Page 23 of The Secret of My Seduction
His mouth quirked. “Perfectly well.” He hesitated. “I’ve not received pages from you, and wondered when I may expect them. It’s been several weeks since the last story was published. I’ve been receiving queries.”
“Oh.” This was good news, and yet her heart seemed to drop from her throat all the way to her shoes. He’d come on business. She tried to rally a pleased expression. “How wonderful that it’s wanted. I should have something by next week.”
“Excellent,” he said with a quick smile. “I had begun to fear—” He coughed. “That is, I’m relieved you’re working as usual.”
“Mmm-hmm.” She rubbed her hands back and forth, her smile stiff.As usual.As usual, she pictured Liam’s handsome face on every hero she wrote. As usual, she thought of him every night when she retired to her quiet bed, and wondered if he had a new lover.
“I also worried…” His gaze dipped momentarily to her midsection. “You’ve not suffered any…unease?”
She blushed deep red. Had she conceived a child, he meant. She had wondered if she might, for a few days after their glorious night together, but that had soon been put to rest. Some tiny, unreasonable part of her had dwelt on the prospect with longing. Her heart yearned for Liam’s child in her arms, a little hand in hers, a lifelong reminder of her one taste of sensual bliss with the man she loved. She might never have another chance to be a mother, and it had taken her off guard how appealing it suddenly seemed.
But she also knew it would be a terrible thing for that child, to be illegitimate and possibly unwanted by his father, so when her monthly courses arrived on schedule, she told herself it was for the best.
“None,” she assured him.
“Ah.” His face was inscrutable. She couldn’t tell if his response was relieved or disappointed. Perhaps he’d merely had his curiosity satisfied.
“I would have notified you if so,” she added.
“Of course.” He glanced at the door. “I trust it remains our secret?”
She blushed again. “Danny doesn’t know, and never will.”
“Are you…” Liam seemed to be choosing every word with great care. “He would not beat you if he knew, would he?”
Bathsheba blinked. If her brother would beat anyone, it would be Liam. “No. I’m sure not.”
“But he would be displeased?” Liam persisted, his voice low. “You were so adamant that he not know aboutLady X, I couldn’t help but wonder if he would take it badly if he knew about us.”
She bit her lip. “Danny would not be pleased,” she admitted. “He believes himself responsible for me, even though I’ve told him many times he mustn’t feel so.”
“I see.” Liam looked at the floor. “Would he be displeased on principle, or because I was the man?”
What was he after? Suddenly wary, she tried to parse his question. “Both, I imagine,” she said cautiously. “He would not like me taking a—a lover, and as he knows you, I suspect he would view it as a sort of betrayal. He would likely have wanted you to refuse my entreaty and then perhaps even tell him what I’d done, so he could put a stop to it.” Liam’s eyes flashed, and she stopped. “But he’ll never know,” she promised quickly. “Not from my lips, and I told no one at all. Only your coachman knows…and the man who called upon you that last morning…” Her voice trailed off questioningly. She’d suffered a thousand pangs of curiosity and dread over that man.
Now Liam looked awkward. “That was my brother Angus. He was neither expected nor welcome. I extracted his promise not to say a word, and he’s got no idea who you are.”
“Oh.” She let out her breath in relief.
“Bathsheba, I think you ought to tell your brother,” said Liam. She froze, eyes wide. “AboutLady X. Your sales have been strong, steadily growing. I know you wished to keep it secret in case things did not go well, but they unquestionablyaregoing well. You plan to keep writing, don’t you?”
“Well—yes, but—”
“Daniel didn’t disapprove of you working onFifty Ways to Sin. He knew you read it, even edited some issues,” Liam went on. “I think you do him wrong to believe he would view it as indecency.”
Her mouth was hanging open. “I never said that—”
“Then why don’t you tell him?” Liam edged forward. “You’re succeeding. You think he worries about providing for you, but you’re providing for yourself. Why do you hide this from him?”
“Because it’s not enough,” she said before she could think better of it. Liam sat back, brows raised. Bathsheba sighed. “The money I’ve saved… It’s not enough to show him and say, there—you needn’t worry about providing for us.”
“When will it be?”
She raised her hands and let them fall helplessly. “I don’t know. Perhaps never. It’s not reliable like an annuity, you know.”
“So you intend to keep it secret forever?”
“I don’t know,” she said again.
