She looked at him and adopted a considering expression. “Strange. I never knew what lying with a man would be like.”
His body tensed. “And now that you have?”
The corners of her mouth lifted. “I didn’t think it would be quite so… appealing.”
“Appealing?” For the first time in months, perhaps years, Drake found himself smiling. He had heard many things about his sexual prowess from various lovers but he’d never been told he wasappealingbefore. It seemed so proper and virginal that he had to appreciate the sentiment more than anything that preceded it. “I suppose I will take that as a compliment.”
She hit his arm playfully and his grin grew. “You should.” She rolled onto her side and put her hands beneath her cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He lifted a brow. “For what?”
She shook her head. “No reason really. I just felt like saying it.”
He leaned forward and kissed her. It seemed like such a natural thing to do that he couldn’t resist. “Then you’re welcome.”
* * *
Fleur wasn’tsurprised when Drake left her to own devises a short time later. He likely thought she might want her privacy. She was grateful for his consideration because with all of her slight twinges and changes that her body had just undergone, she was feeling not just awkward but unsure of herself. She supposed she was truly a courtesan now but strangely enough; she didn’t really feel like a fallen woman. Instead, she felt protected, and dare she imagine, cared for as well?
She didn’t know if Drake would ever make any sort of sentimental declaration. He wasn’t that type of man, and knowing that at the beginning helped her to understand this connection for what it was—lust. There was a strong attraction between them and as long as they shared that, it was enough for her. At least it kept most of the loneliness she had been feeling inside at bay.
When a tub was filled with steaming water the next morning, ordered especially by the master of the house, as well as a breakfast tray filled full with tempting delights, Fleur had a smile on her face as she headed downstairs later that morning in an apricot day dress. She had told the maid she wanted to leave her dark hair flowing down around her shoulders, hoping that it might tempt Drake into interlude that afternoon. She was feeling a bit sore from their previous exploits but she was also eager to repeat the performance.
However, when she checked the study to find it empty, she was disheartened. She quickly located the housekeeper and inquired about Mr. Porter. “He stepped out not thirty minutes past,” she said.
Some of her spirits fell. She hadn’t expected Drake to laze in bed with her all day but she thought it would have been courteous if he’d told her he was going out. “Did he say when he would return?”
“No, he did not. But I can say he wasn’t alone. He left with the footman.”
A chill of foreboding snaked up Fleur’s spine, although she couldn’t really say why. She murmured something that must have sounded enough like a dismissal, as the other man departed.
Standing in the midst of the still empty foyer, Fleur set her hands on her hips and wondered what she might do now. Drake had already banned her from the kitchen and there was a housekeeper that took care of cleaning the small bits of furniture that Drake had provided.
It was then she decided to find out where he spent his nights. She knew he didn’t leave the townhouse but she had never asked him where he slept. She burned with curiosity so she decided to investigate.
Passing by the rooms that she knew were still empty of any sort of furnishings, she found her steps had taken her back to the art studio.
When she walked inside, she noticed that there had been some changes.
Gone was the array of unfinished paintings that had lined the wall and the covered painting on the easel was conspicuously absent as well. She wondered where they had all been stored, because she knew he hadn’t had time to complete them all. And something told her he hadn’t destroyed them either. Although it had been a part of his past that he might not care to revisit, there was surely some sort of tie to something that had been such a large part of his personality. She imagined it would be difficult to brush it off completely.
Fleur took one more glance about the room and then she spied something curious on the opposite wall. If she hadn’t been looking that closely she would have easily missed the difference in wallpaper, the slight bit that was more worn than the rest.
Curious, she walked over and ran her hand down the section as a furrow crossed her brow. Something told her there was a secret beyond here. As enigmatic as Drake was, it certainly made sense that he would protect himself by any means necessary. Having multiple lodging houses throughout London was one way he was able to do that. But what about if he was interrupted in the middle of the night?
Thinking this had to hide some sort of secret compartment, she pressed the edge of the trim and found it solid. Pushing and pulling around the area proved the same. It appeared that nothing was out of the ordinary.
But then her focus slid to the light fixture a short distance away. She didn’t know why it would make a difference that it was askew but she immediately walked over and adjusted it.
Her heart stopped when there was a definite click.
Her gaze swiveling back to the wall, she gasped when it was slightly ajar. Pulled forward like a moth to a flame, she reached out a trembling hand, wondering what might lay on the other side.
It was heavy, taking all of her strength to move it back. What lay before her was nothing but a dark passage. She worried her lower lip. It wasn’t as though she had a lantern at her disposal, but neither did she want to miss this rare opportunity when Drake was gone and she was left to her own devises. Surely it wouldn’t go that far and she could feel her way forward until light appeared again.
She dared to step forward, fully concealed behind the false wall. Taking a single step forward, her foot stepped on a stone. With the sound of a catch, the wall behind her swung shut, trapping her inside where no one could hear her scream in the darkness.
* * *
