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Whom was he really searching for, Minerva or Madame Rose? It mattered not, for he was in love with both of them. He simply wanted to hold the woman and convince her of how much he adored her…how much she meant to him…how a life with him could be more fulfilling than the life of an actress. He’d have to solidify his arguments to persuade her, but he was determined.
Thirty minutes later, parched and sweaty, Anthony leaned back against the cool stone wall that afforded him a clear view of the back entrance to Wembley Hall. What an idiot, wasting all those hours following a hunch born out of desperation. He heaved in a deep breath. Clarity of mind and a steady pulse were what he needed. There wasn’t any sign of Minerva, but he still believed she was close, or his nerves would never have calmed.
After continuously scanning the alley and the steady stream of pedestrians, Anthony finally spotted the gel he had trailed earlier. Damn, had she detected him earlier and waited until she was sure he was no longer following her? Clever chit. His assessment of the woman was further confirmed when she slowed her pace and scanned the area with narrowed eyes before mounting a set of stairs to the upper floors. He raised his gaze to catch a glimpse of who opened the door, but the angle was all wrong. Eyes closed, he concentrated and tuned out the bustle of the street.
“Oh, Tibby, you’re back.” A singsong voice filled with relief floated down. It wasn’t Minerva’s usual no-nonsense, direct tone, but it was definitely her.
“Madame Rose…” There was a questioning quality to the girl’s response.
Anthony peered up at the empty landing. He’d have to wait for the gel, Tibby, to leave before he could go up and reacquaint himself with Madame Rose.
He shook his head. He’d known Minerva for better than half of his life; he should have seen the woman beneath the face paint. Mayhap he had on a certain level. Was it possible that his subconscious knew, and that was why he had ventured to dally with the actress when he’d not been tempted to lie with a woman in years?
The creak of a door brought his attention back to up to the landing where Tibby had disappeared from. The gel stealthily slipped out of the room and descended the stairs, scanning the area multiple times. He stepped back out of sight and held his breath. After the count of sixty, he slowly released the breath and peeked back at the alley. With no sign of the gel about, he stepped out and marched up the stairs.
Knuckles raised to rap on the wood door, Anthony was stunned as the door flung open and he came face to face with the woman who was to be his future countess, who was currently taking on the appearance of Madame Rose. He stared at her. And the truth hit him. She was more than an actress…more than a lady. She wasn’t a woman to be pegged for a single role. She was a woman who could become anyone she wanted to be.
With a new perspective on what he suspected was Minerva’s true wish for the future, he let his arm fall to his side. He opened his mouth to say… What had he come here to say? What the blazes was wrong with him, staring at Minerva like she was a stranger?
With the door held slightly ajar, Minerva peered at him and said, “Lord Drake.”
“Madame Rose.” He attempted to keep his gaze trained on her face, but it trailed down her elegant neck to the exposed tops of her breasts that were threatening to topple out of her low-cut gown. With a nod, he asked, “Are you going to invite me in, Minerva, or keep me waiting?”
Minerva took a step back and waved him in with the flair and attitude of a seasoned actress. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you tracked me down.”
“Trust me, it wasn’t easy. I nearly wore a hole in my boots trailing the woman you referred to as Tibby.”
Shocked, Minerva replied, “But Tibby swore she lost you nearly three-quarters of an hour ago.”
“The gel did.” He spun around in a slow circle. “Why are you here?” How in the blazes had she managed to maintain a separate residence all these years without his knowledge?
“I could ask the same of you.” Minerva played with the end of the silk sash that was loosely bound about her waist.
He took in her painted face and glared at the faux beauty mark and the lush pink lips that all the gentlemen at White’s wrote poems over on the rare occasions she supposedly crossed the channel and sang for them. Except the woman before him had never had to endure the rolling waves to reach English soil. No. Minerva simply had to devise a plan that allowed her the freedom to don her alter ego on the rare night she was able to pull off the ruse.
“Remind me, what excuse did you use the last time you ventured out as Madame Rose?”
“That was two years ago, my lord. I don’t recall.”
It was true: Madame Rose hadn’t reappeared after their kiss. Not that he’d wanted to ever lay eyes on the woman who had tempted him beyond the pale and made him feel like he was being unfaithful to Minerva.
Fists clenched at his sides, Anthony said, “I can’t believe you tricked me into kissing you.”
“I did no such thing.” She stomped over to the sofa and sat primly like the lady she was. “It’s not my fault you simply wanted to kiss Madame Rose and not me.”
“You and Madame Rose are one and the same!”
“Are we?” Minerva leaned back and settled herself against the plush cushions. “If you had kissed me when I was dressed as your best friend’s sister, you might have found out that the woman you had been running from all these years was actually the same woman you nearly…nearly seduced.” Her silk robe slipped from her shoulder as she shrugged. “Why did you come here?”
He crossed the small room in a few strides and loomed over Minerva, who refused to meet his gaze. His unsated desire for Madame Rose vanished into thin air. He didn’t want Madame Rose; he wanted Minerva.
He blinked at his own confusion and sank down to sit on the end of the settee. “I came here to…” He raised his hand and squeezed the back of his neck. Why the blazeshadhe come? He hung his head and rubbed his temples. “If I lose, and you win our match, this…this is the life you wish to lead?”
“Yes.”
He rose to stand. “Are you certain you want to live like”—he waved his arm and did a half-turn before returning his gaze to her—“this?”
She raised her chin and met his gaze directly. “Yes.”
