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Mélisande wanted to crawl beneath a rock. A large one with a deep hole beneath it. It was terrible to deceive Charlotte in this manner, but there was no other choice. She couldn’t tell her innocent young friend the truth. “I suppose we could,” she replied. “I’m already having a gathering this Thursday. Why not announce it then?”
Charlotte let out a tiny, rapturous squeal of joy, and David’s smile spread—a smirk that Mélisande’s hand itched to slap off. By contrast, Alessandro’s grin of delight seemed strangely genuine. Stepping up to the mark, she plastered a smile on her own face. Turning to her newly affianced, she placed her hand in his. “My friends will be so pleased to hear the news.”
Word of their “secret” engagement spread across town with a swiftness that would have been astonishing had it not been expected. From house to house it ran like wildfire, first among the servants, then among their mistresses, and lastly among the menfolk. By the next morning, the rumor was in all the London papers.
Wednesday morning, David finally brought her to see the house she’d purchased and to meet her new staff.
Jim Mackie was a giant of a man, quite formidable at over six feet four inches, with flaming hair, a barrel chest, and ham shanks for arms. He would serve as her new coachman and double as a personal guard. He bobbed a respectful bow to his new mistress.
“I thank ye fer the job, m’lady. I’ll guard ye as if ye was the Queen ’erself,” Mackie promised in an accent so thick Mélisande could barely understand him. “An me son’ll do right by ye as well, yer ladyship,” he added, nudging the child beside him. Jamie, who was ten, bobbed as well. He’d been hired along with his father to work as a serving boy with the promise of training as an under-butler. He would also serve as her runner when she wanted to have Jim pick her up or when she wanted to communicate with Alessandro.
Then there was Mrs. Wells, the housekeeper; Kate, her lady’s maid; a butler; a cook; and two footmen besides. Mélisande toured the house and found everything in order, with the exception of some missing furnishings that were to be delivered the following morning.
A little thrill of excitement ran through her. And fear. By Friday morning, she would be a virgin no more.
Thursday finally arrived—and dragged. To Mélisande, each hour seemed to last forever. Finally, at half past one, Alessandro arrived.
She watched from the parlor window as he stepped from his carriage, anticipation tightening her middle. It had been several days since she had seen him. He was still the same man she’d met in Versailles, but now she noticed a subtle difference. His walk was less of a swagger now and more of a stride, his manner less impertinent and more dignified.
As he entered the room, she noticed that he’d exchanged his somber black and grey for a rust-colored jacket trimmed with gold buttons and lace. The warm shade suited him very well, she thought. And more appropriate than black, considering they were about to celebrate a “joyous occasion.”
Without preamble, Alessandro reached into his pocket and withdrew a small wooden box.
Even though she knew this was a sham, the sight of that box in his hand made Mélisande tremble from top to toe-tip. Their clever ruse suddenly seemed fraught with pitfalls—the biggest one having to do with the nervous fluttering in her gut.
He opened the case to reveal a large emerald nestled in an ornate setting of heavy gold and bright diamonds. “Will you do me the honor?” he asked, presenting her with his offering.
He looked and sounded so perfectly grave that any other woman would have thought him quite serious. She knew better. Nonetheless, her foolish heart beat a little faster. “I will,” she responded, extending her left hand. The ring slid onto her finger as though it had been made for her.
He took her face between his hands and brushed his lips against her mouth.
The warmth of that gentle kiss sank all the way down into her bones. She drew a shaky breath, wondering why she suddenly felt like crying. There was no time to ponder it, however, for at that moment, her butler chose to appear in the doorway and announce that Miss Charlotte and Miss Winifred awaited her in the drawing room and that her other guests were beginning to arrive.
Reggie was the first, followed shortly by Stamma, Kesselman, and an eager Miss Doulton. After a quick round of chess to test Miss Doulton’s skill, Mélisande introduced her to Kesselman. When she glanced their way half an hour later, the two were completely absorbed with one another, the chessboard forgotten.
Another hour went by, and still David had not appeared. By the time Charlotte had asked her where he was for the tenth time, Mélisande was wroth. And when he finally showed up, she let him know it. “It’s nearly five o’ clock,” she scolded, drawing him aside so the others wouldn’t hear. “Where the devil have you been?”
“Anxious, are we?” A knowing brow lifted.
She glared. “You should have been here hours ago.”
“I had a bit of trouble on the way here.” His gaze dropped to the ring on her hand. “I see you’ve acquired an appropriate prop for the charade. I hope it wasn’t too costly. You’ve a mob of creditors to pay off—which, incidentally, is why I am late. One of them accosted me as I was leaving White’s to demand immediate payment for some furnishings I purchased for the house.”
“What? But that’s ridiculous.” She laughed. “You’ve never had money problems.”
“Yes, well, someone has been spreading rumors to the contrary. The man told me he’d heard that one of my major investments had taken a turn for the worse and that I was soon to be penniless. Actually threatened me with debtors’ prison if I didn’t pay him on the spot, if you can believe it. Me. If I ever discover who started such a lie, I shall ruin him and run him out of London.”
“Did you pay him?”
“Of course not.” He snorted. “Firstly, I don’t react well to threats. Secondly, I don’t typically carry hundreds of pounds on my person. I told him he’ll have to wait like all the others until I settle accounts at the end of the month. Fortunately for him, that’s only a few days away. I suspect he’s put a watch on my house to make certain I don’t take ship.” He laughed.
“Hopefully once he is paid, he’ll help discount the malicious rumor.”
“I’m not willing to wait for his beneficence,” said David. “I’ve already begun my campaign against it. I went to see the man who’d told him the falsehood, and then two more after him. None of them knew where the news had originated. I shall resume my search tomorrow.”
“My apologies for being sharp with you,” she said. “And thank you for seeing to everything. I’m sorry it has caused you trouble.”
“Again, don’t mention it,” he said wryly. “You’d best see to your guests,” he added, nodding at the door, where stood Lady Angelica Mallowby and her mother.
