“Oh.”
She was silent, but he could feel her curiosity, her desire to speak. “What do you want to know, Marietta?”
She ran a hand down his arm. “How did you get started?”
“Started with what?”
“With this.”
He pulled two fingers along her leg, enjoying the catch in her breath, but she captured his fingers before he could continue.
“Not that. How did you start such an endeavor? To the point where people would spend ten thousand pounds for your services or offer you three future favors?”
He ran his fingers along her side and stared at the ceiling. That hadn’t been the question he’d thought she would ask. He didn’t know if it was an easier or harder question to answer, the topic flirting with the edge of the main issue.
“It didn’t start with ten thousand pounds or the favors.”
She said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
“I ran from the Dentry estate, as I’m sure you’ve deduced. Took Jeremy with me.” He tried to keep his voice breezy. “We hid in London for a while. We had nothing to our names, but we had contacts, knowledge. I started with a smile and the comprehension of how to work with the different classes. Desperation breeds other types of knowledge as well. Something that was very useful at the Dentry estate and later.”
The darkness hovered just at the edges, but it was lighter than it had been, less thick.
“I did a few favors, introduced people who could help each other, that type of thing. I didn’t realize how useful the talent was or what I could do with it until later.” His fingers skimmed her hip. “I had earned a little bit of money by then, a lot of contacts. I took a chance and charged fifty pounds to a man who could well afford to pay. He did. It was the beginning. I just kept moving up. Kept growing.”
He skimmed his fingers over her stomach.
“Soon I was able to easily charge whatever I needed. I had the network in place to get most anything done or discovered.”
“Do you get a lot of paying clients?”
“Yes. Only the most wealthy.”
She leaned on her elbow. “If you charged less, you would get more clients.”
“I know.”
“Why don’t you?”
“I don’t need the money. I have more than enough to have proven myself.” He gave her a self-degrading smile. “Besides, I’d have too many people at my door.”
She touched his side. “You are more interested in people who can’t afford your services. Working class folks.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you take my case?”
He didn’t say anything for a second. “From a purely predatory standpoint, I knew you’d be a strong asset with your blending looks, even if your cultured voice has proven a detriment at times. And you were determined and loyal. Interesting. Your brother’s situation was also interesting. Rockwood must have known I’d think so.”
“What did you do for Rockwood?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“He’s rather like you about not wanting to be in debt to anyone, though he’s on a tight monetary leash with his father. I assume whatever you did for him, his father paid?”
He didn’t answer, instead moving his fingers along her rib cage. She arched into his fingers as they grazed her breast.
“Why had I never heard of you?”
