Page 45 of Death of a Courtesan
‘Hardly,’ Riley responded, aware that he was seeing glimpses of his brother’s vulnerable side that were seldom revealed to anyone.
‘I don’t quite know how to put this tactfully so I might as well come right out and say it.’ Even so, he paused for so long that Riley wondered if he’d dosed off. ‘A friend of mine wishes to talk to you in private,’ he eventually said, looking everywhere except at Riley.
Riley felt justified in his bemusement. ‘Someone in attendance this evening? You’re not in league with Mother to try and marry me off, are you?’ he asked, horrified.
‘Not everything is about your affairs, Riley,’ Henry replied with a sneer.
‘Very well then, make the introduction, by all means. Or is there something I need to know before you do so?’
‘She isn’t here. Our sister would never entertain her type.’
Riley permitted his surprise to show. ‘We are discussing a courtesan?’ he asked.
‘Don’t look so shocked. I’m a man with needs, just like you are.’ He failed to meet Riley’s gaze. ‘I know I might seem a little…well, portentous on occasion—’
‘Just a little.’
‘Appearances have to be maintained. Examples set.’ Henry shifted his position in the chair he occupied. ‘I wouldn’t want to embarrass Celia so I have had to be discreet. She ain’t interested anymore, now that she can’t have more children. Not there she was ever too enthusiastic, nor would I have expected her to be. She has ladylike sensibilities that must be respected. Besides, there are some things I couldn’t ask of her. Never have been able to.’
The similarities between his current investigation and his brother’s difficulties paled into insignificance when compared to his father’s fatal attachment to his actress all those years ago. Henry was about the same age now as their father had been then. Succeeding heads of the Rochester clan shared the same tastes, it seemed. Riley tried not to disapprove but did wonder why Henry suddenly felt a pressing need to discuss his intimate affairs with a brother with whom he had little in common.
‘I assume you employed the lady’s exclusive services.’
‘Well…’ Henry spread his hands, causing Riley to shake his head in despair. His brother always had been tight with his blunt—another trait he had in common with their late father— but there were some instances where frugal behaviour became a false economy. ‘I kept hoping that my tastes would change and I would have no further need of her.’
‘And you have laid yourself open to blackmail.’ Riley shook his head despairingly. ‘You are a marquess, in case you need reminding. A target for every conman or woman in the south, which is why you needed to make private arrangements. Whores are conniving as a general rule and not to be trusted.’
‘Celeste is not—’
Riley held up a hand to cut off his brother’s protests, thinking that Henry must be more smitten than he had at first realised. ‘If you had set the lady up as your mistress and kept her in style she would have had no reason to turn on you.’
‘Oh, she never would have turned on me.’
Riley felt justifiably confused. ‘Then I fail to understand why we are having a conversation that will embarrass us both. I suppose she is threatening you and you want me to talk to her in my professional capacity.’
‘Celeste is not threatening me, damn it!’ Henry cried, frustrated. ‘Our understanding came to an end because she…well, she put an end to it.’
Riley saw the torment on his brother’s face and realised he had got things entirely wrong. ‘You have developed feelings for her,’ he said softly and not without sympathy, ‘and didn’t want it to end.’
Henry let out a long breath. ‘That’s about the size of it. It started out as harmless fun. She was recommended by a friend but I soon became dependent upon her specialist talents and didn’t want to share her.’ His eyes, when he glanced up at Riley, were moist. ‘I offered to establish her in the manner that you just now suggested and thought she would jump at the opportunity.’ Henry shook his head. ‘I never should have rocked the boat because that’s when she told me she couldn’t be tied down, that she was leaving. Chichester had become too restrictive for a free spirit like her.’
‘She came to London?’
‘Yes.’
‘To work in a brothel?’
‘I doubt it. She attracted business through recommendation when in Chichester and I assume she does the same here. Not that I can bear to think of her…but anyway, I’ve been up to town on several occasions on flimsy excuses, trying to find her without success. Then, unexpectedly, I received a letter from her yesterday.’
Riley flexed a brow. ‘Addressed to you at Rochester Hall? That was a little risky, was it not? What did the letter say?’
‘That’s why I’m here. She said that she needed to speak with you about an urgent matter. Something to do with your work. She said that if I told you it was about Mary, you would understand.’
Riley nodded, understanding very well. ‘Go on,’ he invited, tamping down his excitement. A high-class courtesan who apparently knew Adelaide well enough to care about her death could prove to be the break in the case that had thus far eluded Riley.
‘She was most specific in that she refuses to speak to you officially, and will only talk to you alone.’
‘Presumably she gave an indication of where she is lodging.’
