Chapter Fourteen

Ana parted her bedchamber curtains just as the unmarked black coach parked across the street from the Malvern’s townhome.

Time to go.

It wasn’t difficult to escape the house unnoticed. Her position as a chaperone had some benefits. No one paid her much attention as she left through the servants’ door through the kitchens and made her way to the street.

The carriage door opened, and Ana settled on the bench across from Madame Crescent. “Thank you for coming,” Ana said.

After her experience at the Royal Academy, she’d reached out to the madame at the Silver Chalice. She’d passed a shilling to a boy on the street to deliver a note. Ana had debated visiting the brothel herself to speak with its proprietress but dismissed it as too risky.

The interior of the carriage was entirely black, from the leather bench to its drawn curtains. In contrast, Madame Crescent was dressed in a white gown with a sapphire necklace that matched her blue eyes. Long, white satin gloves reached her elbows. Her fair hair was fashionably styled, and she was as poised as one of the patronesses of Almack’s.

Not for the first time, Ana thought Madame must have been even more stunning in her youthful days. Were the jewels a gift from a lover? Had she been a courtesan herself at a brothel? Or a wealthy man’s mistress? What was the woman’s past?

Madame Crescent’s blue eyes boldly traveled over Ana. “Why choose such an unflattering dress?”

“You knew me as Lady Scarlet, but this,” Ana said, sweeping a hand across her companion’s uniform of a gray dress, “is who I am on a daily basis.”

“Tsk. Such a waste.”

“Perhaps, but it cannot be helped.” Ana smoothed her skirt. “I cleaned and pressed the red gown, but I dare not risk walking out of the house with it. I will arrange to have it delivered to you.”

Madame continued to watch her. “As the gown no longer fits me, there is no imminent need. Meanwhile, I thought your summons was regarding another manner and would come sooner. The Earl of Drake visited the day after your shared evening.”

Oliver had already told her he’d returned to the brothel. The news had surprised her. “The earl sought my identity.”

“He inquired, but I told him nothing.”

Ana let out a breath. “I’m grateful.”

Madame arched a well-plucked brow. “When I received your note, I assumed he had discovered your identity on his own?”

Ana swallowed. “He has.”

“You should know it was not only your name he desired when he returned to me. He wanted you.” Madame’s voice was as even as if she’d been speaking at a tea party.

What was she to say to that? Oliver had made his intentions clear in front of a partly naked statue of a nymph at an art exhibition.

One kiss, and then I’ll never trouble you again.

A trap. She’d lain awake the entire evening reliving the touch of his lips. She hadn’t walked away from him; rather, he’d been the one to break the kiss.

Weakness. She lost all sense of reason when he touched her. And when he’d offered to whisk her away at night in his private carriage for another evening like the one they’d shared, she’d been sorely tempted. Would she have agreed if Lady Malvern hadn’t called out her name? It was close, too close. Ana never would have thought she’d be grateful for her ladyship’s interference.

Ana cleared her throat. “Our arrangement was for one night. Then I was to return to my position in the Malvern household with no one the wiser.” She didn’t know if she spoke out loud to convince the woman seated across from her or for herself.

Madame tilted her head to the side and regarded her. “May I offer you some advice?”

“Anything that will help my predicament?”

“Men may request a certain woman when they return to my establishment, but few, very few, desire one as fiercely as Lord Drake desires you.”

Ana’s lips parted, then closed. Her throat closed up, and it was difficult to breathe.

The woman leaned across the bench to touch her hand. “The earl wants you, and now seeing you, I can confidently say you desire him as well.”

Ana shook her head, her voice weak. “There is too much risk.”

“You fear for your heart.”

“No! My position. You, of all the women in London, should know life for a woman without family and a means to care for herself can be disastrous.”

Madame’s eyes searched Ana’s face, seeming to reach into her thoughts. “I have seen more than my share of struggle, and as a fellow woman, I am on your side whatever you decide. We must stick together.”

A knot eased in Ana’s chest at her support. “Thank you.”

“But I also sense there is more to your story. More you are withholding.”

Ana hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. Madame Crescent was highly perceptive, and Ana now understood why she was so successful in her chosen profession. There was no shortage of brothels in town, yet the Silver Chalice was the most elite and attracted wealthy noblemen. Madame’s intuition told her what her patrons desired, even before they knew it themselves. She was also exceedingly good at keeping secrets.

Ana decided it was safe to reveal part of the truth. “His family is responsible for my own family’s downfall.”

Madame leaned back on the bench, her lips pursed. “I see. That is quite unexpected. And you blame Lord Drake?”

“How can I not? He reaps the benefit of his father’s ruthlessness against mine at the gaming tables. I had hopes for my future, other than wearing unbecoming gowns and working as a chaperone. And other than spending my days living in another lady’s household, only half a step above one of the servants.”

Madame paused. “Is it fair to blame the son for his father’s sins?”

Yes, as long as Rosedown is one of his estates. “He is the current Earl of Drake, a powerful and wealthy man. He must know the truth, and he has given me no reason to trust him.”

“Yet you are still drawn to him. And from what I observed, he is not willing to give up his pursuit. From my experience, a dominant man will not easily be dismissed.”

Ana recognized the wisdom in the woman’s words. She was also honest enough with herself to admit she had a powerful instinctive response to Oliver. She had asked him to meet her in a private alcove at the Royal Academy to talk. It had only taken one skillful kiss from him to cause her blood to race to her cheeks and for her hurried breathing to match her quickened pulse. It was frightening how a single kiss could easily decimate her will.

Madame settled back on her bench and ran her fingers over her sapphire necklace. “On second thought, I do believe you should keep the red dress. You see, I’m curious to learn what you decide. And it is your choice. Life is difficult for us, but I believe a clever woman is an equal to any man. The question is: do you want to spend more time with him?”

It was tempting. So tempting. It would be easy to forget his family’s treachery. To forget the risks to her livelihood and, even more frightening, to her heart.

“Perhaps, but I fear discovery.”

“I once told you a woman must be in charge of her own pleasure.”

Still, reason prevailed. “The risks are too high.”

Madame Crescent’s lips curved in a smile. “I have been in this business long enough to understand the rules of propriety only apply in the daylight. In other words, if you are not seen, no one will be the wiser.”