Page 17 of His Wicked Secret
Audrey eyed the coin purse.
“I…” She had to accept, but she could send a boy over with money to pay him back. She removed enough to cover the coach ride, then handed the pouch back to the butler.
“Thank you. Tell Mr. St. Laurent I’ll send a boy around later to pay him back.”
The servant nodded, but he seemed shocked at her desire not to accept a gift. But that was entirely the point. She did not want Jonathan’s charity, nor did she wish to be indebted to him.
He will teach me to fight, and then I shall not need anyone. I shall truly be independent.
Her dreams of love and marriage were fading now that she had other desires. As she lay in bed with Jonathan, tasting what she’d always longed for, she realized something had changed within her. The silly young girl she’d been a year before, the one who’d wanted to marry and be a mother, was gone. The need to do something greater now burned inside her like a beacon.
Lady Society had been an idle pastime at first, meant in part to aid in matchmaking her friends based on the gossip she heard. But over the years her ideals had changed. Her articles had grown from mere society columns to calls for equality, even essays on political issues and challenging Parliament. All of it had been done with the flourish and flair of a clever woman using society itself as her weapon. But Lady Society was just the beginning in Audrey’s desire to change England.
While she still wished to be a wife and mother, she feared she could never have that, not when she needed to prove to herself that she could do something greater. Not in a world where men had no inclination to give women that chance. It should have been a relief that Jonathan didn’t want her for a wife, because it had given her time to realize that she had a different destiny.
She thanked the butler for the coach when it arrived and then left Jonathan’s townhouse. She didn’t look back, no matter how much she wanted to. That beautiful house would not be her home, no matter how much she might’ve wished it to be.
Two years ago, when she’d debuted as the toast of London, she could have had any man she desired—all except the one man she truly wanted. If he could be so cavalier and mercenary, then so could she. She would take his lessons, and then she would leave England and become a spy.
In recent months she’d taken to speaking with Evangeline Mirabeau, a French courtesan and formidable woman in her own right, and she believed Audrey could do well in France. Gossip and intrigue ruled the French royal court, and those were two of Audrey’s specialties. Those who knew how to navigate those waters could go far.
By the time she reached the Sheridan townhouse, dawn was cresting the tops of the buildings. Hopefully anyone who had noticed she’d been missing would not think to tell her brother upon his return. Most of the staff knew her well enough to be discreet, but it was never a certainty. Audrey carried Archimedes inside and ignored the worried looks of two footmen as she passed them.
One of the footmen offered her a note. “There’s a letter for you, miss.”
“Thank you.” She tucked it into a pocket in her ruined dress and went upstairs to her bedchamber.
She set Archimedes on her bed. Muff was already there on the pillows, lounging in the early-morning sunlight. She raised her head and stared hard at Archimedes. The newcomer stared back, his tail twitching, and for a moment, Audrey worried the pair would get into a spat. After a moment Muff stood, stretched leisurely, and then hopped off the bed and walked away, her tail like a black plume in the air, waving defiantly as she turned the corner and vanished into the corridor.
Audrey took out the note and broke the seal, reading the lines scrawled hastily on the page. It seemed Gillian had suffered a slight head wound, and James had insisted on her staying at his house for the night since he had a doctor on staff treating his mother. Well, that was a small mercy. At least she was safe and cared for.
Audrey moved to her armoire and had only just turned the handle when the bedchamber door opened and Gillian peered inside.
“You’re safe!” her maid exclaimed and rushed to hug her.
“Of course! And you? I saw you leave with James Fordyce last night.” Audrey hugged her friend back.
“Quite fine.” Gillian blushed, then winced when she looked at Audrey’s dress. “Oh dear, it was new!”
Audrey sighed, plucking at the gown. “Yes, the gown is ruined, but thankfully it was the only victim last night.”
“Let me help you out of it. I’ve just had a bath drawn and was coming to check on you. I didn’t realize you hadn’t returned yet.” Gillian assisted her out of her clothes, and Audrey headed to the large copper tub in her dressing room. The water was warm, and she sighed in heavy delight as she settled back into the tub.
“Shoo!” Gillian’s sharp reprimand made Audrey bolt up from her hot bath, splashing water over the lip of the tub. Gillian held the ruined red gown hanging from her hands. She was chasing after Archimedes with it, who darted about the dressing room, leaping from the washstand to the open closet to the stack of bathing cloths.
“Gillian, what the devil are you doing?”
“Devil indeed! He was just sitting there. Watching you. He ought to be in the kitchens chasing rats.” The cat streaked past the tub, sliding on the water and darting into the bedroom. The maid finally closed the cat out of the washroom and leaned back against the door as though she were defending the room against a massive beast. “Where on earth did you find him?”
Audrey rubbed soap along her skin. “He’s from the hellfire club, remember? The poor cat they claimed was the devil.”
Gillian walked over to a chair and collapsed into it. “I thought I had dreamed that part of last night.” She tucked her head and winced. “Clearly I did not.”
“You’ll get used to him. Archimedes is simply delightful.”
“Archimedes? Lord…” Gillian picked up a few cloths for washing and brought them over to Audrey. “I’ll have some breakfast brought up for you.”
“Thank you, Gillian.” Audrey met the gaze of her friend for a long moment, hoping the other woman would hear the deeper message beneath her words. She didn’t deserve a loyal, kind, and brave friend like her.
