replied. But none of this was done on purpose, and I certainly never thought that entering into this agreement would lead to me finding the woman I want to marry. I won’t pretend to regret a bit of it, because I don’t.”
“Of course you don’t,” Benedict snapped, waving a dismissive hand in Edward’s direction. “I gave you the chance to better your circumstances, and you gain a wealthy heiress in the bargain.”
Edward came to his feet, having reached the edge of his patience with Benedict. He would admit the man had a reason to be a bit miffed, but he’d just gone too far.
“Her fortune had nothing to do with it, so I’ll thank you not to imply such again.”
Benedict scoffed, rising to his feet and inclining his head at the door. “Get out of my sight. Inform your betrothed that her bank draft will be burned and she needn’t worry I’ll deposit the funds. If you whisper a word about my agency or mention the names of myself or Hugh, you won’t live to see another day.”
Taking hold of his arm, Hugh drew Edward toward the door. “Come, it’s best to leave him alone when he’s like this. He’s angry now, but he will come to see reason soon enough.”
Edward put the other man behind him, not giving a damn if Benedict ever stopped being infuriated with him. They’d never been more than acquaintances, and aside from being responsible for bringing Clare into his life the Gentleman Courtesans had only ever been meant to be a temporary part of his life.
Exiting the modiste’s shop through a back door, he and Hugh stepped out into an alley, then followed it out onto Cavendish Square. Hugh turned to him then, a wide smile on his face.
“I suppose congratulations are in order,” he said, extending a hand to Edward. “Can I expect an invitation to your wedding?”
Edward accepted Hugh’s hand for a shake, his mood lifting now that he was out of Benedict’s presence. How could he feel anything other than joy at knowing Clare would be his wife in the near future?
“The banns will be read for the first time this coming Sunday,” he replied. “And of course you can expect to be invited. You are partially responsible for me finding CeCe, after all. Though, I do hope this does not cause a rift between you and Benedict. You did vouch for me.”
Hugh waved this off and cast a glance in the direction of Madame Hershaw’s. “He can’t stay angry with me forever…I’m one of his best courtesans. Perhaps I’ll avoid recommending any new men in the future.”
“That might be best,” Edward quipped. “Thank you, my friend. You helped me when I was at my lowest point, and I will always be grateful to you for that.”
“Think nothing of it. I know how it feels to be desperate, so I was happy to help. I look forward to receiving that invitation.”
With that, they parted ways, Hugh heading off God-knew-where and Edward making his way home. Caroline was waiting for him to convey her to Clare’s townhouse, where his sister and his fiancée would meet for the first time. His sister had been elated to learn that he was soon to be wed and couldn’t wait to meet the woman who would become her sister-in-law. Apparently having two brothers had left her longing for a female sibling, yet another good thing to come out of this marriage. As he loped along searching for a hackney coach, Edward decided nothing but good things could come from a union with the woman he loved. For the first time in years, his future seemed brighter and more certain than ever.
Chapter 11
The wedding of Miss Clare Dunnaby to Mr. Edward Norton occurred on a warm day at the end of spring, an intimate ceremony held at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Jacob stood with Edward as the best man, while Clare’s friend Gillian had arrived from Sussex just in time to act as a maid-of-honor.
Clare had walked down the aisle on the arm of Helene, whom she had asked to give her away for lack of a living father. It might be a bit unorthodox, but Helene had been her sole parent for most of her life. It wouldn’t have felt right to have anyone else walk her down the aisle to her waiting groom.
Edward’s face had transformed into a mask of delighted shock and awe as she’d approached, wearing a gown of pure white net laid over powder blue silk and adorned with minimal flounces of blond lace along the hem. The white netting fell open at the front to trail behind her as she walked, white gloves covering her to the elbow. In her hands she held a bouquet made primarily of her hybridLilium,which had bloomed with the most pleasing effect. They had the hardy composition of the Madonna lily with the brilliant colors of the tiger lily—fading from bright orange at the center to brilliant white at the tips of the petals, with the tiger lily’s signature black spots adorning them proudly.
He’d been resplendent himself in black with white linen, a blue waistcoat matching her gown and offering relief from the stark colors. His eyes had shone with open admiration and love as she’d met him at the altar to join him in the recitation of their vows.
The ceremony had been followed by the wedding breakfast in what was now Edward and Clare’s new Town residence. Clare had been reluctant to part ways with Helene, even if her new home was only a few minutes’ carriage ride away. But, her aunt had insisted that she would get on just fine living alone, even joking that it would be easier for her to engage in her clandestine affairs without Clare underfoot.
“Besides, I shall have plenty of excuses to visit you whenever I wish. After all, I expect to become a great-aunt soon.”
Helene had also revealed that apart from her inheritance, there was still a dowry that had been left by her father. At her shock upon learning this, her aunt had simply shrugged and informed her that she’d never given up hope that Clare would someday wed. The inheritance she’d gained had been a separate arrangement, to become hers at the age of twenty-one whether she was wed or not. Which meant they now had the perfect solution for the problem of Norton & Rivers. While Edward had confessed to not liking the idea of using her dowry to finish paying off his debts and inject more capital into the line, Clare had been firm that she wouldn’t marry him unless he agreed to do just that. Thanks to her inheritance, she now had more money than she could ever spend in a lifetime, and he had no reason to feel guilty over all of it becoming his now that they were wed.
Caroline would take up residence with them, and Jacob had been convinced to abandon his bachelor’s lodgings as well. Edward had recently taken his brother on as a protégé, teaching him the ins and outs of the business as he worked to rebuild it from scratch. The sign outside the dockyard office now read: Norton & Norton Line, with the anticipation that once Jacob knew what he was about, he would come in as a full-on business partner.
Gilly and Randall had returned after receiving their invitation to the wedding. They had convinced Clare and Edward to accompany them on their travels once a secretary was hired given the business was becoming stable enough to do without constant management. They were soon to be off to the fossil-rich coast of Devon, a place Clare had always wished to explore. It would be a wedding trip of sorts, one that struck Clare as being more perfect than one of the fashionable destinations. Walking the moors and staring over rocky cliffs with her new husband would be the most romantic experience of her life.
