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“Bed games?” she echoed doubtfully.
From his amused manner she assumed he was talking about marital relations. The proper, well-raised Val would’ve shied away from such an improper discussion, but the girl her father called Hellion asked, “Are you speaking of marital relations?”
“I am.”
“Bed games are played with mistresses and women of the night, not wives.”
He sat back, eyes shining. “Are you sure? A wife can be both mistress and wife.”
Val decided she was in over her head with this conversation because his statement made no sense. “Do you have a mistress?”
He nodded and said, “I do.”
Why she found that disappointing wasn’t something she wanted to explore. After all, they meant nothing to each other. “If a wife can be a mistress, do you plan to marry her?”
“No. She’d be appalled if I asked her to.” He paused for a moment before chuckling. “I see I’ll need to be on my toes debating you.”
“I agree.”
“Your confidence is intriguing. Were you not intended for another, I’d court you.”
Her breath caught. “You’re very bold, Captain.”
“I’m descended from pirates. Boldness is in my blood.”
The warmth coursing through her veins had nothing to do with the New Orleans heat, and everything to do with the dazzling titan watching her so closely. Her ties to Cole notwithstanding, she wondered what it might be like to be courted by such a man.
“If I set aside my boldness and ask very politely, may I call you Valinda?”
“You may, yes.” That he was equal parts pirate and gentleman only added to his captivating allure.
“Thank you. Please call me Drake.”
“I will.”
For a moment the potent silence between them made words unnecessary. The air seemed thicker, charged. Dragging her attention away from his eyes, Val returned to her meal, and missed the titan’s knowing smile.
When they were done eating, he gathered the dishes and piled them on the tray with an efficiency that showed him no stranger to the task. “Besides talking with my mother, are you doing anything else today?”
“I’d like to let my students know about the school closing, somehow.”
“Do you have a plan in mind?”
“I’m not sure. I know where a few are employed. If I can speak with them, I’m hoping they can spread the word for me.” She didn’t want her students to think she’d abandoned them or didn’t care enough to offer an explanation as to why classes were discontinued.
“Where do they work?”
“One is a pastry chef at the St. Louis Hotel. His name’s Eb Slayton. Dina Watson works for a cigar maker. I have the name of the shop on a paper in my bag.”
“I’ve nothing pressing for the rest of the afternoon. I could drive you if you’d like? Mother’s coachman has the day off, so I’m sure she won’t mind us borrowing her carriage.”
Val weighed the offer. Contacting her students was a priority, and truthfully, she was enjoying his company. “If she’s okay with delaying our conversation, I’d be grateful for your assistance.”
“Then, let’s go speak with her.”
After Val explained the situation, Julianna gave her approval. The pleased Val went up to her room to get the name of Dina’s cigar shop and joined Drake in the carriage for the drive to the Quarter.
Riding alone with a man who wasn’t family was also new for Valinda and as they got underway, she tamped down her nervousness.Were you not intended for another, I’d court you.His declaration remained breathtaking, but she was convinced it had been nothing more than idle banter. Men didn’t court women like herself. As her father once railed after yet another suitor chose to not call on her again, she was too educated, independent, and opinionated. Her eyes swept over Drake’s large scarred hands handling the reins and his barn-broad shoulders. Beside him she felt like a Lilliputian from Swift’sGulliver’s Travels. She’d given him the name of the cigar shop they were bound for and learned he and his brothers patronized the establishment regularly.
