“Might I have a word with my brother in private?”
Harriette glanced between the siblings and some of her joviality slipped. She had been enthusiastic about Fleur’s “come out,” but when she felt the somber atmosphere that had taken over the room, she quietly excused herself.
When she was gone, Fleur crossed her arms and looked at her twin. “I never thought I would be giving up this much when I promised our parents I would look after you.”
Rather than appear chagrined, Flavian frowned. “What do you want me to say, Fleur? Shall I congratulate you for becoming a martyr on my behalf?” He walked to the window, turning his back to her. “Do you think I enjoy being a failure in every aspect of my life?”
As always, the anger left Fleur in the face of his upset. “You aren’t a failure?—”
“Aren’t I?” He spun back around with his fists clenched. “I feel the condemnation in your eyes every time I do something wrong. Like I’m a child that must be chided. I am four and twenty, the same as you, but you don’t treat me as an equal.”
She didn’t care for his tone. It made her retaliate with an argument of her own. “Perhaps I might do so if you would bother to stop all of the gambling and drinking and carousing and do something productive with your time. Find a respectable occupation?—”
“Like what? Toiling in a mine where I might not live to see daylight? Wishing I was dead rather than buried in some horrid profession that will slowly snuff the very life from me?” He shook his head. “You might be stronger than me, willing to give up your existence to survive but I would rather not.”
He started to head for the door but Fleur stopped him with a hand on his arm. His entire stance was stiff but he hesitated. “I didn’t know you felt this strongly—” She swallowed hard. “But sometimes we have to do the things we must to live to face a new day.”
His dark eyes were sharp, cutting as his words when he said, “What if I don’t care to see tomorrow?”
Her eyes instantly welled with tears. “Please don’t say that. You can’t leave me alone. I am doing all of this for us. Foryou.”
He jerked his arm away from her. “Then you are doing it for the wrong reasons. Some people just aren’t worth redemption.”
He slammed the door on his departure.
CHAPTER4
Drake stood at the edge of the eager gathering at the exclusive gentleman’s club and did what he did best.
Waited.
He told himself he wasn’t just as anxious about seeing the transformation of Miss Davies for this evening’s auction but he had to assume that Harriette had spared no expense on her project courtesan. Miss Davies’ success could reflect poorly, or give Harriette the recognition she had been seeking after her shocking memoirs were published where she pointed fingers at certain prominent men of theton. Her threats had not reflected well on Harriette and she likely hoped this night would put her back on the pedestal she’d been struggling to find purchase.
Drake didn’t care about that. His focus was on his quarry and how much this little extravagance would cost him. Whatever the amount, it would be worth every pound because it would prove that, for all her efforts, Miss Davies couldn’t be rid of him that easily.
He’d nearly met his fate at the hands of a woman. He vowed he would never suffer the same again.
The double doors that led to a private antechamber opened and Harriette Wilson strode into the assemblage as if she was still on top of the world. She held her head high and her faded brown hair was piled on her head in an elegant chignon, curls falling seductively to frame her face and slender neck. She wore a deep red gown threaded with gold and there was a small tiara perched upon her head, as if reminding everyone she was still in charge of the illicit romantic circle.
However, it was the lady in stark black and white that moved gracefully behind Harriette that Drake focused on. He had recalled her beauty before but it was nothing compared to the vixen that walked a short distance away. She had yet to spot him in the crowd. In truth, she did her best to not allow her green eyes to glance about her. Instead, she kept her attention on the woman’s back who led her into the hungry lion’s den.
“I bet she is a wildcat in the sheets,” Drake heard one man remark with a smirk.
“I wonder about her breasts. Do they taste as tempting as they look?” Another chuckle from a second man.
“I’m curious how much this treasure is going to cost me. And how long she intends to play the coy innocent when I tie her up.”
Drake curled his fist, eager to plant it in the last man’s face. He slowly relaxed his grip and wondered why their ignorant banter should bother him at all. It wasn’t as though he had any sort of devotion to the lady where he might have to defend her honor. The truth was, he was there for the same thing these other men were, except he just didn’t voice his opinions so openly.
As Harriette led Miss Davies to a raised dais at the edge of the room that was generally reserved for musicians, she presented her protégé with an elegant wave of her hand. “Good evening, gentleman. I do thank you for coming to this grand affair.”
There was a round of masculine applause throughout the assemblage and a few shouts. Drake did nothing but observe the proceedings.
“This enchanting woman has decided to grace us all with her presence by giving you the opportunity to relieve her of the burden of her innocence.”
Another round of raucous laughter embedded with whistling.
He glanced at Miss Davies to see what she thought of all the praise but her expression never changed. She neither smiled nor looked abhorrent. She was just… there.
