Page 13 of Her Wicked Longing
“Dismissed?” Audrey tilted her head to one side, puzzled. “Why would Idismissyou?”
“Because I deceived Lord Pembroke and acted above mystation.”
Again, her mistress gazed at her, her head still tilted at a slight angle, her brown eyesbright.
“Perhaps someone else would dismiss you, but we aren’t simply lady and lady’s maid, Gillian. We arefriends. I know you almost as well as you know yourself. I don’t believe you were acting poorly with Lord Pembroke. He made an assumption, and you did not correct him. That is a matter we can worry about later. What is important is that you were unharmed. I wish for you to rest tonight. Sean will watchoveryou.”
“And you will stay here, my lady? Stay safe?” Gillianpressed.
“I will stay safe,” Audrey assured her. “Now let’s get you into bed so youcanrest.”
Gillian left Audrey’s study and climbed the flight of stairs to her private bedroom. Sean brought her another cup of tea and a bowl of soup, which smelled divine. After she’d eaten, she lay down on her narrow bed, pulled her quilt around her body, and closed her eyes. So much had happened today—things that had been frightening and things that had beenwonderful.
She knew what she had done concerning James was wrong. She was not a lady like Audrey. But for just a few hours she’d forgotten how tired and anxious she was and how stifling her life as a maid could be. She was simply herself, Gillian, and she had kissed a wonderful and attractivenobleman.
She replayed their heated moment in the bookshop, burning it into her memory. It would keep her warm in the long, lonely nights to come. Gillian would never be a lady like her mistress, but she could let herself imagine what might have been were she Lord Pembroke’s lady. A tear fell from her closed eyes, dampening herpillow.
I am a wicked maid for thinking such thoughts, but I wish I could be hiswickedmaid.
Thankyou so much for reading this short story about Gillian and James! Be sure to sign up for my newsletter atwww.laurensmithbooks.comso don’t miss their full story which comes out March 2018 - The Earl of Pembroke- as part of the Wicked Earl’s Club. Turn the page to see the cover and to start reading Audrey and Jonathan’sStory!
His WickedLessons
A ShortStory
Chapter1
Audrey Sheridan’seyes might have been on her reflection in her vanity mirror, but her mind was focused inward. Tonight, she was to embark on a dangerous mission: infiltrating a hellfire club in order to expose the members and their sordid acts to Londonsociety.
As the secret columnist Lady Society, she prided herself on the articles she wrote forTheQuizzing Glass Gazette. She did not write silly little pieces of fluff on who was marrying whom or who had worn the latest fashions from Paris well—though she did so love to talk about fashion. Her articles were designed to push the boundaries ofsociety.
After all, theton, if left to itself, would remain complacent and unmoved. A stagnant ground bereft of new ideas and enshrining only old ones. A place where progress would not be tolerated, let aloneembraced.
A smile curved her lips as she relished the thought of how tonight’s foray into a dangerous club would shock everyone. She would be incognito, of course, but still, once she wrote the article exposing the gentlemen who belonged to the hellfire club, all of London would be shocked by the idea of the mysterious Lady Society being in such danger and surviving with her identity still shrouded inmystery.
The problem was keeping her older brother, Cedric, and his friends, the League of Rogues, from discovering her plans. They were all such dears, but Lord, they could be so overprotective of her. She might as well have five older brothers rather than just one. Ever since their parents had died when she was a child, Cedric had become more than a brother—he’d transformed into a fierce guardian. He would’ve wrapped her in a giant ball of muslin to protect her if hecould.
“There you are, my lady.” Her lady’s maid, Gillian Beaumont, tucked one delicate curl into place in Audrey’scoiffure.
Audrey gazed at her maid in the mirror, wanting to see if the young woman would smile back. Gillian was so serious all the time. She and Audrey were both nineteen, but Gillian seemed so forlorn at times, as though she had lived many lifetimes before this, and none had ended well. It was Audrey who insisted on involving her maid in her wild schemes. She wanted her friend to live alittle.
“Perfect. I have to look my best today. The League is coming over for tea in an hour and…” Audrey’s cheeks heated as she could no longer push away the thought of the man who would soon be under her roof. She knew Gillian would assume she was going to stay here while they came for tea, but that was the last thing Audrey wanted. It had become painfully obvious that Jonathan St. Laurent did not want anything to do with her. He’d made his intentions perfectly clear last Christmas when he’d all but fled the room once she had attempted toseducehim.
He wants nothing to do with me, so I won’t stay here and bepolite.
Her feelings were bruised. More than bruised. She’d fallen in love with Jonathan soon after she’d met him and had dreamed of no other man since. Although her feelings toward him hadn’t changed, she had her pride and was tired of trying towoohim.
“And Mr. St. Laurent will be there?” her maidasked.
“Err… I suppose so,” she hedged. She really didn’t want to speak of Jonathan anymore. “Gillian, could you run a few errands for me today? I believe we have a few articles to post in theQuizzing Glass Gazettethat will need to run in the next few weeks. Would you mind seeing to thatforme?”
She pulled the bodice of her gown up a little. The blue cambric muslin was a sensible choice, but the flare of the lavender gauze on the hem made her feel like a fairy queen. Everyone poked fun at her love of fashion, but none of them understood it was part of her power, with far greater range than any suspected. She could disguise herself as a lad or dress the part of a queen to great effect. She tilted her head as she realized Gillian hadn’t answered her. Her maid was staring into the distance, her hands absently playing with a bit of herowngown.
“Well? Do you mindverymuch?”
Gillian’s eyes widened and she focused on Audrey. “Of course, my apologies, my lady. I was woolgathering. Yes, leave me the articles, and I will see them placed in the properhands.”
“Excellent.” Audrey walked to her escritoire, withdrew three articles she had carefully packaged, and handed them toGillian.
