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Lady Ella McIntire sat across from this total stranger in his dark carriage and took a calming breath. What did he want from her? What would happen to her tonight? His speed and strength when he’d defended her against those men had been both comforting and alarming. And if she made it through this, what was to come of her the next night and the night after that and after that?
She had no one in this world. Her father had passed seven months ago. Not that he’d been an attentive father, far from it. But after his death her life had gotten increasingly difficult. Debtors had seized her home and she’d used what little money she had to travel from her former estate in Lincolnshire to London in the hopes of finding work. Finally having run out of pin money, she managed to secure the barmaid job, though she wasn’t entirely certain how. But serving drinks in a tavern had been all that stood between her and a workhouse. She didn’t know what she’d do to stop that from happening now that she’d lost the position.
“What then? Those men won’t attack you. They won’t…” He let his words trail off. “You were in distress.”
He was right of course. She had no desire to be that man’s or any man’s harlot. But honestly, she’d run out of options. And while the choices presented to her now frightened her near to death, she had to eat, preferably with a roof over her head. “That job was all that I had left.”
“I see.” He rubbed his eyes, using the heel of his hands. The carriage was dark but she could still tell all of this troubled him as he rubbed his eyes again. “You’re not a commoner. How can that be?”
She swallowed. Might as well tell him as much as she dared. There was little point in hiding the truth. “My father died several months ago and left me with substantial debt. I was only able to keep enough from the debtors to support myself up until now. I had only just gotten that job as a means to keep myself fed.”
“Surely there is something else you could do?”
She shrugged. “I could be a governess or a tutor but they require a recommendation and I have none.”
He scratched his square jaw. “I see.”
She still had no idea why she was in his carriage. Her fear was only held back by the exhaustion that made her shoulders droop. Tonight everything appeared absolutely hopeless. “What do you mean to do with me?” she asked again.
He dropped his hands from his eyes but he said nothing as he stared at her. Finally he spoke. “I don’t intend to do anything.”
Relief made her sink against the seat, but it was momentary. While she could hear truth in his voice, she had no food, no place to go as she had no coin, no one to help her. She cleared her throat then said, “You are not in need of any services are you?”
“Services?” his strangled voice filled the carriage.
Oh dear, had he thought she meant something illicit? “A maid, or a cook? Do you have children? I could tutor them. I am well-versed in several languages including Latin and French.”
“French?” he repeated with a note of excitement.
“Mais oui, monsieur,” she replied with her best French accent. Perhaps something good might come from this situation.
“Can you converse in French?” he asked.
“Of course.” She leaned forward in her seat, excitement filling her for the first time in a month. “Do you know someone in need of tutoring?”
“Oh no, of course not.” He shook his head and then wrapped on the carriage wall to get the driver’s attention. “Return to my lodgings at once,” he shouted. The driver snapped the reigns as the carriage picked up speed.
Ella nearly fell back in her seat but just caught herself. Oh dear. Truly, what did he intend to do with her?
Chapter Two
The carriage rolled up to yet another inn, though this one was far nicer than the one they’d recently vacated.
Fear skittered along her skin. Not necessarily of the man sitting across from her, but more of the situation, the unknown that she faced.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed down her doubts and took his hand to climb out of the carriage. Actually, somewhere during the trip she’d made up her mind to take whatever position he offered. A woman without prospects couldn’t afford to say no.
She swallowed down the bile rising in her throat. Ella could only hope that he wished for something more permanent than a single night. While she’d never considered being with a man out of wedlock, the position of mistress, would at this point be a welcome relief to the hell of these last months.
His grip was strong and firm as he helped her down and then tucked her hand into his elbow. For a moment, it felt as though she’d returned to in her old life. The one that included a father who had at least supported her. Provided food and shelter. But a look down at her apron, stained with beer and liquor confirmed that was a fantasy. An illusion that would never be reality again.
Instead of going through the front door, they made their way down an alley to a back entrance. Further proof this was an illicit meeting, about which she should likely be ashamed.
Her shoulders however, slumped in relief. She’d have a roof over her head tonight, more than she could say for the past several.
At least she’d eaten. She’d snuck a few morsels of food at The Kicking Horse. Likely dreadful fare but it had tasted delicious to her after going without a real meal in days.
Guiding her with a gently firm hand, he brought her up the stairs, and into a large well-appointed room. Plush furnishings abounded and candlelight sparkled off jeweled chandeliers. Who was he? Ella realized that she didn’t know her companion’s name. She wondered what his occupation might be to afford such lavish rooms not even her father would have paid for, and he’d liked to live decadently.
