Page 55 of Death of a Courtesan
‘Lord Riley,’ she said, standing and offering him a slender hand. ‘Thank you for coming.’
Riley took her hand, unsurprised to discover that it was as cool as everything else about her. ‘Your message brought my brother to London in person. Naturally I was curious.’
‘Poor Henry.’ She shook her head, a tiny smile playing about her lips as she resumed her chair and waved Riley into its twin. ‘He never did understand the rules.’
‘Money doesn’t buy everything,’ Riley suggested, deciding to be blunt.
‘In his case, certainly not.’ She gave Riley an appraising look that implied the same rules might not necessarily apply to him. ‘May I offer you refreshment?’
‘Thank you, but no. I cannot stay for long.’
‘You are not at all what I expected,’ she said, canting her head and regarding him speculatively.
‘Whereas you exceed my expectations,’ he replied, because it was true. Celeste spoke with a refined accent that didn’t sound affected. Celeste, which was obviously not her given name, was well-born and accustomed to mixing in decent society.
‘I shall take that as a compliment.’
‘It was intended as one.’ Riley allowed a short pause. ‘You have information that might help my investigation into Adelaide’s death, I believe.’
The playful smile left Celeste’s lips and she looked genuinely upset. ‘A sober reminder of the travails of our profession, if any such reminder were necessary.’
‘Excuse me, but I imagine that both you and Adelaide could have made more permanent arrangements, if you so wished. Indeed, I know that’s true in your particular case and to secure the affections of a man in Henry’s position would be considered quite a coup.’
‘Some of us prefer to retain a modicum of independence, Lord Riley, even if we are never completely free to please ourselves. But then, who in this life is?’ She fixed Riley with a significant look, as though assuming that he pursued a career as a policeman through necessity. He decided not to correct her misconception. He was here to learn what she could tell him about Adelaide—not trespass onto personal territory. Territory that he seldom discussed with anyone and was certainly not prepared to talk about with his brother’s former courtesan. ‘I was partly responsible for training Adelaide, did you know that?’
Celeste’s melodious voice jolted Riley from his reverie. ‘No, I did not.’
‘I knew her slightly when we were young. Our family homes were close to one another, but that is all I am prepared to say about my own background, since it is not relevant.’ Riley inclined his head in silent agreement. ‘I always liked her, and hated the atmosphere she’d had to endure as a child, so when I left home and established myself, I wrote to her. We kept in touch that way. When she was forced from her home she came to London and looked to me for help. I was employed by Mrs Sinclair at the time and persuaded her to allow Adelaide in.’
‘Did she know what would be required of her?’
‘Not immediately. I assumed she would stay away for a while and then return home, but I underestimated her courage. She told me she wanted to be like me and asked me to teach her how to go about it. Mrs Sinclair could see her potential and agreed to take her on in training and…well, the rest is history.’ Celeste fell into momentary contemplation, her bright eyes staring at the fire. ‘We none of us spoke about our reasons for finishing up in such an establishment, at least not collectively, but I suspect we all had similar tales of exploitation to relate. Adelaide did open up to me and her story was typical, but far from breaking her, her experiences had made her stronger. She had an attitude about her that suggested she was a survivor, willing to exploit men’s weaknesses for her own profit and gain a modicum of revenge against the male sex whilst she went about it.’
‘Excuse me, but is that not what every woman in your profession does?’
Celeste offered him a patronising smile. ‘To some degree, but many of them are unable to disguise their distaste for what they have become. Adelaide, on the other hand, had a natural flair for flagellation, domination if you like, and I quickly spotted that gift.’
‘One that you share?’
She smiled and inclined her head. ‘It is a very lucrative accomplishment but not something one would succeed at unless it came naturally. To Adelaide it came very naturally. I pointed that out to Mrs Sinclair and she agreed that I should train Adelaide to assist me, or take my place when the time came for me to leave, which it inevitably would. The turnover in such establishments is rapid. Anyway, Adelaide learned quickly and excelled. I believe that she continued with that tradition and was herself training Ruby.’
Riley flexed a brow. ‘You are well informed.’
‘Adelaide and I had few secrets from one another.’
Riley shifted his position, watching Celeste closely. ‘I confess to being surprised that you both befriended and encouraged Adelaide. My experience with the girls currently employed by Mrs Sinclair is that they are highly competitive and not inclined to form lasting friendships.’
‘That’s true as a general rule. Mirabelle certainly felt threatened by Adelaide.’
‘Ah, but you didn’t need to worry about Adelaide eclipsing you.’ Riley nodded. ‘Now I understand.’
‘Celeste acknowledged the compliment with a gracious nod. ‘There was something about Adelaide that made me take to her from the outset. I will concede that’s unusual for ladies in our line of work, but there are exceptions to every rule.’ She blinked rapidly. ‘I shall miss her.’
‘You left Mrs Sinclair’s house and moved to Chichester, I assume.’
‘Yes. I grew tired of all the bickering that you yourself noticed amongst the girls, craved a change and so decided to try my luck alone.’
‘But you remained in touch with Adelaide?’
