Page 34 of Love and Other Disasters

Sophie breathed a sigh of relief. “Now one last thing, no more than three men each tonight.”

“Only three?”

“Or less. The gentlemen got a generous taste of you last night. This evening, they pay dearly for their pleasures,” Sophie swore. “I promise if you let me do all the talking about your fee, the combined income will be split evenly between you all by morning, and you may be on your way less exhausted than you were last night.”

“What if they don’t want to pay more?” Giselle asked, worrying her lip again.

“Refer them to me, and if you genuinely want them, the gentleman will have to convince me to accept a lower payment. Believe me, I’m not easily swayed by a man crying poor.”

“Lud, Madam Regina,” Giselle exclaimed. “You’ve a hard heart and that’s needed in our line of work. I’d be happy to go to London and be a whore in Madam Clover’s pleasure house if you were there, too.”

Sophie nodded. Giselle certainly had the ambition, and mind, to have a future with Madam Clover if she wanted to make something more of herself. “Please decide between yourself who’ll remain behind at first. We’ll switch everyone over each hour.”

“Are you going to be entertaining the gentlemen, too,” a young girl asked, coming up to her side. “I bet Lord Jasper’s got his eye on you.”

“She’s probably had him already,” the oldest woman complained. “They’re devils, those Sweet gentlemen.”

The women laughed and looked at her for a response. Sophie drew in a breath and instead of answering that question, memorized the names to go with their faces. “I will circulate through the room and watch over you all night.”

A tap sounded on the door. “Care to join us?”

Jasper.

“Coming, my lord,” she replied and faced the room again. “Ladies, it is time. Shall we join the gentlemen?”

“I say let them wait a few minutes more,” Giselle decided. “It will increase their anticipation and I like having the upper hand for once.”

The ladies agreed with her about that and fussed with their appearances before they formed pairs. At Giselle’s signal, they swept out the door ahead of her.

The ladies left behind moved to surround Sophie before she could depart. “What will we do, madam?”

“Put your feet up, and get some sleep if you can,” she told them. “It’s going to be another long night for you all.”

Sophie headed for the doorway and shut the door on the other ladies with a wink, which they laughed at.

Jasper was waiting. “Sophie?”

“Madam Regina tonight,” she warned.

“Your middle name?”

She was surprised he knew it, but nodded. “Do I look different enough for my new role?”

He swallowed. “You look good enough to undress and I have never thought that before about you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she murmured, pleased with his reaction. She’d been dressing the part of a governess for so long that it was a relief to dress this way again.

“You should most definitely do that,” he said, tugging at his cravat to loosen it. “Threadwell, do go away. She’s not for you.”

Sophie turned and faced a wall of male chest and looked up slowly into a rake’s knowing eyes.

“But I’m here to take this ravishing creature off your hands,” Threadwell said, extending his hand to her. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“I mind,” Jasper warned, his tone low and deep. Possessive. Sophie shivered. She glanced at Threadwell’s hand, and then at Jasper. “Would you introduce us?”

“Sophie, may I present Mr. Threadwell? An old friend. Very old, indeed.”

The man ignored Jasper’s teasing about his advanced age, though he didn’t look much older than Jasper was, and kissed the back of her hand when she offered it out to him. “My dear, might I offer you a glass of Ravenswood’s finest sherry?”