Page 17 of Falling Into Bed with a Duke
That Lady V would come here rather than being returned home indicated she didn’t trust him, was extremely clever, and had a reputation to protect. Or perhaps she had a gambling addiction. She’d certainly been playing the odds tonight at the Nightingale.
“So she comes here on a regular basis. She’s known,” Ashe murmured.
“It would appear so.”
It was unlikely that she was still there, but on the off chance ... he bounded up the steps. Unlike her, he did have to present his membership card. He’d not been to the place since he returned to London. Once inside, he stopped by the counter, where a woman was only too happy to take coats and keep track of them. She smiled at him.
“Have you seen—” he began, not certain where to go from there. When Lady V had emerged from the dressing room at the Nightingale, she’d been wearing a dark green cape over her pale green gown. How could he describe her? Her hair was some shade of brown, which he couldn’t properly identify because of the dimness at the Nightingale. Dark eyes that could belong to any woman although the shade could have been an illusion caused by the absence of any significant light. Not terribly tall. That was a certainty. Not heavyset but not particularly slender, either. She was the sort a man could hold on to, and dammit all if he wasn’t suddenly desperate to do just that.
The clerk was waiting expectantly, leaving Ashe to feel completely idiotic. He was accustomed to being in charge of a situation. He didn’t like that she had such control over him, could make him lose sight of all rational thought. “Never mind.”
He strode into the gaming area. This time of night, there were gents aplenty, only about a half dozen ladies. But not a single female garbed in pale green. She could be in the area restricted to women. He wasn’t going to send someone in to search for her. That wouldn’t gain her trust. And again, he couldn’t provide an accurate description. He might know her if he saw her, but then again, he might merely make a fool of himself.
Still, he walked the perimeter of the room, searching. He meandered between the gaming tables, wandered into other areas that were open to both genders. Surely, if she spotted him, a measure of surprise would cross her features. But then there were so few women, and while they acknowledged him—a couple even seemed quite pleased to discover he’d returned to London—none of them seemed taken aback, embarrassed, or nervous by his presence. She was either a damned fine actress, or she wasn’t here.
Disappointed, he acknowledged it was most likely the latter.
However, knowing she frequented this establishment increased his chances of finding her at some point. He’d return here tomorrow night after Julia’s blasted affair.
MINERVA was curled on a sofa in the morning room reading Brontë when Grace walked in. Considered family, she didn’t require a butler announce her arrival. Her eyes filled with worry, she quickly crossed the room, sat on the sofa, and searched Minerva’s face. “How are you this morning?”
Minerva smiled. “Quite fine.”
With a huge sigh, Grace slumped back against the cushions. “Thank God. I hardly slept a wink last night thinking of you going to that decadent place. I’m so glad you didn’t.”
“But I did.”
Grace sprang forward. “So it’s done?”
The heat rushed to Minerva’s face, nearly scalding her with its intensity. “Not exactly. Seems I didn’t have the nerve for it after all.”
“But you went.” Grace glanced around as though she expected to see spies hidden behind the plants. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “What was it like?”
Minerva laughed. “After all your warnings, you have the audacity to ask?”
“I’m curious. I would never go there, but now I have an opportunity to hear all about it.”
“That’s really why you’re here, isn’t it? Curiosity, not concern that I might be suffering through misgivings.”
“I’m here first and foremost for you. I’ve been so worried that you’d select someone who wasn’t kind or someone who cared only about his own needs. I didn’t want you to have a selfish lover.”
She didn’t think Ashebury would have been selfish. If his kiss were any indication, he would give far more than he received.
“So come on, Minnie, don’t be cruel. Satisfy my curiosity. Tell me about this wicked, wicked place.”
She almost suggested Grace ask her brother, but she was obligated not to reveal who all she’d seen there even if it was someone she considered family. “It wasn’t what I expected. It was all very proper. People stood around talking. Ladies masked for secrecy. Men not caring who knew they were there.”
“Who was there?”
“I can’t say.”
“Because you didn’t know them?”
“I took a vow not to reveal any identities. The woman in charge wears an emerald green gown and matching mask. Very flashy. You have to reveal yourself to her so she knows who everyone is. She’ll come after you if she learns you’ve spoken the name of anyone there. I don’t know how she would manage to find out, but I believed her.”
“But you can tell me. I won’t tell.”
“I really can’t.”
